If you are looking to lose some weight, you will need carbohydrates for energy. The idea is to pick the right source for those carbs, including ones that are the most filling and will give you a significant amount of nutrients you will need.
You want to get these nutrients without adding a lot of calories to your servings. Oatmeal and whole-wheat bread are both excellent options for fat and weight loss and are both better choices than white bread.
The question many have is whether oatmeal overall is better than bread?
Oatmeal Versus Bread in Calorie Intake
In plain oatmeal serving equal to ¾ cup and prepared with water over the milk option, you will receive about 124 calories.
A slice of whole-wheat bread contains only 81 calories, and white bread slices have about 74 calories.
As long as you restrict yourself to one slice of bread, you have a lower-calorie carbohydrate choice bread.
Fiber Content in Oatmeal Versus Bread
When you are looking to lose pounds, you want to choose foods high in fiber as these are bulkier and slow down the process of emptying your stomach.
When your stomach stays fuller for a more extended time period, you feel fuller and are less likely to snack or find other foods to eat.
Fiber-rich foods are also more likely to cause you to absorb fewer calories from the proteins, carbohydrates, and fat you consume. A serving of oatmeal gives you the most fiber at 3 grams or 12% of your daily recommended intake.
A slice of whole-wheat bread will provide around 1.9 grams of fiber, and the white bread slice will only give you about .08 grams of fiber.
Oatmeal Versus Bread in Satiety and Energy Density
If a food has a low energy density or lower calories per gram, it tends to be a good choice for fat and weight loss.
These types of food will fill you up with fewer calories, making it easier for you to consume fewer calories than are needed for losing weight.
Oatmeal has a lower energy density than bread. There are about 0.7 calories per gram in oatmeal compared to the 2.5 grams in whole-wheat bread and 2.6 in white bread. These ratios mean that oatmeal is more filling than bread.
A study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found a satiety index where oatmeal made from milk had a score of 209. This score compared to a slice of whole-wheat bread at 157 and a slice of white bread at 100.
Oatmeal Bread and Whole-Wheat Bread
Dozens of bread varieties line the market shelves or fill the pages of bread recipe books. Some are healthier than others as they contain more fiber, minerals, and vitamins.
Some of this bread is made from refined grains and offer little in regard to nutrition. These are two of the healthiest bread you can buy or bake:
Oat Bread
Oat bread is baked with a combination of oats, yeast, salt, water, and whole-wheat flour. Oats are high in nutritious value and are linked to several health benefits making oat bread one of your more nutritious bread.
Oats are one of the healthiest grains and are also gluten-free, along with a great source of fiber, minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants.
Some of the health benefits provided by oats include being able to lower blood sugar levels, aid in weight loss, and reduce your risk of heart disease.
The oat grain is a good source of fiber and carbs, including the powerful fiber, beta-glucan.
It contains more protein than other grains and also contains manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, iron, zinc, folate, Vitamins B1 and B5, as well as smaller amounts of potassium, calcium, and vitamins B6 and B3.
The benefits of including oats in your bread recipes are it is able to lower cholesterol levels, decrease blood pressure, and regulate your blood sugar.
When buying oat bread, you have to watch your labels as not all oat bread has sufficient oat levels. Some oat bread has only a small amount of oats and is baked with mostly refined flour and added sugars.
When you are looking for healthier oat bread, check the ingredient list and find one that contains whole-wheat flour and oats as the first two ingredients.
Whole-Wheat Bread
Whole grains, including whole wheat, have more fiber and are considered more nutritious than refined grains. Refined grains have been processed and had the germ and bran removed.
The germ and bran are what contain the minerals, vitamins, protein, fat, and other beneficial plant compounds. A whole-wheat bread will have the entire grain intact, including the germ, bran, and endosperm.
Whole-wheat bread has been linked to a number of health benefits, including a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, and heart disease.
One factor to keep in mind when purchasing whole-wheat bread from a market is some manufacturers label their bread as ‘whole-wheat’ even if they have used mostly refined flour.
When looking for healthier bread, look for labels that have ‘whole wheat’ as the top ingredient on the list.
Choosing a Healthy Bread
When you go buy a healthy loaf of bread from the market, you should select a bread that:
- Consists of 100% whole-grain or sprouted flours as the first ingredient on the label list, and one that contains fewer other ingredients
- At least 3 to 5 grams of fiber and 3 to 6 grams of protein in each slice
- Has no added sweeteners
A good way for you to ensure you are getting healthier bread is to make it yourself. By baking your bread, you can control the ingredients.
There are thousands of homemade bread recipes available, and ones that will suit almost any dietary need. While oat and whole-wheat bread are healthier choices, bread is typically not as nutritious as other whole foods.
Seeds, nuts, legumes, vegetables, and fruits, along with whole grains that have not been milled, will typically provide you with more fiber and benefits than a slice of bread.