What Happens to Your Body When You Eat Bread Every Day

Eating bread does a lot more for your body's health than you may realize.

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  • Bread may support heart and digestive health and is an excellent energy source for athletes.
  • Whole grain breads contain fiber, protein and essential B vitamins for a healthy metabolism.
  • Enjoy breads in many forms to include sandwich breads, pita and focaccia.

While bread tends to be an essential grocery item for many, thanks to the rise of low-carb diets and carb-phobic dieting schemes, bread has gone from a household staple to a controversial topic of debate. There tends to be quite a bit of confusion around bread. Is it actually good for you or not? And will eating it every day affect your health negatively?

Thankfully, bread can still be a go-to household staple, and can even help many people reach their nutrient goals. Bread can be an excellent source of folate, fiber, iron, B vitamins and much more. "As dietitians, we often recommend whole-grain bread because it traditionally contains more fiber, which aids in digestion and will help you feel full longer," says Kristi Ruth, RD, LDN.

With that said, eating bread alone can have some negative effects for some individuals. And yet, that doesn't mean bread is something to stay away from; many registered dietitians recommend it as part of a healthy diet.

Why We Love Bread

It May Support a Healthier Gut

Whether it's white, wheat or even sourdough, all bread contains fiber—an essential nutrient the body needs for better digestion, gut health and even weight management. However, some types of bread, such as 100% whole-wheat and whole-grain bread, contain more fiber than others.

A single slice of whole-wheat bread contains 2 grams of dietary fiber. That's around 7% of the recommended Daily Value. And multigrain whole-grain bread can go upward of 3 to 5 grams or more a slice. So with a whole sandwich made with two slices of bread, you can significantly increase your fiber intake with one meal—not to mention all of the fiber-rich foods within your sandwich or in a small salad on the side.

"40% of dietary fiber intake comes from grain foods," says Elana Natker, M.S., RD, spokesperson for the Grain Foods Foundation. "Cutting out grains [like bread] would take out fiber that people are needing and getting from grains."

It May Support a Healthy Pregnancy

All bread—even including white bread—contains nutrients that can enhance one's diet. Along with having a high amount of iron, fiber and B vitamins, bread also includes a surprisingly high amount of protein, calcium, thiamine, manganese and zinc. White bread is also considered a significant source of folate, which is essential during pregnancy, when it's recommended to get at least 400 micrograms a day.

"[Child-bearing] women restricting carbohydrates are 30% more likely to have babies with neural tube defects because they aren't getting enough folic aid," says Natker.

It Can Be An Important Energy Source

For individuals who expend a lot of energy, such as athletes and active children, bread can provide a nutritious energy source to fuel their daily activities. The carbohydrates in bread are broken down into glucose, which is used for immediate energy, but it can also be stored as glycogen in the muscles and liver to use for another workout—sometimes referred to as carb loading.

As dietitians, we often recommend whole-grain bread because it traditionally contains more fiber, which aids in digestion and will help you feel full longer.

— Kristi Ruth, RD, LDN

It May Boost Your Protein Intake

Plain white bread doesn't provide a substantial amount of protein, but some breads do. Sprouted grain breads, or breads that contain nuts and seeds as part of their ingredients, will add protein to your sandwich, as much as 5 grams of protein per slice. Increasing your protein can assist with weight management by preserving lean muscle mass and along with the fiber from these types of breads, can also increase satiety.

It May Support Your Heart Health

Choosing a bread higher in fiber may help your heart health by providing fiber that can help lower your lipid levels. Soluble fiber, like the kind found in oats, legumes, vegetables and some fruits can keep dietary cholesterol from being absorbed, lowering your blood lipid levels. Look for breads that include oats or oat flours, bean flours or vegetables such as carrots, zucchini or pumpkin.

Nutrition Information

The nutrition information for bread will vary greatly, depending on the type and ingredients added. Breads with whole wheat flours will contain more fiber and protein than white breads. In addition, the amount of added sugar can vary greatly, especially for commercial varieties. One slice (25g) of whole-wheat bread provides:

  • Calories: 77
  • Carbohydrates: 13 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 2 g
  • Total Sugar: 1 g
  • Protein: 4 g
  • Total fat: 1 g
  • Saturated fat: 0 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 g
  • Sodium: 141 g
  • Folate: 13 mcg
  • Calcium: 32.5 mg
  • Potassium: 81.5 mg

Is Bread Safe For Everyone?

