Is bread your weakness while you’re aiming to stay healthy? You’re not alone. Giving up bread can seem impossible, especially when it’s your comfort food. But here’s the good news – you don’t have to quit bread entirely!
Imagine baking homemade bread with fresh veggies and nutritious flour. You can enjoy it while keeping your health goals on track.
Nogolide Giyose, a health fanatic based in Gugulethu, Cape Town, says quitting bread doesn’t have to be the solution. Instead, you can make your own healthy bread at home using vegetables and other nutritious ingredients.
“Vegetables are low in carbs and high in minerals, fibre, and vitamins,” she says.
The secret to guilt-free bread
According to Giyose, flour, which typically contains wheat, maize, rye, barley, and sometimes rice, is high in carbs. So, if you want to reduce your carb intake, vegetable-based bread is a great alternative.
“Your veggie bread should mainly consist of green-list vegetables like spinach and cabbage and be moderate with orange-list veggies such as sweet potatoes, butternut, and carrots.”
Nogolide Giyose
She notes that if you’re frying your veggie bread, use coconut oil, not olive oil as olive oil can burn when used for frying. For baking, you can use either coconut oil or olive oil, Giyose advises.
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Opt for a boost of fibre
According to Aziwe Booi, a registered dietitian and founder of Health with Azi, based in Bryanston, Johannesburg, in Gauteng, healthy bread alternatives can be made by swapping normal white bread flour with brown flour, oats, and oat bran to increase the fibre content and make the bread more filling.
She says, “Simply adding half a portion of brown or wholewheat bread flour already significantly increases the dietary fibre in your bread portions.
“Vegetables add plenty of vitamins, minerals, and dietary fibre. Vegetables can add additional bulk whilst contributing a minimal amount of energy.”
Dietitian Aziwe Booi
She notes that traditional all-purpose flours are higher in fibre, so they are more filling. This leads to better portion control and supports your gut health by feeding the good gut bacteria for optimal health.
Booi further explains that when making healthy bread at home, if sugar and salt are used in moderation, they can still be part of a healthy and balanced diet.
She adds that the World Health Organization recommends no more than 6 teaspoons (25g) of added sugar daily for adult females or 38g of fibre for adult males.
“Start by choosing wholewheat bread. It is high in fibre and supports your digestion whilst keeping you full for longer.”
She further notes that incorporating at least half a portion of non-starchy vegetables like leafy greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, beetroot, carrots, broccoli, and peppers, among others, is beneficial.
Simple ingredients for a healthier slice
Pheladi Makwela, an independent dietitian based in Parklands, Cape Town, says adding a twist to your ordinary bread can include simple, healthier options such as low-fat milk, honey, flaxseeds, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, butter, and wheat flour.
“Whole grains contain high protein, which is essential for cell repair and growth and insoluble fibre that is significant for gut movement to prevent constipation.”
She adds that the most significant way to manage the portion size of healthy bread is to follow food-based dietary guidelines, which is to know the rules of portion sizes on a balanced plate. The portion size is to maintain a percentage of macronutrients on a plate with 25% starch, 50% vegetables, and 25% protein.
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Veg, tuna, and egg bread/muffins by Nogolide Giyose
Ingredients
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 onion
- 1/2 of each type of bell pepper (robot peppers)
- 1-2 cups of chopped mushrooms
- 4 chopped spinach leaves
- 1 grated sweet potato
- 1 grated carrot
