A Nation Of Loaf Lovers, But Do We Have Our Facts Right?

We are a nation of self-confessed bread lovers but apparently the majority of us won’t sit down to enjoy a slice of loaf as it makes us feel guilty.

Research reveals that although 82 per cent of Irish people enjoy the taste of white bread, and a fifth of people saying they “love it”, over half of us still won’t eat it as we feel it is bad for our health.

Over a third of the people surveyed said they don’t eat it because they think it is bad for them and a quarter of people revealed they don’t eat it because they think white bread is “too fattening”. A further 21 per cent said a slice of white makes them feel bloated.

Brennans Bread, who carried out the survey, said Irish people are misinformed when it comes to the loaf. They quoted on-going scientific research findings which confirm that white bread is a low-fat food and does not cause bloating, that it contains many beneficial ingredients and contributes to our daily requirements of vitamins, minerals and fibre.

Doctor Mary McCreery, a consultant clinical nutritionist and dietician at Blackrock Clinic supports the research, saying; “In addition to all of the positive nutrients that white bread provides, it is one of the lowest fat products that people can consume, contributing only 1% of their total fat intake.”

Good news for us bread lovers!

Mmm, nothing beats a good slice of bread...

As a country, we may need to brush up on our nutritional knowledge though, as just over a quarter of the people surveyed knew about their daily fat intake and just 11 per cent were confident they were informed of their daily carbohydrate intake. Only 36 per cent of Irish people consider themselves knowledgeable of the food pyramid and its suggested daily intake of foods.

Regardless of people’s concerns over white bread, more people in Ireland still choose a slice of white over any other bread.

40 per cent of people surveyed said that they eat white sliced bread and only 23 per cent revealed they’d rather a slice of brown.

Alternative breads such as bagels, baguettes and wraps fared poorly with only between five and seven per cent of people questioned choosing them on a daily basis.

Dr Mary McCreery said she was surprised more Irish people were not aware of their recommended dietary requirements and had so many misconceptions about white bread.

“There is a large misconception amongst the public that white bread is fattening, but white bread is a low-fat, high carbohydrate nutritious food that can and should be included in the daily diet. We get the same amount of energy in our diets from white bread as we do from fruit and vegetables.”

Looks like it's not always bad news!