Soft, fluffy bread is a delicious treat — and one many of us deny ourselves, thanks to the recent craze for low-carb diets.
But although it may sound like a contradiction in terms, there are now more and more ‘low-carb breads’ to be found on supermarket shelves.
They have been dismissed as ‘bland and chewy’ by celebrity chef Marcus Wareing — but the trend is growing, with Hovis recently launching three new loaves that are 30 per cent lower in carbohydrates than normal bread.
But what do these lower-carb equivalents taste like — and are they really better for you? Nutritionist Gabriela Peacock gives her assessment…
Nutritionist Gabriela Peacock assessed six supermarket low-carb breads with surprising results (file image)
SWEET WHITE
Hovis Lower Carb Soft and Tasty White, £1 for 400g, Morrison’s
EXPERT VERDICT: The first thing you notice about the new Hovis range is how much smaller the loaves are. Each slice is 36g compared with the normal 40g.
There is 6g less carbohydrate than in a normal slice of white (11.6g) so it would be a better option for someone on a low-carb diet, but it has three times the saturated fat (0.3g) as well as more sugar and salt, so it’s hardly a healthy option. They have also added palm and rapeseed oil, presumably to bind it together, which raises the fat content.
White bread is never a very healthy option.
TASTE TEST: You can taste the extra sugar — it’s almost like brioche. But it is soft and fluffy, with a bit of chew. 4/5
PROTEIN OVERLOAD
CarbZone low carb protein-rich wholemeal bread, £2.49 for 250g, Ocado
EXPERT VERDICT: After water, the first ingredient listed on this pack of five slices is ‘protein mix’ — a combination of wheat and pea proteins.
Really you’d be better getting your protein from whole foods such as eggs, beans or lean meats. It’s the lowest of all the breads in sugar content but higher in fat, probably due to the linseed, sunflower and sesame seeds. And with 132 calories per slice, it’s not a low-calorie option.
Whilst some breads are low in carbohydrates the salt and sugar content makes them still an unhealthy option (file image)
TASTE TEST: This is very strange. It doesn’t have any of the fluffiness of fresh bread. Each small slice is a heavy 50g. Yet it’s floppy, despite being dense with tiny seeds. It might only be saved by a toaster and a chunk of butter — it leaves a horrible salty taste. 1/5
SUPER SEEDED
Hovis Lower Carb Deliciously Seeded, £1.20 for 400g, Waitrose
EXPERT VERDICT: This has around half the carb content of Hovis’s normal seeded bread, so it’s not a bad swap. Each slice contains more fat, though, and slightly more salt, so it depends what you need in your diet.
There are fewer calories per slice, but that’s because the slices are smaller. The crunch of toasted sunflower seeds, poppy, pumpkin and linseeds is nice. But you only get 11 slices per loaf.
TASTE TEST: This does taste great. You could use it to make a nice, lower-carb sandwich for a light lunch. 5/5
Other breads low in carbohydrates which seem to have fewer calories get their statistic based on a smaller serving slice (file image)
HIGH FAT
Livlife Seriously Seeded, £1.50 for 500g, Waitrose
EXPERT VERDICT: It has half the carbohydrate content of normal bread, and they’ve added wheat proteins and soya to make up for it, but it does still taste like the real thing. Yet the list of ingredients is long and the additives and preservatives make it less healthy.
Palm, rapeseed and sunflower oils also push up the fat content; there’s 2.4g per slice.
TASTE TEST: This is the bread Marcus Wareing accused of being ‘tasteless and bland’, but it’s not that bad. It’s soft and fluffy, the slices are fairly small and the preservatives are a little off-putting. 3/5
PALE AND PRICEY
Dr Zak’s high protein wholemeal, £3.99 for 850g, www.amazon.co.uk
EXPERT VERDICT: This bread really sells itself on the protein content, which is 15g, around triple the amount in a normal slice of wholemeal bread — but people in the UK generally get enough protein in their diet. Compared to a normal slice of wholemeal bread, it’s not much lower in carbohydrate and it’s higher in calories thanks to the oil and the sugars from the addition of concentrated fruit juice.
Overall the test proved breads which reduce carbohydrates with alternatives rarely taste like traditional bread (file image)
TASTE TEST: You get proper slices and it has a fairly nice taste, but its pale colour shows you how processed it is. Plus, it’s the most expensive. 2/5
HEALTHY BUT…
Pro Fusion Organic Rye and Flax Bread, £2.79 for 250g, Ocado
EXPERT VERDICT: This rye bread contains no sugar and no oil, making it one of the healthiest options. But unless you love rye bread you might find it tastes odd. It’s very savoury, perhaps because it contains cider vinegar and wheat bran. But it could be a good option for people who want to cut down their carb intake because it only contains 14.4g per 100g, compared with around 38g per 100g in normal rye bread.
TASTE TEST: This tastes horrible and has an odd dense texture. 1/5