Toast bread under scrutiny: Health concerns outweigh convenience

When you compare the ingredients of toast bread to whole grain bread, you'll notice significant differences. For toast bread, the ingredient list is much longer. In the context of bread, "more" doesn't mean "better." The fewer ingredients, the more natural the product is. Toast bread contains numerous additives that enhance taste and prolong shelf life, which should be a concern.

Even though toast bread doesn't contain substances that pose a direct health threat, nutritionists emphasize that it's less healthy than its traditional counterpart. It's full of empty calories, offering only a short-lived energy boost. Before long, the energy dissipates, and you're tempted to eat again. For those on a weight-loss diet, it's problematic. Whole-grain bread, rich in fibre and minerals, remains the ideal choice for health.

While the initial production of toast bread uses grains rich in vitamins and minerals, those nutritional values diminish significantly during the wheat milling process. What remains is a high calorie count, mainly from high carbohydrate content. In 100 grams of toast bread, there are 247 kcal and 48 grams of carbohydrates.

Toast bread is soft and stretchy inside, with each slice surrounded by a consistently browned, thin crust. When heated in a toaster, the bread turns golden and becomes crispy. In stores, this type of bread is available in various shapes. Most commonly, slices are square, but you can also find triangular or star-shaped ones. Thanks to its special foil packaging, the bread stays fresh for up to two weeks.

Toast bread is made from leavened dough in bakeries, where cleanliness is of great importance during production. Historically, large amounts of yeast were used, affecting the taste negatively. Nowadays, yeasts that can handle high doses of propionic acid and salt are preferred.

An example of buttery toast bread includes the following ingredients:

• 65 percent wheat flour,
• water,
• wheat sourdough,
• 2.8 percent concentrated butter,
• yeast,
• salt,
• sugar,
• broad bean flour,
• flour processing agent: ascorbic acid,
• acidity regulator: sodium acetates, ethyl alcohol.

Although the butter content provides vitamins A, D, E, and K, ingredients like salt, sugar, and preservatives can have a negative impact on the body.

Excessive salt can lead to high blood pressure, while sugar raises the glycemic index, potentially causing blood sugar fluctuations. Both the flour processing agent (ascorbic acid) and the acidity regulator (sodium acetates) are common in food production, but excessive consumption might cause undesirable effects like gastrointestinal issues or allergic reactions.

Experts consider toast bread a dietary trap. Due to its ingredients and nutritional values, it's not recommended for daily consumption. It can be part of a varied diet when paired with other sources of protein, vitamins, and minerals, as long as it's consumed occasionally. A much healthier option is whole-grain rye bread.