Is Bread Healthy to Eat?

The ancient Egyptians learned the art of bread making by trial and error, yet were able to produce more than 50 varieties of breads in primitive ovens, according to Heinrich E. Jacob, author of "Six Thousand Years of Bread." By 1931, the automated baking oven made it possible for Americans to purchase rather than make their own bread. Bread can be a component of a healthy diet, and learning which types of breads offer the highest nutritional value can help you make wise choices.

Types of Grains

The grains wheat, barley, rye, oats, buckwheat and even rice are just some of the types used to make the bread and bread products you eat today, according to the Whole Grains Council. Making bread with the major parts of the seed, including the bran, endosperm and germ, allows a bread manufacturer to call the bread "whole grain." When a manufacturer uses just part of the seed rather than the whole, the bread is not 100 percent whole grain bread. Typically, the very familiar "white bread" is not whole grain bread.

Carbohydrates

Bread has carbohydrates, which are a macronutrient your body needs. Most of the calories in bread are in the carbohydrates. The carbohydrates you consume from bread and other foods give you energy and assist in blood sugar regulation; the fiber helps promote healthy digestion. About 45 percent of the calories in an average person's diet should come from carbohydrates. One slice of commercially prepared whole-wheat bread has about 11.6 g of carbohydrates. A slice of rye bread has 15.5 g of carbohydrates. A large whole-wheat pita has 35 g of carbohydrates.

Fiber

Your body requires between 22 to 34 grams of fiber a day, depending on your gender and age. Fiber consumption can improve your cholesterol levels, may help you maintain your weight and keep your stool bulky, according to MayoClinic.com. The fiber in bread varies by type of bread. Rye bread and whole-wheat bread have 1.9 g per slice, a large whole-wheat pita contains 4.7 g and a slice of white bread has just 0.6 g per slice. Choose breads made with whole-wheat, rye, oatmeal or oat bran to get the most fiber per slice.

Calories

All the bread and other foods you eat contain calories, which are your body's energy source. While breads can be calorie dense, the nutrients the bread provides are important to your body. A slice of white bread has about 66 calories, one large whole-wheat pita has 170 and a slice of reduced-calorie wheat bread has 46 calories. When eating bread, monitor the number of calories you consume to avoid filling up on bread and excluding other healthy foods. If you are limiting the calories in your diet, you can choose reduced-calorie breads, eat one-half of a pita or roll, or choose not to add extra calories in the form of butter or mayonnaise.