Which bread is high protein and best for weight loss?

What is the healthiest bread for weight loss?

Wholemeal. In the UK food tables, it has 7.0 g of fibre per 100 g, the most of any everyday loaf. White sliced has 2.5 g.

Want the most protein? Wheatgerm bread has 11.1 g per 100 g, the most in the table.

Fibre matters here. The NHS says it can help you feel full, so you’re less likely to eat too much.

Seeded bread looks healthiest, but it has 270 calories per 100 g. That’s about a quarter more than wholemeal.

That’s the seeds. They add fat as well as some protein: 7.4 g per 100 g, against 2.5 g in wholemeal.

Prefer white? The NHS suggests a higher-fibre white. Next time you shop, put wholemeal in the basket first.

Is there a high protein bread?

Only just. By law, a food can say high protein only if at least 20% of its calories come from protein. At 12% or more, it can say source of protein.

Most everyday loaves sit between 14% and 18%.

White sliced comes out at 14.4% and wholemeal at 17.3%. That one high protein loaf is wheatgerm bread, at 20.2%.

Brands vary, so check yours. Quick test: per 100 g, protein in grams should be at least the calories divided by 20. A 240-calorie loaf needs 12 g.

Even then, bread gives only part of your protein. See how much protein you need.

What about high protein low carb bread?

Low carb is not one of the nutrition claims UK law defines, unlike high protein or high fibre. So the words alone don’t promise a set amount.

Everyday loaves carry 39.5 g to 47.4 g of carbs per 100 g, in the UK food tables. Judge any special loaf on its label instead.

Most everyday loaves have about 1.0 g of salt per 100 g, which is medium. About three quarters of the salt we eat comes from everyday foods such as bread.

Cutting carbs more widely? See high protein, low carb eating.

Is bread fattening?

Not on its own. Starchy foods have fewer than half the calories of fat, gram for gram. The NHS says to watch the fats you add, like butter.

Cutting bread out can also mean you miss out on nutrients you need.

Be clear about what a swap can do. In 26 trials with 2,060 adults, wholegrain foods did not change body weight compared with non-wholegrain foods.

Body fat fell a little, by about half a percentage point. The trials lasted 16 weeks at most.

So the loaf may help you feel full. Your total calories decide the weight. See how many calories to eat to lose weight.

How to eat bread and still lose weight

Most adults eat about 20 g of fibre a day. The NHS says to aim for 30 g, and wholemeal toast is an easy start.

For more ideas, see high-fibre foods, high protein lunches and protein for weight loss.

When to speak to a GP

Gluten is in wheat, barley and rye, so it’s in most types of bread. Book an appointment if:

• You think you may have a wheat allergy or intolerance.
• You have diarrhoea, stomach ache or bloating that keeps coming back and has no clear cause. The NHS says you should be tested for coeliac disease (where eating gluten damages the gut).
• You keep losing weight without changing your diet or exercise routine. If you have other symptoms too, see a GP as soon as possible.
• Your BMI (a score of weight against height) is in the overweight or obese range and you want help to lose weight. A GP can refer you to a weight management programme.

Don’t cut out gluten before coeliac tests. You need to keep eating it for the results to be accurate. See the coeliac blood test.