Bread that can make you LOSE weight! Let’s bake at home!

Do you also have a love-hate relationship with bread?

At least I do. I love to have a slice of bread and butter but hate it when I gain a few calories because of it. And, this is must be the case with every one of you. Right?

So, let’s dig into it and find out which bread we should avoid and which we can have even during dieting.

Bread to Avoid – White Bread

White bread is made of very fine flour and is highly refined and can spike the blood glucose levels, leading to overeating.

How it spikes the blood glucose level??

Bread is high in carbs with approximately 13 grams in each slice; the carbs later break downs into glucose which increases the blood sugar levels, leading to higher Type-2 Diabetes risk. It also has a low level of micronutrients and contains products like Gluten, which might cause a few side effects for celiac disorder or gluten sensitivity patients.

In a study, conducted a few years back, 9,267 people found that eating two slices (~120 grams) of white bread per day was linked to a 40% greater risk of weight gain and obesity. After reading this statement, you all must be thinking not to have any bread items from now on.

But hold on, we all have heard that cutting on bread will help in reducing the weight. It’s all just a myth, to lose our weight, we have to reduce the calorie intake. And, by reducing the calorie intake, I mean cutting down on our sugary packaged fruit juices, candy bars and such similar items. With some restraints, bread can be delighted in as a feature of a solid eating routine.

 Bread which we can have while on a diet:

In one study, people on a lower-calorie diet that included whole grains, such as whole-wheat bread, lost more belly fat than those who ate only refined grains (white bread and white rice). Whole grains or sprouted varieties bestows have several health benefits. They are enriched with extra nutrients and provide more vitamins, minerals, and fibre than refined. The nutritional supplement profiles vary across various kinds of bread. For, example, the whole-wheat bread may boast a higher amount of fibre, while sprouted grains are richer in beta-carotene and vitamins C and E. But, take care of not overeating the whole wheat bread as it can still add some extra pounds. And, you definitely don’t want that. So, account for it in your daily calorie budget.

Now, just think if you can bake your bread any time of your day and enjoy that yummy home-baked bread. And, if I say that you can make your own healthy bread. Isn’t it a cherry on the cake.

Baking of the whole wheat bread:

Ingredient	Quantity
Whole wheat flour	2 cups
Salt	1 tsp
Sugar	2 tsp
Instant yeast	1 tsp
Ghee or Butter or Oil	3-4 tbsp
Milk	3-4 tbsp
Curd	2 tbsp

Preparation of Bread Dough:

— In a bowl, mix the whole wheat flour with salt, sugar and instant yeast. If you feel that the instant yeast will not dissolve, you can even mix the yeast granules with ½ cup lukewarm milk and sugar in a separate bowl. Rest it for 3-4 minutes and then add this mixture to the wheat flour. (I mix the instant yeast in the wheat flour directly)

— Now, add ghee and curd to the mixture. Add milk in the mixture too, if you have added instant yeast directly to the wheat flour.

— Mix all the ingredients lightly.

— While kneading the dough, add water if required. The dough should be sticky.  

— Brush some oil on the dough before keeping it aside in a deep wide bowl. Cover it lightly with a damp cloth for 1 hour. (I usually let it rest for approximately 1.5 hours)

— When you remove the cloth, you will see that the dough has doubled in size.

— Lightly punch and knead the dough once again. Shape the dough into a loaf. And you are ready to go.

Baking Time:

— Place your dough in the greased loaf pan. Cover it and let it rise for 30 minutes.

— Meanwhile, Pre heat the oven at 220° C for 20-25 minutes.

— Once the dough has risen, brush it with some milk.

— Keep it in the oven at 180° C for 30 -40 minutes.

— Take it out once done and let it cool.

— Relish your soft homemade bread with some butter and jam.

More healthy bread to try:

Oat Bread Loaf:

All the steps will be same, you just have to replace 1 cup of whole wheat flour with 1 cup of oat flour (grind the oats and add it in the whole wheat flour mixture). Follow the remaining step as it is. You can also sprinkle some oats when you brush the loaf with milk, before keeping it in the oven.

Multi-grain Bread:

For multi-grain, you need a few more ingredients. But all the steps will be same; you will have to just replace the whole wheat flour with the following ingredient

Ingredient	Quantity
Oat flour	1 cup
Whole wheat flour	½ cup
Ragi flour	1/3 cup
Maize flour	1/3 cup
Chia seeds	1.5 tsp
Flax seeds	1 tsp
Melon seeds	1.5 tsp
Sesame seeds	1.5 tsp

Recipe for Multi-grain bread

Add the flour, yeast and pre-soaked seeds (soak the seeds for 5-10 minutes) and follow the same steps mentioned above. Before keeping the loaf into the oven, sprinkle mixed nuts, rolled oats and wheat flakes on the bread loaf. And, after 45 minutes, you can enjoy your home-baked multi-grain bread.

An alternative for an Oven -Baking in a Cooker:

If you don’t have an oven, you can also make it in a pressure cooker. In a pressure cooker, use 1 cup of common salt and spread it evenly to increase the height and avoiding the direct connect. Now place either wire stand or a small bowl or a ring cutter. Preheat the cooker for 10 minutes in high flame. After 10 minutes, place the loaf pan on the stand. You can use the same salt for baking the next time.

So, now whenever someone says don’t eat bread while on diet, tell them about the benefits which help in weight loss. Choosing your bread carefully and maintaining a good workout regimen might accelerate your weight loss journey. Now, bake your own healthy bread at your convenience and enjoy it. Just remember to practice “mindful eating”, that is paying close attention to each bite, chew your food properly and monitor your fullness. This can help moderate the food intake and hence keeping you fit.

Happy Baking!

In collaboration with Fitnastic. Stay Connected with Fitnastic and 5pm Ardor for interesting blog posts.

About Fitnastic: Fitnastic was founded in January 2020 with the aim to help individuals go through their fitness obstacles and transform them into a stronger, fitter and confident individual. Rishi Nagar being the founder and Ojas Bhatt being the Co-Founder, they believe in the ideology that exercise and nutrition are the utmost priority for healthy well-being.
At Fitnastic, they craft an individual’s well-being by not only providing customized diet plans and live training/training routines, but also provide conversations with doctors on various health issues, easy-to-make healthy recipes & also educate people by providing scientific knowledge about different dieting patterns, herbs, and physiological functions of the human system.
Because, Fitness is not a joke!

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