Why Bread Makes You Fat

The question of why bread makes you fat is a pertinent one; after all the common message from medical practitioners for a long time now has focused on promoting the consumption of low fat, high carbohydrate foods, specifically grains.The message of wheat, corn and various other grains as healthy foods optimal for combating excess weight has come to dominate most weight loss plans, an odd pattern considering the fact that, even though wheat production and consumption has tripled over the last few decades, the rates of obesity have only continued to rise, this raising several questions about the relationship between weight gain and that common element of bread known as wheat.WHY BREAD MAKES YOU FATBefore making any assumptions about the role of bread in increasing obesity levels, one needs to first ask the question: Does bread make you fat?And despite common presumptions, the answer is a resounding no. In fact it would be accurate to suggest that most foods have little direct impact upon one's weight. Understanding how weight gain occurs is crucial in understanding the relationship between bread and weight gain.HOW WEIGHT IS GAINEDSimply put, weight gain occurs when one consumes more calories than the body requires to produce energy; as a result any surplus calories are stored as fat, this eventually leading to a gradual increase in weight. To gain a pound in weight, you will require a 3000 calorie surplus; considering the fact that the average slice of white bread is home to no more than 75 calories, you will have to consume a lot of white bread for your actions to result in rapid weight gain.HOW BREAD MAKES YOU GAIN WEIGHTThe question of why bread makes you fat comes down to the ability of wheat to bring about a spike in insulin. Consuming fats will do little more than fill you up, and it certainly will not make you fat.Rather it is insulin that is responsible for swelling the body's adipose fat cells, resulting in the deposit of even more fat, and hence bringing about weight gain. The lack of a spike in insulin would make gaining weight a very difficult process.It is important to remember that grains like wheat are also rich in carbohydrates, and the body doesn't deal with carbohydrates in an appropriate manner; while the body will typically utilize fat as fuel, it is carbohydrates that will prevent the use of fats as energy sources; in effect inhibiting the body's inability to burn fat.


Medical professionals have also been known to warn overweight patients about the body's ability to convert carbohydrates into glucose; consuming carbohydrate rich foods like white bread will increase the amounts of glucose generated, possibly enough to affect blood sugar levels and thus increasing the body's production of insulin.More importantly, at least with regards to one's weight, is the fact that the body stores its excess glucose within the adipose tissue as fat, resulting in a marked increase in weight around the waist and hips and, once those regions reach their peak, everywhere else.The very mechanisms initially designed to protect the body humanity has turned into fat generating processes because of the unhealthy consumption of grains like wheat through bread in all its various forms. It is through these processes- the consumption of excess calories and carbohydrates, the production of excess glucose which in turn compels the body to react with a spike in insulin, even while surplus glucose is stored as fat- that bread can become a dangerous food item.The question of why bread makes you fat isn't always a fair one though; after all most opponents of bread are often referring to white bread and its various refined products. And that doesn't even take into account the unhealthy portions of bread consumed by most people and the fact that the item is visible during most meals of the dayThe question of why bread makes you fat doesn't take into account whole grain bread, which is not only free of refined carbohydrates but rich in fiber, proteins and naturally occurring vitamins. It is possible to enjoy the consumption of bread without risking weight gain by simply selecting healthier bread products such as whole grain brands.SEE MORE articles about healthy fat loss.