Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but not everyone gets to enjoy their first meal in the morning for various reasons. Some have to rush off for work, so they grab the fastest and easiest food to prepare--the staple white bread slathered with jam or butter, which may not be the healthiest option for breakfast.
Breakfast jumpstarts your day so you should be conscious of what you put in your stomach since it could affect your performance at work or school. But sometimes the very fact itself that breakfast is important prompts people to pile up their plate with whatever is edible. Most often they forego staying option and eat foods loaded with butter or the common white bread, which may be doing more harm than good for your body.
A white bread made with refined flour has little nutritional value. When grain is refined, the fiber and protein are removed, leaving only starch. Although the "enriched flour" label in some flour has added nutrients like B vitamins and iron, it is still lower in protein and fiber.
Moreover, consuming white bread can cause an erratic spike in blood sugar levels. Erin Palinski-Wade, RD, author of Belly Fat Diet For Dummies, says that the lack of protein and fiber, which helps slow down digestion, can cause the bread to be absorbed and digested rapidly. This causes the blood sugar level to rise quickly, which prompts an increased risk of type-2 diabetes.
"When blood sugar elevates rapidly, excess insulin is released into the bloodstream to push the sugar into the cell. When this occurs on a regular basis, cells become more insulin resistant, making it harder over time to control blood glucose levels."
Likewise, according to naturopathic physician Dr. Marizelle Arce, consuming white bread only leaves you feeling hungrier than when you sat down for breakfast. The sugar rush and rapid digestion cause increased hunger and cravings. Thus, it prompts you to reach for more food than necessary. White bread then causes the "next meal to be stored and turned into fat," which then leads to weight gain.
It is best to choose the whole-grain varieties for breakfast because it has healthy fiber and protein. However, in doing so it is also important to consider that some foods made with whole wheat flour, like waffles, bagels, and cereals can add extra pounds to your weight, so it is best to eat them in moderation.
