Bread is a staple food in many people’s diets but is also a big source of carbs. If you’ve been diagnosed with celiac disease or are trying to avoid gluten while on a low-carb diet, you might want to know how many carbs are in gluten-free bread.
People trying to limit their carb intake will be saddened to learn that gluten-free bread is high in carbs. Gluten-free bread has approximately the same carbohydrate count as wheat-based bread, around 14 grams per slice. Please note that gluten-free bread isn’t the same as low-carb bread.
In this article, we’ll talk about gluten-free bread’s nutritional facts, or its carb content, to be exact. Keep reading to learn if gluten-free bread is healthy and keto-friendly.
Does Gluten-Free Bread have Fewer Carbs?
No, gluten-free bread doesn’t have fewer carbs than bread made from whole wheat flour.
While carbs are present in most foods, cereals and grain-based foods have the highest levels of carbohydrates. Gluten-free flours used to substitute wheat flour in gluten-free bread are relatively high in carbs, even if they don’t contain gluten.
This means that gluten-free bread isn’t lower in carbs than standard white bread. In fact, a standard slice of gluten-free bread has 15.6 grams of carbs, compared to 14.1 grams of carbs found in a typical slice of white bread.
Gluten-free bread and white bread are made using different grains and differ in other nutrients, including protein, fiber, and fat. The macronutrient profiles of gluten-free and wheat-based bread are also different.
The important thing to remember is that gluten-free doesn’t mean fewer carbs. In fact, most gluten-free bread contains more carbs, sugar, fat, and calories than regular wheat bread.
Is Gluten-Free Bread Healthy?
For most people, choosing gluten-free bread instead of wheat-based bread isn’t a healthier option. Unless you have celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, or gluten intolerance, you won’t experience any health benefits from eating gluten-free bread.
Most gluten-free bread is higher in fat, higher in sugar, and higher in salt but lower in protein, fiber, vitamins B, and iron. Making bread without gluten is challenging, so many manufacturers rely on heavily refined ingredients like rice flour, potato starch, and tapioca flour which contain much less protein, fiber, and other essential nutrients than wheat flour.
Refined wheat flours used to make white bread are enriched with nutrients, like iron, vitamin B, and calcium, while flours used to make gluten-free bread don’t contain any of these ingredients.
Gluten-free bread manufacturers often add sugar, fat, and salt to their products to improve their texture and flavor while decreasing the bread’s nutritional value.
For all these reasons, going gluten-free isn’t always a healthier choice. But, for people with celiac disease, wheat allergy, or non-celiac gluten sensitivity, going gluten-free and eating gluten-free bread is the only option.
Is Gluten-Free Bread Keto Friendly?
Gluten-free bread isn’t keto-friendly because it’s relatively high in carbohydrates. A ketogenic diet, or keto diet, is a high-fat, low-carb, and moderate-protein diet that aims to trigger ketosis. Ketosis is a metabolic process that forces the body to burn fat reserves instead of carbs.
Being relatively high in carbs and low in fat, the nutritional profile of gluten-free and wheat-based bread makes them unsuitable for people following a ketogenic diet.
When you think about it, the keto diet and gluten-free diet are completely different. While the keto diet is about keeping your fat intake high and carb intake low, a gluten-free diet is about removing gluten and replacing it with other ingredients.
The goal of a ketogenic diet is weight loss while following a gluten-free diet is about avoiding an autoimmune reaction and stopping digestive problems.
Sticking to the keto diet can be extremely challenging if you must eat gluten-free. Most available low-carb bread is loaded with gluten and isn’t safe for people with celiac disease.
How Many Carbs Are in a Slice of Gluten-Free Toast?
How many carbs are in a slice of gluten-free toast bread depends on the type and brand of bread? For example, a slice of Genuine Bavarian Gluten-Free Toast Bread has:
- 21 grams of total carbs
- 19 grams of net carbs
- 2 grams of fiber
- 2 grams of sugar
- 3 grams of protein
- 1.5 grams of fat
- 100 calories
Why Is Gluten-Free Bread so Small?
Store-bought gluten-free bread is small because it doesn’t rise as much as wheat-based bread and is made of ingredients that make it heavier and dense. Increasing the gluten-free bread’s size would only increase its already high cost, making it too expensive for some customers.
Most gluten-free bread is smaller than regular wheat-based bread in every possible way. Compared to wheat-based bread, gluten-free bread is smaller in size, has smaller slices, has fewer slices per loaf, and in most cases, weighs less.
The funny thing is that a slice of gluten-free bread typically weighs more than a slice of wheat-base bread, even though each gluten-free slice is much smaller than a slice of regular bread.
Gluten-free bread might be small because it has a very short shelf life. If the loaves were any bigger, the customers would have to consume larger amounts of bread to prevent spoilage or take up more space in their freezers storing the bread.
Conclusion
Many people believe that gluten-free bread is healthier, has fewer calories, and is a better choice for weight loss than wheat-based bread. However, that’s not the case.
A standard slice of gluten-free bread has approximately the same carbohydrate count as wheat-based bread. One slice of gluten-free bread has around 14 grams of carbs.
Gluten-free bread usually has more fat and sugar than wheat-based bread but is lower in protein, fiber, and essential vitamins and minerals. Unless you have celiac disease, wheat allergy, or non-celiac gluten sensitivity, you won’t experience any benefits from eating gluten-free bread.
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