How different kinds of bread affect blood sugar levels, compared to teaspoons of sugar

May 22 2017 by in Dr. David Unwin, Failed low-fat diets, Wheat

Think whole-grain bread is a good choice? Could it help you control your blood sugar? Not necessarily.

If you look at the graph above (made by the eminent Dr. David Unwin), you can see that the difference in effect on blood sugar levels is fairly small between different kinds of conventional bread. A single serving of any of them is equal to several teaspoons of sugar. You’d probably be better off avoiding it completely if you have diabetes.

Is there a better option if you’re really craving bread, one that does not affect blood sugar levels? Absolutely – just check out our low-carb bread recipes below.

Low-carb bread recipes

Video with Dr. Unwin

Side effects and how to handle them
03:45
Dr. Unwin discusses common side effects when patients switch to a low-carb or keto diet.
Who are the best patients?
03:46
Who would be the best candidates to try the low-carb approach with? Dr. Unwin talks about the golden opportunities.
Can low carb make it fun to be a doctor?
36:47
Dr. Unwin about getting his patients off medications and making a true difference in their lives using low carb.
How to motivate your patients
50:25
In this presentation from Low Carb Denver 2019, Drs. David and Jen Unwin explain how physicians can finetune the art of practicing medicine with strategies from psychology to help their patients reach their goals.
Explaining low carb in a simple way
07:23
How to make low carb simple for patients? Unwin explains how carbs break down into surprising amounts of sugar in the body.
How to motivate people
12:33
How to ensure that patients are motivated to make the switch to low carb and stick to the plan?
What about cholesterol?
04:14
Dr. Unwin discusses cholesterol on low carb: common improvements and rare cases when cholesterol increases significantly.
Polite intros to discuss obesity
03:16
How to discuss obesity with patients in a respectful manner? Many doctors feel uncomfortable bringing up the topic of weight as they are afraid of being rude.
Diabetes medications
05:52
Dr. Unwin on things doctors should have in mind when it comes to low carb and diabetes medications.
How many teaspoons of sugar are in your food?
05:07
How many teaspoons of sugar are in your food?
Common problems and trouble shooting
05:41
Dr. Unwin discusses useful strategies for patients who are not losing as much weight as anticipated.
Blood-pressure medications
05:28
Dr. Unwin discusses things doctors should have in mind when it comes to low carb and blood-pressure medications.
Summary and conclusion
02:45
The key takeaways from Dr. Unwin's course for low-carb doctors.
Diet Doctor Podcast #33 – Dr. David Unwin
43:25
Dr. Unwin was on the verge of retiring as a general practice physician in the UK. Then he found the power of low carb nutrition and began helping his patients in ways he never thought possible.
Helping people with type 2 diabetes
32:31
How Dr. Unwin transformed his practice into helping patients with type 2 diabetes reverse their disease using low carb.
Baseline tests and screening
10:35
Unwin discusses the importance of measuring a baseline weight, waist circumference, blood pressure, and metabolic markers.
Motivating people to change their lives
51:45
How do you help and motivate people to start and stay on a low-carb diet?
Low carb in other situations
02:24
In part 3, Dr. Unwin discusses other diseases than type 2 diabetes where low carb can be the solution.

Earlier

Reversing Type 2 Diabetes and Losing 27 Kilos by Cutting Out Sugar

Type 2 Diabetes Reversed Again

10 comments

1
Parul Srivastava
May 22 2017
How does sourdough bread compare please?
2
George
May 24 2017
Curious how sprouted bread like Ezekiel compares as well?
3
Janet Avison
November 9 2017
Also spelt bread
4
Ginger Griffin
November 15 2017
please answer these questions
5
Nick
November 15 2017
I've heard that Sourdough is better, as the starch has fermented.
6
Ruth
November 16 2017
Questions can be answered by looking up the glycemic index of sough dough and comparing that value to any of those given in the chart.
7
Rod
November 16 2017
Re the questions posted above.
Sourdough has a GI of 53 and being a bit heavier per slice results in a similar load, maybe a bit less. Sprouted grains like Ezekial have a GI of 36 and being much heavier per slice results in a similar load. Spelt has a high GI much the same as wheat.
One slice of Ezekial bread knocks me out of ketosis.
8
Donna Wright
October 31 2019
Is it possible to get the full list of the foods on the glycemic index teaspoon chart and if so where from?
Thank you

Reply: #9
9
Reply to comment #8 by Donna Wright
SEB WILLIAMS
December 17 2020
My question is the same as the above from Donna Wright

Reply: #10
10
Reply to comment #9 by SEB WILLIAMS
Crystal Pullen Team Diet Doctor
December 17 2020

My question is the same as the above from Donna Wright

You may view our Diet Doctor Visual Guides for carbohydrate counts on various foods https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/visual-guides. You may view more of Dr. Unwin's Glycemic Index charts at PCH https://phcuk.org/sugar/