You probably already know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. A solid morning meal—one that combines fiber, protein, and healthy fat—sets you up for more consistent energy levels, improved mood and concentration, better control of your blood sugar, and faster weight loss. The only problem is that many popular breakfast items do just the opposite.
To learn more about the unexpected breakfast food that’s causing bloating and weight gain, we spoke to Lisa Richards, a nutritionist and creator of The Candida Diet. They both told us that it’s time to ditch white bread if you want to reduce inflammation and lose weight fast. The refined ingredients can be detrimental to your weight loss plans and can cause bloating and inflammation. Find all of their expert insight below!
White Bread Causes Bloating And Weight Gain
Even though bread is delicious and filling (and likely already an essential item in your kitchen), Richards says that if you're trying to lose weight, you should limit this high-carb breakfast food. "Bread is a food that should be eaten in moderation due to its processed and refined nature," she says. "Bread, of all kinds, is calorically dense and inflammatory." Richards, who founded The Candida Diet, points out that certain breads are more inflammatory than others and should be avoided at all costs if you want to lose weight—she cites white bread as the worst because it's loaded with refined carbs.
"White bread is made with refined carbohydrates and lacking in fiber and other beneficial nutrients," she explains. "Refined carbs are highly inflammatory and turn to sugar quickly causing a quick rise in glucose." Refined ingredients are packed with calories but they take very little energy for your body to process.
Over time, this can take a serious toll on your metabolism and lead to weight gain. She says, "Eating bread on a regular basis will lead to weight gain because most breads are made from refined grains, sugar, and preservatives," which are "inflammatory ingredients and are also broken down quickly to be stored as fat." And remember, processed foods like white bread only provide empty calories with virtually no nutritional value. They won't keep you full for very long which can lead to overeating later in the day.
Refined carbs like those found in white bread have been stripped of practically all of their nutritional value. They, Richards says, "have undergone a refining process where the fiber and beneficial nutrients are removed and possibly replaced with synthetic versions." So products like white bread "damage the gut by causing inflammation and feeding bad bacteria, leading to gut dysbiosis."
The Bottom Line
Even though white toast makes for a delicious breakfast food that you can eat with eggs or with jam, it's actually extremely unhealthy for weight loss plans and can cause bloating. So, experts like Richards say that you shouldn't eat white bread every day. Instead, you should choose fibrous, whole wheat options whenever possible and practice moderation. You may be surprised by how much better you feel—and how much it helps you lose weight!
