Baking your own bread is suddenly popular so it’s worth taking a closer look at its GI.
If you eat bread most days choosing one with a low GI is critical to keeping the GI of your diet low. Most commercial sandwich breads made with finely milled flour, either wholemeal, whole wheat or white have high GI values around 70-80. Breads with a higher proportion of whole grains, and authentic sourdough, tend to be the lowest GI options. Also, you can influence the glucose response to bread by the foods you eat with it. Legumes, nuts, and acidic foods such as vinaigrette, yoghurt and pickled vegetables have all been shown to lower the meals glucose response.
And if you’re pregnant or planning pregnancy don’t overlook bread as a valuable source of that all-important nutrient folate – it’s important to the healthy development of babies in early pregnancy. In fact it’s so important that more than 60 countries around the world (including the US, Canada and Australia) have mandatory fortification of wheat flour used in bread making with folic acid. Other types of packaged flour don’t have to be fortified. If they are, you’ll find folic acid in the ingredient list.
Pumpernickel (rye kernel bread)
GI 41-56
Serving: 1 thin slice (50g/1¾ oz)
Sourdough rye bread
GI 48
Serving: 1 large slice (60g/2oz)
Sourdough wheat bread
GI 54
Serving: 1 large slice (60g/2oz)
Spelt multi-grain bread
GI 54
Serving: 1 slice (30g/1oz)
Mixed Grain / Multi-Grain bread
GI 39-68
Serving: 1 slice (30g/1oz)
Fibre-enriched white bread
GI 52-77
Serving: 1 slice (30g/1oz)
Gluten-free bread (gluten free wheat starch)
GI 71-80
Serving: 1 slice (40g/1½ oz)
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Kaye Foster-Powell is an Accredited Practising Dietitian who has worked with people with diabetes for 30 years. She was co-author of the original series of international, best-selling books on the glycemic index. She conducts a specialized private practice for people with diabetes in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, Australia.
Contact: Via her website.