Diabetes is a term used to refer to a group of diseases that tends to affect the way your body utilises blood sugar. As glucose is a vital source of energy for the body and is the main fuel for the brain, its fluctuating levels can lead to various other complications. Where there are so many dietary restrictions upon the diabetic patients, they often wonder what they can consume and what not. Bread being a staple food and key element of various diets around the world, it is one of the most discussed questions that can people with diabetes consume bread? The answer to this question is a YES, that comes along with some conditions.
Take a deep dive into this article and learn about what are the best and worst kinds of breads for a diaetic patient and how often and in what quantity can they consume from Ms. Anam Golandaz, Clinical Dietician, Masina Hospital, Mumbai.
Things To Consider While Buying Breads
While choosing the right bread for people with diabetes, one needs to check the nutritional value of the bread and looking for nutritional facts can keep you on the right track. Look out for a bread that has the lowest amount of sugar, does not contain any added sugar or sweeteners and is high in fiber. Different people around the globe have different kinds of metabolism and hence one should check the blood sugar levels before going ahead and consuming bread. Most important thing to understand is the way in which your body reacts when you consume bread.
Here’s what Ms Anam Golandaz has to say about this- “For people with diabetes it is very difficult to decide what, when and how much to eat. While planning a diet for a diabetic patient, all these three things need to be kept in mind. As we consume carbohydrates in almost every meal we consume, the amount and type of carbohydrate present in the food might differ. Completely giving up on carbohydrates is not a very realistic approach and is not even possible to a certain extent. One needs to be aware of their carbohydrate intake and the nutritional choices.”
Healthy breads for Diabetics
There are several different types of breads available in the market starting from white bread to brown bread and from whole wheat bread to multigrain bread. Where people with diabetes are the ones who have many restrictions over their dietary habits and food consumption. Here we are going to talk about the best and the worst kinds of bread that a person with diabetes can consume along with the quantity in which it should be consumed.
#1. Whole Grain Bread
It is recommended to use whole grain bread instead of white bread as this white bread consists of sugar and processed white flour or maida. Whole grain bread with high fiber content like oats and bran are usually the best option for people with diabetes as they are made with diabetes friendly ingredients. Consumption of this bread has a great impact on reducing the effects of diabetes on a person’s blood sugar levels. As these whole grains have a lower Glycaemic Index or GI than the wheat flour, and hence they are considered to be healthy. Apart from this they also contain nutrients such as proteins, zinc and vitamin E.
#2. Whole Wheat Bread
When it comes to choosing breads for diabetics, whole wheat bread can be a really good option and is something that they should choose over the highly processed white bread. Whole wheat breads are a good option for these people as they do not
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just have a lower GI index as compared to the processed one but are also rich in important nutrients such as protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals. As these whole wheat breads help in slowing the process of digestion, hence it slows down the process of releasing glucose or sugar into the bloodstream.
#3. Multigrain Bread
We all have come across these fancy and highly nutritious breads and heard all about its benefits for weight loss. Where this multigrain bread has been proven to be so healthy and nutritious, can it be a good choice for diabetics? According to the experts, replacing the highly processed white bread with the multigrain bread can do wonders to your health and has also been proven to be good for diabetes patients. A low carbohydrate multigrain bread is said to be a good choice as this bread is high in fiber, low in carbohydrates and glycaemic index which would not spike a person’s blood sugar levels.
How much to consume?
The consumption of bread by a diabetic patient highly depends upon their insulin levels as they are already on some or the other kind of mediation. No matter what kind of bread you are consuming, it needs to be consumed in proportion and no matter how healthy it is, an overconsumption can lead to several complications. Consuming one serving of bread, that is 2-3 slices of bread in a day is advisable for a diebetic patient. Going overboard with your bread consumption can lead to various health issues as they contain some or the other kinds of preservatives and other processed ingredients.
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Ms Golandaz adds, “As bread is high in carbohydrates due to being a processed food that contains ingredients such as sugar, refined flour, oils which are basically empty calories that tend to spike the blood sugar levels. While deciding which kind of bread to consume and what to avoid, one must ponder upon the nutritional information mentioned on the packaging.”
Until and unless advised by a physician or a dietician, one needs not to eliminate bread from their diet. Low carbohydrate whole grain and multigrain breads are some of the best options for people with diabetes.
(With inputs from Ms. Anam Golandaz, Clinical Dietician, Masina Hospital, Mumbai)