While it is essential to get a sufficient amount of fiber from dietary sources, not everyone can handle the fiber from some breads. Eating many high-fiber foods can cause uncomfortable bloating, gas and cramping—especially if you aren't used to eating them. If this is the case, it's important to ease into eating more high-fiber foods. In this case, eating white or sourdough bread with less dietary fiber may be a good place to start.

Eating bread can help you reach those nutrient goals for the day, but it is still a carbohydrate-containing food that can cause a rise in blood sugar. When a carbohydrate food is consumed, the digestive system breaks down that food into sugar, which then enters the bloodstream. As blood sugar levels rise, the body will release insulin for the cells to absorb blood sugar for energy or storage. For those with a healthy pancreas, this insulin release happens automatically, but for those with diabetes, they need to account for the rise in blood sugar with synthetic insulin.

3 Ways to Enjoy Bread

In its simplest form, bread is made from yeast, water, flour and salt. However, the variations for bread, including the time it takes to bake, are endless. Try switching up plain sandwich bread for another type depending on the occasion and ingredients you have on hand.

  • Focaccia: This Italian flatbread is soft in the middle and crunchy on the outside, thanks to the addition of olive oil when you bake it. Focaccia typically takes less time to bake than a loaf of bread, but is equally as good for sandwiches and to make into croutons if you have some leftover.
  • Pita Bread: Pita bread has a characteristic pocket in the center that forms when these balls of bread dough are flattened and then baked at high heat. You can cut pita in half, expose the pocket and fill with healthy ingredients, like our Egg, Tomato & Feta Breakfast Pita.
  • Quick Breads: Quick breads have more ingredients than a typical sandwich bread and use baking powder and baking soda as leavening agents instead of yeast. They can be sweet or savory and often incorporate nuts, seeds, fruits and even vegetables, like our Pumpkin Zucchini Bread.

Bread Recipes to Try

Our Expert Take

Even though low-carb diets are popular in our culture, that doesn't mean bread is bad for you. Eating bread every day easily provides your body with essential nutrients while still tasting good—and can be an easy vehicle for healthy fats, like peanut butter or smashed avocado—and protein—like lean turkey, eggs and more.

"I don't like to see any food as being 'good' or 'bad,' says Ruth. "Rather, consumers should understand why they are buying the bread...as well as learn to read Nutrition Facts labels so you can pick the product that is best for you."

If increasing fiber intake is your motivation, Natker says aiming to make "half your grains whole" is a great place to start if you're not in the habit of reaching for whole-grain products. And soon, you may find yourself experimenting with different grain options to get a variety of nutrients into your meals.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Is it OK to eat bread every day?

    Depending on your health goals, bread can be enjoyed each day. You'll get more of a health benefit by choosing whole-wheat or sprouted grain breads over white bread each day. However, enjoying bread in moderation with a balanced diet is fine for most adults.

  • Is cutting out bread a good idea?

    If you have a medical condition, such as diabetes, where carbohydrates are monitored, cutting out bread might make sense for you. However, even with medical conditions that may make you question your inclusion of bread in the diet, choosing a different type of bread may be able to fit in your diet, so you can enjoy all of the health benefits of fiber and additional protein. If you have a gluten intolerance or Celiac disease, choosing a gluten-free bread is also a good choice.

  • Why is bread considered unhealthy?

    Bread often gets rolled into the list of "bad" foods, but it's a little unfair to put all breads in the same basket, and call them equal. Some breads, such as ultra-processed white sandwich bread will cause a quick rise in blood sugar; however, choosing a higher fiber, high-protein bread will blunt that rise and provide other essential nutrients that benefit your health.

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Sources
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  1. Grain Foods Foundation. Grains: An essential building block for proper nutrition.

  2. U.S. Department of Agriculture & U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

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  5. U.S. Department of Agriculture. FoodData Central. Bread, whole-wheat, commercially-prepared, toasted.