a question about bread

[hellokitty]

Does toasting your bread makes it lose some of its nutrictional values? For example, the bread I eat now has 3g of fiber per slice. If I toast it, will it become less?

[cursor]

In a single word, "uh-nope." (Does that count a single word?)

[Big Tender]

Make sure you're eating whole grain wheat bread. It's a lot better for you than enriched white bread. But I'm sure you already got that down.

[CliffStamp]

Yes, toasting bread effects its nutritional value, as the browing reaction is anti-nutritional. In extremes, when blacked it becomes carcinogenic. Of course this doesn't mean you should never eat toast, though you probably should avoid blackening it, which most people do anyway, and try to eat it occasionally not toasted, which again most people do as well.

For more details look into for example the Maillard reactions.

-Cliff

[Lady C]

OK-Let's be realistic! Toasting bread WILL NOT break down the nutrients enough to quit ever eating toast. Yeah, lots of things may not be the best for you and so will breathing air in a populated city give you cancer.

[Jakanden]

Originally Posted by Lady C

OK-Let's be realistic! Toasting bread WILL not break down the nutrients enough to quit ever eating toast. Yeah, lots of things may not be the best for you and so will breathing air in a populated city give you cancer.

I agree. There is a such thing as taking things TOO far =)

[CliffStamp]

They are not "broken down" it is an oxidization process. Specifically one that induces a reaction between protein and carbohydrates. The other thing you would be concerned about it oxidization of fats, *especially* because the main source of fats in most breads is high in PUFA.

Though of course, as noted in my above post, this doesn't mean you should never eat toast. However it does mean that there are anti-nutritional elements to toasting, some of them quite severe if taken to extremes.

The links to oxidization of fats for example and CHD is fairly significant, as is highly browned protein and cancer.

As with anything you have to make choices about how healthy to eat, you factor in cost, availability as well as just taste. If something is naturally better for you, but you hate eating it, overall it may be less of a benefit because of the effect on mood. If I had the money I would eat nothing but fresh organic produce, but you make do with what you can get.

-Cliff