Toast Bread Sometimes toxic and even carcinogenic
How healthy or unhealthy is toast?
Sunday morning breakfast time. If the baker is too far, toast is quick at hand. Is toast especially unhealthy? No, but certainly not very nutritious and therefore not full. Sometimes it can be toxic and even carcinogenic. We have put together the most important facts.
contents
- How healthy or unhealthy is toast?
- Not very nutritious
- Whole wheat toast has more fat
- Toasting produces acrylamide
- Proper storage keeps you fresher
- Beware of toxic spots
Not very nutritious
Buttertoast contains hardly any mineral and fiber. It is therefore not very nutritious. Many think that wholegrain toast is the better alternative. Whole-to-nut toast contains slightly more nutrients than white toast, but of course much less than wholegrain bread. Whole wheat toast is also a fake product because it suggests it's whole wheat. Instead, it is toast bread from conventional dough that is only fortified with grains.
There is healthier bread - but a hit in many households. (Image: awfoto / fotolia.com)Whole wheat toast has more fat
Did you know? Whole wheat toast contains significantly more fat than butter toast. On average, white contains 3.8 percent fat, wholegrain 4.5 percent and grain toast 9 percent. "The higher value results from the addition of seeds from flaxseed and sunflower seeds. However, these unsaturated fats are healthy, "says Caroline Klose, a fitness and nutrition consultant from Hanover.
If toast is declared as a "wholegrain toast", the processed flour must contain at least 90 percent actual whole grain. If you look at the list of ingredients, there are values depending on the provider between 50 and 60 percent. This is because toast contains flour as well as other ingredients. The proportion of wholemeal on the package refers exclusively to the whole product and not to the flour content.
Toasting produces acrylamide
Less attention is paid to the fact that toasting produces dangerous acrylamide, the darker the toast is roasted. Acrylamide is widely regarded by most nutritionists as carcinogenic and may damage the genome.
The food toxicologist Prof. Bernd Schäfer from the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment stated: "The more tanned these are, the higher their acrylamide content." According to Schäfer, there are scientific studies with animals that point to this. If there are black spots on the toast due to roasting, it should be discarded. Pure performance of the black spots is controversial. At temperatures below 180 degrees Celsius, significantly lower amounts of acrylamide are formed than at higher temperatures.
Proper storage keeps you fresher
How to preserve toast properly? There are different opinions about this. As a rule toast is still edible even after expiry of the best before date. But as soon as greenish spots appear, toast should be discarded. To store, place the toast in a bread box. Some even store it in the fridge. But here it loses a lot of taste. If you want to keep toast for a long time, you can store it in the freezer for 3 months. The advantage: The slices can be removed individually to be toasted directly.
Beware of toxic spots
If mold has formed, not only the single disc should be disposed of, but the complete package. Molds have spread even when it is not visible everywhere. The mushroom invisibly runs through the whole bread. Fungus also defies heat and can produce large amounts of poisoning. They damage the immune system and damage the kidney and liver. In addition, mold is suspected of causing cancer.
Conclusion: Toast is not the healthiest food, but can be enjoyed from time to time. There are a few aspects - as described - to note. But it is better to eat wholemeal bread from whole cores regularly. Toast slices should be the exception and not the rule. (Sb)