Whether you’re following a low-carb diet, cutting down on sugar or watching calories, low-carb bread can help you reach your goals. First, you'll need to determine how to identify low-carb breads because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not yet defined what "low-carb" means. Then you can check the brands you choose for their sugar content. Expect low-carb breads to have a little less sugar than many brands of regular bread, but look out for big differences in some brands.
Foods are considered to be low in a nutrient when they provide 5 percent or less of the daily value. Using this guideline, any bread with 7 grams or less of total carbohydrates per serving is a low source of carbs because that equals 5 percent of the 130 grams you should consume daily, according to the Institute of Medicine. You may want to include breads that have 7 grams to 9 grams of carbs per serving in the low-carb category. When researchers surveyed products in Minnesota and North Dakota, they found that breads produced for the low-carb market averaged about 9 grams of carbs in one serving, according to research published in the “Journal of Food Distribution Research” in 2008.
Net Carb Alternative
It's easier to pick a low-carb bread out of the many choices on the grocery shelves if you scan for products that advertise low net carbs. Net carbs are calculated by subtracting the amount of fiber and sugar alcohol in the bread from its total carbs. While many brands advertising low net carbs are also low in total carbs and sugar, net carbs do not have a legal definition, so they're not precise. Do not rely on them if you have diabetes and need to carefully control your carb and sugar intake, advises the American Diabetes Association.
Sugar in Low-Carb Bread
A variety of low-carb breads have 1 gram or less of sugar in one slice of bread. These brands reported having 7 to 8 grams of total carbs. Sugar-free breads often contain noncaloric sweeteners such as stevia and sucralose, which you'll find in the list of ingredients. Some reduced-calorie breads also contain 1 gram or less of sugar and only have 9 to 10 grams of carbs in one slice. For comparison, one slice of regular bread usually has about 15 grams of carbs, reports the University of Arkansas.
Sugar in Regular Bread
Whole-wheat bread and white bread have about 15 grams of total carbohydrates and 2 grams of sugar in one slice, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. One slice of another brand of bread, however, has 4 grams of sugar and 21 grams of total carbohydrates. With such a range of sugar and carbs, the only way to be sure about the amount in your bread is to check the nutrition label. Also, be aware that bread may carry a healthy-sounding name, such as whole-wheat, but can have a high amount of sugar and carbs.
- Kansas State University: Net Carbs, Impact Carbs, Zero Carbs That Count: What Does It Mean?
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration: How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label
- Institute of Medicine: Dietary Reference Intakes: Macronutrients
- Journal of Food Distribution Research: Estimating Price Premiums for Breads Marketed as “Low-Carbohydrate” Breads
- University of Arkansas: The Exchange List System for Diabetic Meal Planning
- USDA National Nutrient Database: Bread, Whole Wheat, Commercially Prepared
- USDA National Nutrient Database: Bread, White, Commercially Prepared
- American Diabetes Association: Taking a Closer Look at Labels
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