For breakfast, a slice of toast is a comforting habit, especially when you’re looking to take care of your figure or your digestion. Between soft white sandwich bread and wholemeal versions, it is tempting to think that the latter is necessarily better for your health. Data published by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ernährung (DGE), relayed by the website of the German magazine ÖKO-TEST, actually show that wholemeal toast outperforms white toast on several points. They also raise another question: what happens when you toast this wholemeal bread too much?
According to the DGE, wholemeal toast is more nutritionally interesting than white toast, because it is made from wholemeal flour which preserves all parts of the grain: the husk, the germ and the kernel. It provides more vitamins B1 and B2, folate, but also minerals such as iron and magnesium. Above all, it contains on average 7.5 g of fiber per 100 g, compared to only 3.1 g for toasted white sandwich bread, or more than double. The question remains how it compares to other wholemeal breads and how to toast it without reducing its benefits.
Wholemeal toast: more fiber, more satiety
The wholemeal bread used for toast retains all the elements of the wheat or rye grain. This composition largely explains its satiating effect. Fiber slows down digestion, prolongs the feeling of satiety and limits the urge to snack. The DGE specifies that a Vollkorntoast
(the German equivalent of wholemeal sandwich bread) contains more than twice as much fiber as a classic toast, which gives it a “better power of satiety”.
But fiber doesn’t just fill the stomach. According to the DGE, they also slow the increase in blood sugar levels after a meal and nourish the beneficial bacteria of the intestinal microbiota. These produce short-chain fatty acids, compounds that help control cholesterol and help protect the arteries and the heart. A diet rich in fiber is thus associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, lipid metabolism disorders, colorectal cancer and cardiovascular diseases. This is why the DGE recommends that whole grain products represent at least a third of the grains consumed.
Complete toast: benefits, provided you don’t toast it too much
Toasting your bread, however, changes the situation. The DGE points out that cooking foods rich in starch, such as bread, at high temperatures encourages the formation of acrylamide. This substance has been shown to be carcinogenic and genotoxic in animals, results considered “very likely transposable to humans”. The more the bread browns, the more the amount of acrylamide increases. Its formation depends in particular on the sugar content of the grain, the presence of the amino acid asparagine and the degree of browning.
Another point of vigilance: industrial manufacturing. The DGE indicates that wholemeal sandwich bread often contains “flour treatment agents”used to facilitate industrial manufacturing, in addition to ingredients such as wheat, sugar, milk or soy. For daily consumption, the organization therefore recommends favoring traditional wholemeal bread, possibly lightly toasted.
How to choose and toast your wholemeal bread?
To fully benefit from the benefits of wholemeal toast, you still need to choose it carefully. The website of the German magazine ÖKO-TEST points out that its dark color does not guarantee that it is truly complete. Only the words “Vollkorn” or “complete” allow it to be identified with certainty. In Germany, the appellation
“Vollkorn” is framed: the flour must contain at least 90% whole grain. In France, this benchmark invites you to favor breads in which wholemeal flour is among the first ingredients on the list.
Finally, the DGE recommends that adults consume around 30 g of fiber per day. To avoid digestive discomfort, it is better to gradually increase intake and drink enough water to allow fiber to fully play its role. A minimally processed wholemeal bread, simply toasted until it obtains a light golden color rather than a pronounced brown, fits perfectly into this approach while limiting the formation of acrylamide.