Well, who doesn’t love eating bread? Bread is considered to be amongst the easiest options that you can have either for your breakfast or as a filling snack. It also adds variety as there are so many different types and versions of bread available in the market today. However, things are just not the same when you have been diagnosed with something like diabetes. You need to be extra careful with whatever you are including in your daily diet. In this article, we shall try to understand which is the best bread for diabetes patients. So, come and join in for the article “What Kind of Bread is Best for Diabetes?”

Why Eating Bread Might Be a Problem for Diabetes?

In order to understand the types of bread that are good for diabetic patients, it is first imperative to know the problems with white bread that can harm those with diabetes.

In diabetes, eating white as well as other bread types of bread can cause a lot of complications. There are many reasons for the same. Consider the following:

• White bread is known to contain a chemical named alloxan. Alloxan is added to the bread in order to give it its white color. This chemical is known to cause damage to the pancreas. Now pancreas is the organ responsible for the production of insulin, which in turn helps to maintain the stable levels of blood glucose in our body. In the absence of a proper functioning pancreas, diabetes is sure to occur.
• Another important risk element when you eat white bread and are diabetic is the fact that white bread is made from processed flour and is a source of carbohydrates. Carbohydrate, as we know, has to be limited to the maximum possible extent in diabetes.
• It is a form of refined starch and interferes with the levels of glucose in your body and hence should be avoided completely by a diabetic.
• When you eat bread, even the otherwise thought of healthy whole wheat bread, your blood glucose levels tend to come up very quickly.
• Another reason why bread may not be the perfect choice for all the diabetes patients is the fact that most varieties of bread contain sugar. Too much of sugar is something which a diabetic patient should better avoid.
• The Gluten present in various types of bread damages the immune system of your body. The weakness of the immune system, as we already know, is one of the strongest reasons causing diabetes.
• Finally, bread lacks all the essential nutrients your body needs. The presence of phytic acid in most types of bread leads the body to lose absorption of essential minerals such as calcium, iron, amongst others.

So, which bread should a person suffering from diabetes eat then? The following paragraphs will help to explain the same:

Best Bread for Diabetics

If you are diabetic and do want to include bread in your daily diet, you should go for the following best options:

Whole-Grain Bread Which Has Been Enriched with Fiber

Fiber is an important nutrient that is needed for those with diabetes. It plays a vital role in helping to control the increase in the levels of blood glucose. As per a few studies conducted by experts, if you take soluble sources of fiber as part of your food, the rate of digestion will slow down, thereby preventing high blood glucose spikes.

As a result, fiber-enriched whole grain bread is a good option for people with diabetes. However, this type of bread is high in the total carbohydrates content. Hence, you need to be careful about the same.

Bread Without Flour or Grains

You have bread available in the market today which are made of flax seeds, almond flour, or coconut flour. All these are considered healthy for those with diabetes. This type of bread could easily be one of the best options for all the bread lovers who are also patients of diabetes and are looking forward to managing their blood glucose rise.

Multi-Grain Sandwich Bread

Another type of bread that you can include in your diabetic diet is the multi-grain sandwich bread. This bread gains its benefits from the whole and unrefined grains that go into its making. While the bread is still high in carbohydrates, the grains help to reduce the adverse effect of the same on the elevated levels of blood glucose. This bread is rich in nutrients and you can get all the important minerals your body needs by consuming the bread. These nutrients include zinc, vitamin E, etc.

Low-Carbohydrates Tortillas

These days you easily get the tortillas which have a low carbohydrate content and is considered a great option for people who have diabetes and its related complications. These are made with ingredients such as soy protein and others which have a low carbohydrate count. Besides, there are a few makers who, in order to make the tortillas even healthier for use add fiber to the same. Addition of fiber, in turn, benefits all those bread lovers who have diabetes.

Spelt Bread

Another traditional form of the modern wheat is the spelt grain. Experts believe that spelt is slow to digest which makes it an important alternative to the whole wheat bread that you may have been used to. Spelt bread is considered to be a healthy bread choice for those with diabetes.

Low-Carb Pita Bread

There are versions of pita bread available which are low in the total carbohydrate content. You should go for these varieties if you are a diabetic.

7 Sprouted Grains Bread

This bread is easily found in stores like Food for Life. This bread is considered just perfect for breakfast as it makes you feel full. A slice of bread has 15 grams of carbohydrates.

Thus, you do have the healthier alternative choices when it comes to eating bread. Having said that, you still need to be careful when you are including any of the above-mentioned bread in your daily diet because each one will have a few considerations for diabetes patient. The following paragraph explains you the guidelines that should be followed.

Guidelines to Make Bread a Part of Your Diabetic Meal Plan

As is clear from the above, bread is not the best choice for a person who suffers from diabetes. However, if you do follow the below-mentioned guidelines, you could include your favorite bread as part of your overall meal plan without having to feel guilty about the same.

• Go for all those bread options that are high in the total fiber content and is low in sugar at the same time.
• Go for the less processed varieties. The ones which are made at home or are available at the farmer’s market could be the ones which we are looking for.
• Always be mindful of the fact that you need to make bread a part of your overall meal plan. Hence, do look into the ingredients and the nutrition profile of the bread that you plan to eat.
• Do consult your doctor before including anything new in your diet and do not go overboard with the overall eating process.

By following the above simple guidelines, you shall be able to eat bread as part of your overall diabetic meal plan.

We hope that the above article has been helpful in improving your understanding of the different types of bread that are best suitable for you if you are a patient of diabetes. Bread is not the ideal choice for the diabetics but given the plethora of choices available, you can certainly choose the best option for you after properly consulting your medical doctor. You have to, however, follow a few important guidelines and make the same a part of your meal plan!!