THE Bread vs. wraps debate
You know when you are ordering lunch and the question “would you like to make it a wrap?” is asked. So, trying to do the right thing and order a healthy lunch you of course say “yes please” to only then be faced with the “white or wholemeal” question!
Well, in answer to the first question, you can STOP right there and go ahead with your bread option!
Hear us out…there are a number of reasons as to why bread out-nourishes its wrapped cousin.
For a start, often wraps are more processed, have more calories than two slices of freshly baked bread and frequently contain WAY more ingredients than bread!
So, how do you know whether to pick the bread or wrap option?
Head straight to the ingredients list
The less ingredients the BETTER! The first ingredient on this list should be ‘whole’. Whole wheat, whole rye etc. This means you are getting the whole ingredient including the all important fibre element.
Avoid the words ‘hydrogenated oils’. These are trans fats and are not good for you. Wraps will often have these (including the common brand ‘Mission’).
Look at the nutritional box and be sure to always compare per 100g.
Check out the calories and macros and weigh up the importance of each dependent on your own goals. If you are chasing the product with the lowest number of calories, you may be surprised to know that bread often wins this battle!
If you are looking for the lower carb option as you are dedicating your carbs to other foods throughout the day, in the case of bread vs. wraps…they generally contain the same amount of carbs!
If you need the product with the lower sodium levels as you have been instructed to keep your salt intake down, your answer will depend on the brands you are comparing. Just look for the “sodium per 100g” for comparison.
Remember your fibre intake!
Generally you are required to have about 25-30g of fibre per day in your diet (obviously this will depend on your individual needs). Consider this when comparing the products.
Woolworths Soft Multigrain Sandwich Bread vs. Simson's Pantry Wholegrain Large Wraps
Let's compare two products on the market (found in Woolworths) and see how they differ in their nutritional value. Please remember, this is a basic comparison and features only two products and should only be taken on face value. You will need to make your own decision on products based on your individualised goals etc.
So, looking at the basics...
Energy (Kilojoules)
Per 100g, the bread has 1070kJ whilst the wraps have 1310kJ. Dependent on your goals, you are *probably* looking for the most bang for your buck so in this case the bread would be the better option.
Protein
10.5g of protein per 100g for the bread versus 9.2g for the wraps. It is close but bread comes out on top!
Fat
The *scary* word for so many..it is important to remember that Saturated Fat is the key word we are looking for. Less than 1g for the bread versus 4.1g for the wraps. Bread is the winner again here.
Carbohydrate
Please remember...CARBS ARE NOT BAD! But in the comparison here, there is 50.2g of carbs per 100g for the wraps and 43.3g for the bread per 100g. For one wrap, that is 35.1g versus 28.6g for two slices of bread.
In terms of sugar, they are relatively similar with 2.5g and 3.4g per 100g for the bread and wraps respectively.
Dietary Fibre
For a lot of people, bread/wraps may be a key source of fibre for their day. The bread offers 5.2g of fibre per 100g whereas the wraps did not even have the fibre intake on the packet nor on the Simson's website.
Sodium
400mg and 844mg of salt per 100g for the bread and wraps respectively means again, bread comes in first.
So, after a brief comparison it can be seen that bread is the clear breadwinner (pun intended) in this competition!
Of course, these are only two products on offer in the ever-growing list of options out there and this should all be taken with a *grain* of salt, but this article proves that reading the labels and making your own informed decision really does count for something.
As always, Foundations recommends you seek the assistance of an Accredited Dietitian/ Nutritionist to help you determine what is appropriate for your personal goals and requirements.