YMCA Healthy Living Magazine, powered by n4 food and health (Spring 2014) | Page 8

ZOE NICHOLSON, APD
Zoe has a passion for food with one of her key goals as a dietitian
being to help everyone enjoy all types of food, especially the ones you
love, but may avoid because “they’re fattening”! Zoe does not believe
you need to eat diet foods or deny yourself and will show you how to
manage your health without dieting. Find out more about Zoe at
www.n4foodandhealth.com

BREAD

IS NOT

THE ENEMY

Nutrition expert Zoe Nicholson sets the record straight about bread.

R

ecently, while at the supermarket grabbing my
usual bread, I reached past a 60-something-yearold lady who was studying nutrition labels.

She excused herself saying “I’m just checking to see how
much sugar is in this bread”. I politely said there was no
need to worry about sugar in bread. She looked at me
incredulously and said “but isn’t bread bad for you?” I
replied “not at all,” and that I was in fact a dietitian and ate
bread everyday for breakfast.
Not having time to engage in a full discussion, I then
continued on my way.
It never ceases to amaze me how confused basic healthy
eating has become, as a result of all the fad diets, celebrity
regimes, food articles in glossy magazines and tabloids
and media hype around food.
The truth is, bread is healthy!
While choosing a high fibre wholegrain bread offers the
most nutrition and is the most filling, even a white crusty

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YMCA HEALTHY LIVING MAGAZINE SPRING 2014

bread (think France and Italy) – can be part of a healthy
diet too.

So what makes bread healthy?
1 It provides carbohydrates for energy.
2 It provides a range of B vitamins for energy metabolism
and other functions.

3 It can be an excellent source of dietary fibre for good
bowel health and to fill you up (good for weight control).
4 Most breads in Australia are fortified with iodine and
folate, two important nutrients many Australians don’t get
enough of.
5 Most bread is naturally low in fat and sugar. Exceptions
may be fruit bread or some Asian style breads.
Like with many foods, you do need to mindful of the
kilojoules/calories and understand that over-eating bread will
make weight control harder. But essentially, bread can make
a healthy contribution to a balanced diet.