Can A Diabetic Eat Bread?

Introduction

Diabetes is a type of metabolic disorder where there the body cannot convert the energy obtained from food into usable form of energy. So, the unused form of energy gets stored in the muscle, fat tissues, and liver. This causes an increase in blood glucose. Insulin is either nor produced, or cells immune to it. Due to this reason. diabetics have problems in regulating their blood sugar levels.

Can A Diabetic Eat Bread?

They have to be very careful that the food they eat should not abruptly increase the sugar levels and cause an imbalance in it. Bread is one of the important readily available foods in the market. This article will help you find out whether or not it should be incorporated into the meal of diabetics.

Nutrition and diabetes

Carbs is the major nutrient that is important to human health. However, there is also a possibility that carbs can elevate blood sugar and lower diabetes control in a person. It becomes important to select food that comprise of quality carbohydrates that rate low on the GI scale.

Whole Wheat bread has a low GI index that perfectly suits the diet goals of a diabetic. Where white bread has a high Glycemic Index of 71, bread made of whole wheat, oats, are low-glycemic foods. Its GI score is 55 or less.

Which is the right bread for a diabetic?

Breads are available in various varieties. White bread is the highly processed one with lowest amount of fiber and simple carbs. Eating such bread can cause an imbalance in the blood sugar levels in a person. So, this bread is not advisable in diabetes. A person should opt for following types of whole grain breads:

Brown Bread or Whole Wheat Bread: This bread is made entirely with unrefined whole wheat. It is a good variation for diabetics. A whole wheat that digests slowly in the body and releases glucose steadily in the blood. By eating this bread, you only get the nutrition of whole wheat. Also, the GI index of whole wheat falls in the medium range, whereas GI index of flax seeds, oats, rice bran falls low in GI scale. So, it is advisable to opt for breads with multitude of low GI whole grains in it.

Multigrain bread: This bread has complex carbs in the form of flax seeds, chia seeds, wheat bran, and oats.  It has abundance of naturally occurring fiber and complex carbs. Due to which it has low impact of carbs on blood sugar. Find the variety of bread, that has oats, buckwheat, quinoa, brown rice, whole-grain wheat, barley, and bran and many more nutrients such as vitamin E, protein, and zinc. This is the ideal variation of bread that you should include in your diet.

Sprouted Grains Bread: The nutritional content of any grain amplifies when it is sprouted. This bread has high amounts of fiber, and protein. It is filling and flavorful. Eating it with eggs, makes it is a perfect addition to a breakfast.

Multi-Grain Bread with Sprouted Wheat: This is a dense, and nutrition rich bread. Addition of little amounts of honey, and molasses in the bread gives a little sweetness and plenty of nutrition. It is high in good-quality carbs, protein, and fiber.

How to choose the best bread for Diabetes?

Most of the commercially-available breads have refined, white flour. Such breads do not have any fiber. It causes spikes in blood sugar levels. Some brands claim their bread to be “nine grain”, or “seven grain” that have those grain only on its top layer, while the remaining bread is still made up of refined white flour.

It is important to be aware of the labelling, and packaging of breads that assist people to select the appropriate product. Choose the bread that has more proportion of fiber, and whole grains that are slow to digest by the body. Such bread regularizes bowel movement, and also gives you a feeling of fulness. Fiber assists in controlling blood sugar to a great extent.

Conclusion

Bread can be used to make several delicious items. It is not just easily available, but also healthy to eat. Though it is rich in carbs, but they digest slowly in the body. Only thing that needs to be taken care of is that you eat the right type of bread. Breads made up of whole grain foods such as bran, oats etc. are rich in fiber and diabetes-friendly goes a long way in normalizing blood sugar levels.