Nutritional information about bread and how to eat it healthy

What would become of us without the bread? Throughout the centuries, this food has become one of the basic pillars that sustains the human being's diet. Its production began to occur around 8,000 a.C. And from there, other more advanced civilizations such as Egyptian, Greek or Roman, had this food very present in any of their diets.

Because cereals alone can not be digested directly in the digestive system, they were artificially processed through a series of techniques. In the first place the dough was formed by mixing water with flour, using bare hands or simple rods.

Photo: etiennevoss / Istockphoto

After this, the fermentation took place, with which it was possible to increase the volume of the dough considerably. It was then baked in wood ovens or in large frying pans or grills at high temperatures. Finally, it was left to cool on the outside to give place to the bread as we know it today.

  • How to make bread at home

What are the ingredients of bread?

The bread is made of the following ingredients, which we will describe below:

  • Flour.It is one of the main ingredients. It is extracted from the mixture and ground from a series of cereals until a kind of powder is obtained. From there, you can produce both pasta, bread, and cakes. Also, the flour is made of gluten which are a set of insoluble proteins that have a chewy texture. On the other hand, we also find starch, which represents 70% of the weight of the flour and which have the shape of granules.
  • Water.This liquid has the objective of activating the proteins of the flour and that it obtains a soft and moldable texture. It also acts as a solvent in the whole fermentation process. Depending on the water used, a different texture and consistency will be achieved. Although in the majority of occasions a little less than half of water is used (around 43%) with respect to the weight of the flour.
  • Salt.Thanks to this ingredient, what is sought is to enhance and reinforce the taste of bread. The most traditional does not usually carry this seasoning. Although not the same with croissants and brioches, where salt is used to counteract the taste of butter.
  • Yeast.This last ingredient is actually a set of cellular microorganisms (fungi) whose sole objective is to feed on a large part of the starch and flour sugar. This metabolic process produces the fermentation of all its components, where CO2 is released, thus giving a considerable increase in bread mass and volume.
Photo: fcafotodigital / Istockphoto

Nutritional values ​​of bread

Once this is known, let's proceed to talk about Bread nutritional information, where 100 grams of this food provide the following:

  • Calories: 210 calories
  • Carbohydrates: 52 gr
  • Proteins: 7.5 gr
  • Fat: 1.3 gr
  • Fibers: white bread provides 3.5 gr., And the bread provides 7.5 gr.
  • Water: 35%
  • Vitamins: especially vitamins of group B (B1, B6 and niacin).
  • Minerals: calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, zinc and selenium.
Photo: Oleksandr Kiriuchkov / Istockphoto

Tips to enjoy healthy bread

Surely many of you declaráis unconditional fans of bread and you usually use as a companion during any lunch or dinner. However, before consuming it in a rampant way, we recommend that you keep in mind the following:

  • Bread can be addictive. Since it contains opiates and sugars that create a certain dependence when consuming it. For this reason, it is recommended to flee from those industrial breads with refined flour that can have a negative effect on our health.
  • Always accompany it with fruits and vegetables. Like avocado, lettuce or tomato. In this way we will be able to satisfy ourselves while at the same time we ingest multitude of vitamins and minerals.
  • Always toast the bread. In this way, the chewing process will increase considerably, thus satisfying our hunger and enjoy this food for longer.
This article is published for informational purposes only. You can not and should not replace the consultation with a Nutritionist. We advise you to consult your trusted Nutritionist.

Nutrition : How to Eat Healthy With Bread (March 2024)