Does low-carb bread contain fewer calories than regular bread?

Maybe you’re still in the middle of a good resolution, such as losing a few kilos after stuffing yourself with gingerbread cookies, luxury cheeses and cocktails from lunchtime onwards all through December. Or perhaps simply because you’ve been thinking ‘Whatever, bring on those bubbles…’ throughout the entire coronavirus period—because, well, what else were you supposed to do during the lockdown roller coasters we experienced? But do you think that bread with fewer carbohydrates is a good substitute for ‘normal’ whole-wheat bread, and that by eating it you’re being calorie-conscious? Think again…

Because there are people who reach for a bag of this bread in the supermarket (or order it from the bakers who sell it) because they want to lose weight and think they’re being efficient. But various dietitians and experts say that if you want to lose weight by consuming fewer calories, this type of bread is the wrong choice. On top of that, it is generally also incredibly highly processed, and reading such a ridiculously long ingredient label doesn’t immediately make me think that someone who wants to eat healthily would particularly want to eat it.

Think you’re on a diet..

In the newspaper De Gelderlander, Mariëtte Boon, a doctor and postdoctoral researcher at LUMC specializing in body fat, questions the idea that everyone can lose weight by eating fewer carbohydrates. According to her, it is highly personal; some people lose weight by eating less fat, others by eating fewer carbohydrates, and you will always have to test what works best for you. But be aware of this: a slice of low-carb bread (it won’t be completely carbohydrate-free; rather, it will contain fewer carbohydrates) generally contains just as many kilocalories as a slice of regular bread, or even more.

Full of fat

According to (sports) dietitian Ruben Snelders, wheat-flour substitutes that are often used in such breads, such as soy flour, as well as the extra oil, margarine and sometimes palm oil and hydrogenated soybean oil used, often add up to more calories than regular bread contains. On the platform foodwatch.org, he warns that many consumers overlook this, and that well-known diets emphasizing a low-carb lifestyle also make little distinction between the sources of different carbohydrates. Food producers are happy to capitalize on this, he says, but he believes that in the Netherlands we still eat far too many grain products (made from wheat) and neglect other sources of carbohydrates too much.

Sometimes suitable for people with diabetes

According to Mariëtte Boon, reduced-carb bread can indeed be beneficial for people who have diabetes or are in a prediabetic stage. But according to Guido Camps, a senior researcher in nutrition and technology at Wageningen University (who once took part in Heel Holland Bakt!), these people still need to be very careful and read the labels, because sugar is added to some of these breads.

Also read:

• Detoxing? What nonsense, experts say
• Why the FoodFirst app from Albert Heijn drives me absolutely crazy
• This healthy snack keeps you feeling full for longer

Sources: De Gelderlander, Foodwatch