Does Eating Bread Make You More Hungry?

Your body requires carbohydrates to provide energy, although certain varieties of carbohydrates may lead to an increase in hunger. All carbohydrates, except for fiber, affect your blood glucose levels. The glycemic index provides ratings that indicate how quickly certain foods affect your blood sugar. Foods with high glycemic ratings, such as bread, may make you hungrier than foods with low glycemic ratings.

Glycemic Index

Sugar, starch and fiber provide the basis for carbohydrate foods. Fiber is the only type of carbohydrate that your body can’t convert into sugar. Your body breaks down other carbohydrates at variable rates. The glycemic index ranks foods on how quickly they increase the amount of glucose in your blood stream. Evidence suggests that foods with high rankings may increase your risk of heart disease, weight gain and diabetes, according to the Harvard School of Public Health.

Hunger Control

Foods Containing Glucose or Fructose

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Foods that cause a quick increase in blood glucose levels may also increase hunger. Proponents of low-carb diets believe foods that cause a quick rise in blood sugar levels lead to an increase in hunger, due to the responding rise in insulin levels. Foods with glycemic index rankings above 70 tend to create the greatest impact on your blood sugar levels 1. More research is necessary to prove the premise behind low-carb diets, including the way certain foods may affect your feelings of hunger.

Bread

Your body quickly converts plain white bread into glucose, giving this food a glycemic index ranking of more than 70. Although processed foods, such as white bread, may cause an increase in hunger, whole grains tend to digest slowly, making you feel full longer. Whole grain breads contain both the bran and germ of the grain, giving them more fiber and making them digest slower.

Considerations

Simple Carbohydrates Vs. Complex Carbohydrates and Heart Rate

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Talk to your doctor before making sudden or extreme changes to your diet, especially if you have diabetes or hypoglycemia. Although white bread may increase hunger, whole grains provide healthy nutrients that help round out a balanced diet. The Harvard School of Public Health recommends adding good carbohydrates to your diet by consuming whole grain breads that list whole wheat or another whole grain as the first ingredient on the label.