The truth is, managing your diet can be tedious. Nobody enjoys looking at endless panels of nutritional information. Nobody wants to check every single brand on the shelf to work out which one contains the least carbohydrate. It’s no fun.
Let us do the work for you. Want to know which kind of bread is right for you? Here are 26 products, complete with nutritional information and a verdict.
Note: bread is generally very high in carbohydrate. Generally, we wouldn’t recommend it to people with diabetes. But most people like a little bit of bread. So, when you do partake, this article tells you which ones are a good idea. And, more importantly, which ones aren’t.
White breads
1. Hovis Soft White Medium Bread, 800g.
Each slice (40g) contains:
- 93 calories (5% of your calorie intake for the day)
- 0.7g of fat (1% of your fat intake for the day)
- 17.9g of carbohydrate (7% of your carbohydrate intake for the day)
- 1.4g of sugars (2% of your sugar intake for the day)
- 1g of fibre
- 3.5g of protein (7% of your protein intake for the day)
- 0.36g of salt (6% of your salt intake for the day)
2. Warburtons Toastie Sliced White Bread, 800g.
Each slice contains:
- 113 calories (6%)
- 0.9g of a fat (1%)
- 20.8g of carbohydrate (8%)
- 1g of sugar (1%)
- 1.2g of fibre
- 4.7g of protein (9%)
- 0.47g of salt (8%)
3. Hovis Soft White Thick Bread, 800g.
Each slice contains:
- 117 calories (6%)
- 0.8g of fat (1%)
- 22.3g of carbohydrate (9%)
- 1.7g of a sugar (2%)
- 1.2g of fibre
- 4.4g of protein (9%)
- 0.45g of salt (8%)
4. Warburtons Medium Sliced White Bread, 800g.
Each slice contains:
- 96 calories (5%)
- 0.8g of fat (1%)
- 17.7g of carbohydrates (7%)
- 0.9g of sugar (1%)
- 1g of fibre
- 4g of protein (8%)
- 0.4g of salt (7%)
5. Warburtons Farmhouse White Bread, 800g.
Each slice contains:
- 103 calories (5%)
- 1.1g of fat (2%)
- 18.5g of carbohydrate (7%)
- 0.7g of sugar (1%)
- 1.2g of fibre
- 4.2g of protein (8%)
- 0.43g of salt (7%)
6. Warburtons Toastie Sliced White Bread, 400g.
Each slice contains:
- 70 calories (4%)
- 0.5g of fat (1%)
- 13g of carbohydrates (5%)
- 0.6g of sugar (1%)
- 0.7g of fibre
- 3g of protein (6%)
- 0.29g of salt (5%)
7. Tesco Stay Fresh White Medium Bread, 800g.
Each slice contains:
- 94 calories (5%)
- 0.8g of fat (1%)
- 17.7g of carbohydrate (7%)
- 1.3g of sugar (1%)
- 1.1g of fibre
- 3.4g of protein (7%)
- 0.3g of salt (5%)
8. Kingsmill Soft White, 400g.
Each slice contains:
- 68 calories (3%)
- 0.5g of fat (1%)
- 13.3g of carbohydrate (5%)
- 1.1g of sugar (1%)
- 0.8g of fibre
- 2.3g of protein (5%)
- 0.3g of salt (5%)
9. Hovis Soft White Doorstep Bread, 800g.
Each slice contains:
- 156 calories (8%)
- 1.1g of fat (2%)
- 29.9g of carbohydrate (12%)
- 2.3g of sugar (3%)
- 1.6 of fibre
- 5.9g of protein (12%)
- 0.6g of salt (10%)
10. Kingsmill Soft White Medium, 800g.
Each slice contains:
- 94 calories (5%)
- 0.6g of fat (1%)
- 18.4g of carbohydrate (7%)
- 1.5g of sugar (2%)
- 1.1g of fibre
- 3.2g of protein (6%)
- 0.4g of salt (7%)
Verdict on white bread: Avoid white bread as often as you can. Because white bread is heavily refined, it’s rarely nutritious. All the fibre is removed in the refining process. Some of these breads contain ten per cent of your daily recommend carbohydrate allowance in one slice – and those recommendations are massively over-generous anyway.
Wholemeal bread
11. Hovis Wholemeal Medium Bread, 800g.
Each slice contains:
- 88 calories (4%)
- 0.7g of fat (1%)
- 15.1g of carbohydrate (6%)
- 1.6g of sugar (2%)
- 2.7g of fibre
- 4g of protein (8%)
- 0.36g of salt (6%)
12. Hovis Wholemeal Thick Bread, 800g.
Each slice contains:
- 111 calories (6%)
- 0.9g of fat (1%)
- 18.9g of carbohydrate (7%)
- 2.1g of sugar (2%)
- 3.4g of fibre
- 5g of protein (10%)
- 0.45g of salt (8%)
13. Warburtons Wholemeal Medium Bread, 800g.
Each slice contains:
- 103 calories
- 1.3g of fat (2%)
- 16.9g of carbohydrate (6%)
- 1.1g of sugar (1%)
- 2.9g of fibre
- 4.7g of protein (10%)
- 0.43g of salt (7%)
