There’s something to be said for sinking your teeth into a slice of delicious multigrain bread, or munching on whole wheat toast at any time of the day. Why reach for unhealthy, sodium-laced and fattening packaged potato chips, when you can turn a basic loaf of bread into a yummy and filling snack?

It’s time to bring back the love for bread, which has unfortunately been demonized by the wave of gluten-free obsession sweeping the nation. There are plenty of gluten-free options when it comes to bread now. Plus, we’ve already established the fact that you should go gluten-free when you’re intolerant, or suffer from celiac disease, and not adopt it merely as a weight-loss fad.

We’re not saying you should eat the tasteless, commercially manufactured, generic white bread that’s woefully devoid of nutrition. Not when you can eat healthy, tasty and wholesome bread instead.

Earlier this year, the entire country celebrated Real Bread Week, which encouraged the buying, making, and eating of proper bread (made without additives), but there’s no reason we can’t enjoy its goodness through the year.

Here are six simple tips to reintroduce the goodness of bread into your diet:

  1. Trim It Down: Instead of gorging on big breakfast with all the fixings of eggs, bacon, fruit and cereal, or tucking into a large lunch featuring soup, salad, protein-rich main course and vegetables, try to make bread the focus of your meal, and have it with some heart healthy grass-fed butter. You could also opt for a chewy, satisfying bagel topped with smoked salmon or braised tofu.
  2. Buy The Best: Choose a nice, multi-grain or whole wheat loaf of bread and instead of making it a side or an accompaniment, allow it to shine as the main part of the meal. Pair with roasted vegetables or lean, grilled meat to stretch it further.
  3. Pick The Hard Stuff: Choose a crusty kind of bread and slice it thickly before topping it with mashed avocado or baked garlic, for a meal that takes time to chew, allowing you to savor every bite and keeping you full for longer.
  4. Soak It Up: Use your bread to make soup into a full meal by sopping up the liquid with bite-sized chunks. This will add fiber to your meal, and will be more satiating.
  5. Get Saucy: Instead of reaching for another helping of that pasta or pork chop, use your bread slices to wipe up the sauces or gravy on your plate. This will help you cut calories and save money in a single stroke.
  6. Pack A Punch: Just stack up a combination of tasty and healthy ingredients to make a portable meal such as a sandwich. You can choose from either vegetarian options, or load up on healthy protein like chicken and egg.

Head to our Food section for healthy recipes and the latest food trends.
Quick and easy Nutrition tips here.

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Simona Terron
Simona is a journalist who has worked with several leading publications in India over the last 17 years, writing on lifestyle topics and the arts, besides interviewing celebrities. She made the switch to public relations and headed the division as PR Manager at ITC Hotels’ flagship property, the ITC Grand Chola, but has since returned to her first love, journalism. Now she writes on food, which she is sincerely passionate about and wellness, which she finds fascinating and full of surprises. When she isn’t writing, she is busy playing the role of co-founder and communications director of The Bicycle Project, a six-year-old charity initiative that empowers tribal children in rural areas, while addressing the issue of urban waste.

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