Can You Go Low Carb With a Breadmaker?

Published on 5th July 2013

By Leila El-Dean


It is possible to have too much of a good thing! If you've noticed your waistline expanding since you've got your breadmaker, it might be time to ease off the carbs a little. White bread in particular is often singled out as being a dieter's enemy.

White bread

If you're trying to lose weight, stay away from white bread! (image source: Flickr)

Luckily, you can take simple steps to make sure your loaves don't sabotage your weightloss efforts! Remember, it's not just about the amount of carbohydrates in your loaf; the type of carbohydrates matters too.

Make Low GI Bread

You may have heard of the GI (glycemic index) diet. If you have diabetes, you will already be familiar with this approach to eating.

Consuming certain foods can cause a spike in your blood sugar levels and these are known as high GI foods. They can actually make you crave more food later on, so you end up eating more. White flour is one of the main culprits, but using wholemeal flours and other ingredients instead can slow down the absorption of blood sugar.

Add Some Nuts, Seeds and Whole Grains

Low GI ingredients can help you win the battle of the bulge. Although nuts, seeds and healthy oils are essentially fatty foods, they aren't completely off the menu. Not only are they nutritious, but they will also help to reduce the rate at which sugar is released into your blood stream. Whole grains and whole meal flour are also lower on the glycemic index than white flour. They are packed with fibre too, and we all know why a fibre-rich diet is important!

Can You Cut the Amount of Carbs in Your Loaf?

Technically yes, although you and your bread machine could well end up venturing into gluten-free territory. Gram flour (made from chickpeas), soy flour and buckwheat are examples of lower carb alternatives. A quick internet search for low carb bread recipes will throw up hundreds of results. In fact, specialist online retailers are already selling low carb flour and even breadmaker mixes.

With the best will in the world, so far nobody has been able to come up with loaf that is truly low carb. Nevertheless, you can make low GI bread and variations that are lower in carbohydrates than your typical white loaf. You could also try using some of the lower carb gluten-free flours. These loaves have a denser texture and crumpet like texture, but this doesn't mean that they aren't tasty or satisfying.

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