Did anyone see this article on Today Tonight? I have weaned to multi-grain, then will try wholemeal! But I couldn't handle going from white to wholemeal straight away!

The weight loss benefits of bread
REPORTER: Dr John D'Arcy
BROADCAST DATE: May 27, 2005

A woman who lost 10kg after switching to wholegrain bread and her nutritionist tell Dr John D'Arcy why your choice of bread is a health decision.

These days supermarkets offer at least a dozen types of bread, each offering different health benefits.

Irene was once a white bread devotee. But she made the switch to wholegrain bread six months ago and the weight fell off.

"I've dropped two dress sizes and I've lost ten kilos," Irene said.

Nutritionist Dr Kaye Foster-Powell said unprocessed grain was hard to beat.

"Bread that has the grain in its intact natural form is more slowly digested and that's where the benefit is," Dr Foster-Powell said.

"It means it takes longer for us to chew it, more signals to the brain that we are actually eating something."

At first Irene's children refused to join her in eating wholegrain bread.

"They wouldn't eat it, but I just kept persevering and every time I said 'Look, I've run out of white bread, this is it, you're getting it' and they ate it," she said.

Dr Foster-Powell said bread really mattered for health.

"Bread's the staff of life, it's really important to our health," she said. "It needs to be rich in nutrients, high in fibre, satisfying, full of wholegrains and low GI."

There used to be a saying that "if you're worried about your health, it ain't the bread, it's the spread". But there is more to consider about bread than its colour and the package it comes in.

Bread ratings
White bread: Low in fibre, low in fat but loaded with salt. Nutrition score: 2/10
Wholemeal bread: High in fibre, vitamins and minerals, but only if it is made from wholemeal flour. No guarantee: 5/10.
Multigrain bread: High in fibre, low in fat, the more seeds the better: 8/10.
Soy and Linseed bread: High in fibre and protein, high in fat (but good fat): 9/10.

Most breads don't show GI or glycaemic index levels, because they are so high. The exceptions are Bergen and Promax. The GI index is all about the level of sugar in your blood, along with the hormone insulin.
"We know now that high insulin levels are associated with most of our lifestyle diseases of today," Dr Foster-Powell said.

"Central adiposity, so that thickening of the waistband, that's associated with high insulin levels. Heart disease, even certain types of cancer."

"If you're eating foods that produce a large insulin response, you're going to put on weight. So we need the foods that are low in GI that don't produce such a high insulin response."

It worked for Irene. Kay's advice was simple: look for a bread that is full of grains and low GI.