4 Reasons To Stop Eating White Bread and What to Eat Instead [List of 100 Carb Swaps]

why you should stop eating white bread and what to eat instead. complete list of 100 carb swaps to eat instead of bread and other high carb starchy foods

You probably don’t need to be told that you shouldn’t eat white bread. It’s been beaten to death that white bread is unhealthy but you’re probably curious to know what else to eat to get that carb fix you’re craving.

One easy swap is to simply replace it with whole grain bread. Whole grain bread provides you with vitamin, minerals, and fiber – they’re a great addition to your diet.

Unfortunately, white bread isn’t just unhealthy, there’s more to it than that. If you’re trying to decide whether to ditch white bread and the unhealthy versions of wheat bread masquerading as healthier options, check out these four major reasons that will help make your decision a bit easier.

Reason 1 – No Nutritional Value

To make white bread you first need white flour and unfortunately, white flour has been completely stripped of its nutrients. While manufacturers do enrich white flour with vitamins and minerals, it’s only in small amounts.

The flour is made primarily of starch. On the other hand, you have whole-grain bread which is made from germ and bran as well, which is packed with minerals, vitamins, protein, fiber, and healthy fats.

Reason 2 – Full Of Preservatives & Additives

Additives, preservatives like calcium peroxide, ammonium sulfate, mono, DATEM, and diglycerides are all found in the average white bread loaf. There is absolutely no nutrition found in white bread, it’s created with the express purpose of being a filler that is soft and has a longer shelf life.

We talk about foods being whole, living, and dead. You can categorize white bread as a dead food. Other dead foods include processed, junk foods and fast foods. If you want to eat well, choose whole and living foods – that includes lean proteins, fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain bread (and pasta, etc.).

Reason 3 – It Won’t Bring You Satisfaction

While white bread is a filler, what it won’t do is leave you feeling satisfied. White bread is high on the glycemic index and causes a spike in your blood sugar and with that delicious carb rush comes a nasty carb crash.

Whereas, you can choose whole-grain bread which releases energy slowly – whole-grain bread fills you up more, leaves you feeling fuller for longer, and you don’t need to worry about a nasty carb crash either.

Related: How to Make Healthy Bread in Your Microwave in 90 Seconds

Reason 4 – It Will Lead To Weight Gain

Harvard University says eating white bread in large quantities is going to lead to weight gain. You may think it’s okay because you checked the calorie count and it’s not too bad, but white bread can lead to cravings which will cause you to eat more calories the rest of the day.

When you strip away the benefits of a product just to leave the starchy remains you’re going to go through those spikes in blood sugar and when you crash you will crave. It’s a nasty cycle to get caught up in and eating white bread simply perpetuates it. Without the necessary fiber content, you end up hungrier as white bread leaves your stomach quickly.

You may have chosen to cut white bread from your diet, but you can’t forget about the other sources of white bread that you may still be eating. Bagels count, as do English muffins, baguettes, French bread, and pizza. Refined carbohydrates the sugar in your blood ends up being stored as body fat.

In fact, some researchers are looking into the link between depression in post-menopausal women and refined carbohydrates. Dropping white bread from your diet is one of the easiest diet and lifestyle decisions you can make, all you need to do is reach for the whole wheat.

If you aren’t convinced and you choose to continue eating white bread then you need to ensure you consume it in the appropriate portions and as part of a healthy, balanced diet. You can use the USDA’s MyPlate to keep yourself on track.

It recommends a diet of 2,000 calories a day and you should only consume 6 oz of grain (each day), to put that into context one ounce is half a slice of bread. However, half of your daily grain count should be whole-grain.

You can also find advice on how to eat well while on a tight budget here. Choosing to eat healthy foods doesn’t need to cost more if you plan properly – anyone can improve their lifestyle with a bit of preparation.

If you’re now convinced that you should lessen your carb intake and edge toward a healthier lifestyle, check out this post on healthy low carb lifestyles

4 reasons to stop eating white bread and what to eat instead [list of 100 carb swaps]

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