{"id":610861,"date":"2026-05-29T19:33:22","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T19:33:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/610861\/"},"modified":"2026-05-29T19:33:22","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T19:33:22","slug":"this-simple-bread-swap-can-cut-your-risk-of-diabetes-and-heart-disease","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/610861\/","title":{"rendered":"This simple bread swap can cut your risk of diabetes and heart disease"},"content":{"rendered":"

Toast is a quick and easy breakfast classic but your choice of bread and toppings could play an important role in your health, according to an expert. Nuala Armstrong, health adviser at Bupa Health Clinics, told the Express that opting for wholemeal bread and a lower-sugar topping could help you feel fuller for longer and escape the dreaded mid-morning sugar crash.<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cWholemeal bread is much better for you than white bread, as more fibre, protein and nutrients are retained through the baking process. White bread is also less healthy for you as it contains more sugar. Eating white bread can give you a spike in energy, but then leave you feeling hungrier throughout the day and tempted to eat more to regain that energy high.”<\/p>\n

There’s no need to cut white bread out of your diet entirely, but small changes to your regular food choices can add up over time. Regular blood sugar spikes can contribute to the development of insulin resistance, a factor in the development of type 2 diabetes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

White bread is made from refined flour \u2014 where the nutrient-rich bran and germ are stripped away \u2014 while true brown bread keeps the entire grain intact. Wholegrain breads can therefore be higher in some vitamins<\/a>, minerals and antioxidants.<\/p>\n

Studies have shown that diets rich in wholegrains can reduce the risk of health conditions including heart disease<\/a> and certain types of cancer. Guidelines from the American Heart Association list wholegrains as one of the key components of heart-healthy dietary patterns.<\/p>\n

The fibre and protein in wholemeal bread take longer to digest, keeping you satisfied for longer and reducing the urge to snack between meals. Fibre also adds bulk to your stool, preventing constipation and promoting regular bowel movements.<\/p>\n

When it comes to toppings, Ms Armstrong recommends swapping out jam. You do not have to cut it out of your diet entirely, but if toast is a staple of your diet then sometimes opting for something else could be beneficial.<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cTopping white bread with more sugar (in the form of jam) leaves you even likelier to be left with a sugar crash, post-breakfast.<\/p>\n

\u201cOpting for peanut butter and fresh berries as your toast topping offers you natural sugars, a wider range of nutrients, and another source of fibre.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms Armstrong added: \u201cTogether, brown bread, peanut butter and berries can provide you with energy for longer, fibre and protein that\u2019s easier for your body to digest.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Toast is a quick and easy breakfast classic but your choice of bread and toppings could play an…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":610862,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[5573,15038,59,102,12871,10428,2750,33798,56,54,55,83457],"class_list":["post-610861","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-diabetes","tag-diabetes-prevention","tag-gb","tag-health","tag-healthy-breakfast-choices","tag-healthy-eating","tag-heart-disease","tag-heart-disease-risk","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-wholemeal-bread"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/610861","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=610861"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/610861\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/610862"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=610861"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=610861"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=610861"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}