14. Allinson Wholemeal Bread Loaf, 800g.
Each slice contains:
- 110 calories
- 1.5g of fat (2%)
- 17.4g of carbohydrate (7%)
- 1.4g of sugar (2%)
- 3.3g of fibre
- 4.9g of protein (10%)
- 0.48g of salt (8%)
15. Hovis Original Wheatgerm Bread, 400g.
Each slice contains:
- 65 calories
- 0.6g of fat (1%)
- 11.2g of carbohydrate (4%)
- 0.9g of sugar (1%)
- 1.5g of fibre
- 2.9g of protein (6%)
- 0.28g of salt (5%)
16. Kingsmill Wholemeal Bread, 400g.
Each slice contains:
- 68 calories (3%)
- 0.8g of fat (1%)
- 11.4g of carbohydrates (4%)
- 1.3g of sugar (1%)
- 1.8g of fibre
- 3g of protein (6%)
- 0.28g of salt (5%)
17. Wheatfield Wholemeal Batch Bread, 800g.
Each slice contains:
- 112 calories
- 1.4g of fat (2%)
- 18.1g of carbohydrate (7%)
- 1.5 of sugar (2%)
- 3.5g of fibre
- 5.2g of protein (10%)
- 0.5g of salt (8%)
18. Kingsmill Tasty Wholemeal Medium Bread, 800g.
Each slice contains:
- 93 calories
- 1g of fat (5%)
- 15.6g of carbohydrate (6%)
- 1.7g of sugar (2%)
- 2.5g of fibre
- 4.1g of protein (8%)
- 0.4g of salt (7%)
19. Hovis Wholemeal Farmers Bread Loaf 800g.
Each slice contains:
- 101 calories
- 1.2g of fat (2%)
- 16.6g of carbohydrate (6%)
- 1.8g of sugar (2%)
- 3g of fibre
- 4.4g of protein (9%)
- 0.43g of salt (7%)
Verdict on wholemeal bread: Generally speaking, wholemeal breads are a better option than white breads. That’s because they have more fibre, which slows down the rise in blood sugar levels caused by carbohydrate. But wholemeal bread still isn’t a great idea – it’s full of carbohydrate. If you’re on a low-carb diet, ten slices of bread is about your daily allowance of carbohydrate.
Healthier breads
20. Hovis Nimble Wholemeal Sliced Loaf, 400g.
Each slice contains:
- 51 calories
- 0.6g of fat (1%)
- 8.1g of carbohydrate (3%)
- 0.5g of sugar (1%)
- 1.5g of fibre
- 2.7g of protein (5%)
- 0.2g of salt (3%)
21. Kingsmill Danish Bread
Each slice contains:
- 55 calories
- 0.5g of fat (1%)
- 10g of carbohydrates (4%)
- 0.7g of sugar (<1%)
- 0.7g of fibre
- 2.2g of protein (4%)
- 0.2g of salt (4%)
22. Weight Watchers Malted Danish Sliced Bread
Each slice contains:
- 51 calories
- 0.3g of fat (<1%)
- 9.2g of carbohydrate (4%)
- 0.5g of sugar (<1%)
- 0.9g of fibre
- 2.4g of protein (5%)
- 0.2g of salt (3%)
23. Warburtons Milk Roll Sliced White Bread, 400g.
Each slice contains:
- 47 calories
- 0.5g of fat (<1%)
- 8.3g of carbohydrate (3%)
- 0.7g of sugar (<1%)
- 0.4g of fibre
- 2g of protein (4%)
- 0.18g of salt (3%)
24. Weight Watchers Danish White Sliced Bread, 400g.
Each slice contains:
- 50 calories
- 0.3g of fat (<1%)
- 9.6g of carbohydrate (4%)
- 0.6g of sugar (<1%)
- 0.6g of fibre
- 2g of protein (4%)
- 0.2g of salt (3%)
25. Vogel’s Soya and Linseed Bread, 800g.
Each slice contains:
- 95 calories
- 2.1g of fat (3%)
- 14.3g of carbohydrate (6%)
- 1.6g of sugar (2%)
- 2.8g of fibre
- 4.9g of protein (10%)
- 0.21g of salt (3%)
26. Hovis Nimble Malted Wholegrain, 400g.
Each slice contains
- 52 calories
- 0.3g of fat (<1%)
- 9.2g of carbohydrate (4%)
- 0.6g of sugar (<1%)
- 1.5g of fibre
- 2.3g of protein (5%)
- 0.17g of salt (3%)
Verdict on healthier breads: Notice that the “healthier breads” are lower in fat and carbs, but they’re also lower in fibre and protein. They’re a good choice if you just fancy the taste of bread, but make sure you don’t base your diet around them.
If you’re struggling with your carbohydrate management, why not check out the Low Carb Program? Launched on World Diabetes Day, it’s a 10-week structured education programme that teaches everything you need to know to follow the low-carb diet. It’s simple, practical, and flexible – a low-carb diet that works for you.
Why not have a go at making your own bread?
Most of the carbohydrate in bread comes from wheat flour. To make low-carb bread, make your own, and try out some low-carb flours, such as:
- Almond flour: a high-protein, low-carb alternative to wheat flour.
- Coconut flour.
At first, the texture of your bread might taste a bit funny once you’ve changed the flour. Tinker with the ingredients until you get it right. The trial and error is worth it. Once you’ve worked it out, you’ll have delicious low-carb bread – and you’ll learn a lot about baking along the way!