Can bread really be low carb? Many bakeries claim to produce low carb bread. To verify their claims, I tested 6 different sliced bread products and analyzed their ingredients.
Sandwich Bread Summary
| Product | Average Increase in Blood Glucose | Claimed Carb Count | Cost/loaf | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer | mg/dL | CHO | Fiber | Net | Store |
Carbs…Not! Sesame |
1
|
3 | 2 | 1 | $5.29 Sprouts |
Carbs…Not! Multigrain |
6
|
3 | 2 | 1 | $5.29 Sprouts |
Mahler’s California Lifestyle Cinnamon Walnut with Flax and Soy |
9
|
6 | 2 | 4 | $3.50 Sprouts |
Oasis Flaxseed Bread |
20
|
8 | 2 | 6 | $4.89 Sprouts |
Multigrain Marble BreadCarb Krunchers |
25
|
11 | 6 | 5 | $7.99 LoCarbU |
Smart Carb #1 |
47
|
13 | 12 | 1 | $8.39 Whole Foods |
My favorite.
I would not select any bread for myself that on average raises my blood glucose by 10 or more mg/dl. The top three breads meet this criteria; the bars showing average blood glucose are green for these breads.
Breads with yellow average blood glucose bars raised my average blood glucose by more than 20 but less than 30 mg/dl.
The red average blood glucose bar indicates a product that raised my blood glucose by more than 30 mg/dl. This is a level I consider unacceptable for myself as a diabetic. Only one product exceeded this average: Smart Carb #1 from Julian Bakery, which claims it is the #1 “low carb” bread on the market and appears to be the most heavily promoted.
Smart Carb #1 has high carb ingredients that do not appear to be consistent with its claim of 12g fiber per slice, which would explain my high blood glucose after eating it. The ingredients of the other breads seemed generally consistent with their claimed carb counts.
As far as taste goes, “Mahler’s California Lifestyle Cinnamon Walnut with Flax and Soy” was my favorite, followed by “Chompie’s Carbs…Not! Sesame”. “Chompie’s Carbs…Not! Multigrain” seemed overly sweet to me. “Carb Krunchers Multigrain Marble Bread”, “Oasis Flaxseed” and “Smart Carb #1″ seemed starchy to me. There was a tendency for crumbles to break off Smart Carb #1.
I now use ”Mahler’s California Lifestyle Cinnamon Walnut with Flax and Soy” as a snack bread, eating a single slice with some olive oil. I use “Chompie’s Carbs…Not! Sesame” for sandwiches.
Sliced bread products still to be tested – Healthwise breads, which I have found to not raise my blood glucose much in the past, and LC White Bread, a bread mix from LC Foods.
Any comments on low carb tortillas being accurate ? thanx
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Very interesting field test…I will try this with my own breads!
Great information! Thank you. I’ve been enjoying Mahler’s Vegetable Protein bread (3 net carbs)just wondered if you’ve tried it and how the it compares to the Cinnamon/Walnut loaf? Also, Julian Bakery has some newer entries in the low carb bread world: Paleo and Net Carb Zero breads. Have you tried them?
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