✦ Whole grain fibre and nutrients ✦ Lower GI than white bread ✦ B vitamins and vitamin E ✦ Iron and zinc

Commercially prepared whole-wheat bread retains the bran and germ of the wheat kernel, making it meaningfully higher in fibre, B vitamins, vitamin E, iron, zinc, and magnesium than white bread. Its higher fibre content gives it a lower glycaemic impact, and regular consumption is associated with improved cardiometabolic risk markers.

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Preparation note

The first ingredient should read "whole wheat flour" or "wholemeal flour" — not "enriched wheat flour." Toast gently to preserve heat-sensitive vitamins.

Sources: NHS Bread and grains · CoFID 2021

Macronutrients per 100g

254
kcal
Energy
12.3
g
Protein
37.1
g
Carbs
4.20
g
Fibre
3.55
g
Fat
4.41
g
Sugars
0.73
g
Saturates
1.13
g
Salt

How to read GI & GL

GI (Glycemic Index) rates how fast the carbohydrates in a food raise blood glucose compared to pure glucose (= 100). Low GI ≤ 55 means a slow, steady rise. But GI says nothing about how much carbohydrate you're actually eating.

GL (Glycemic Load) fixes that. It multiplies GI by the actual grams of carbohydrate per typical serving: GL = GI × carbs per serving ÷ 100. This makes it the more useful number for real-world blood sugar management.

Why they can disagree — a food with low GI can still carry a high GL if the serving is large and carb-dense. Conversely, watermelon has a high GI (72) but a low GL (4) because a normal portion contains very few carbs. Always read both together.

Low GL ≤ 10 Modest total glucose impact per serving.
Medium GL 11–19 Moderate impact — manageable for most.
High GL ≥ 20 Significant carb load per serving. Consider a smaller portion.

Source: Atkinson et al., International Tables of GI & GL Values 2021, Am J Clin Nutr.

Glycemic Index & Load

54
GI Score
🟢 Low GI
13
GL / Serving
Medium Load

Low GI food — causes a slow, steady rise in blood sugar. Ideal for sustained energy, blood glucose control, and reducing insulin demand.

Glycemic Load (GL = GI × carbs ÷ 100) accounts for portion size. A moderate GL — portion size matters here.

Source: Atkinson et al., International Tables of GI & GL Values 2021, Am J Clin Nutr

Vitamins & Minerals

Nutrient Per 100g % Daily Value* Level
Potassium 250 mg 13%
Phosphorus 212 mg 30%
Calcium 163 mg 20%
Betaine 126 mg —
Magnesium 76.6 mg 20%
Folate 42.0 µg 21%
Choline 27.2 mg —
Selenium 25.8 µg 47%
Niacin (B3) 4.43 mg 28%
Vitamin E (alpha-TE) 2.82 mg 24%
Iron 2.56 mg 18%
Manganese 2.18 mg 109%
Zinc 1.76 mg 18%
Pantothenic Acid (B5) 0.650 mg 11%
Thiamin (B1) 0.391 mg 36%
Copper 0.226 mg 23%
Vitamin B6 0.216 mg 15%
Riboflavin (B2) 0.166 mg 12%
Polyunsaturated fat (PUFA) 1.61 g —
Monounsaturated fat 0.616 g —
Trans fat 0.022 g —
Fructose 2.24 g —
Glucose (dextrose) 1.10 g —
Sucrose 0.030 g —
Omega-6 (Linoleic acid) 1.46 g —
Omega-3 (Alpha-linolenic acid) 0.139 g —
Omega-3 (DHA) — Docosahexaenoic acid 0.000 g —
Omega-3 (DPA n-3) — Docosapentaenoic acid (n-3) 0.000 g —
Omega-3 (EPA) — Eicosapentaenoic acid 0.000 g —

* % Daily Value is the proportion of an adult EU Nutrient Reference Value (NRV) supplied by 100g of this food. NRVs are the labelling standard — the same basis as the “%RI” figures printed on food packaging — so these percentages are directly comparable with a shop label. They are a single adult figure and do not vary by age or sex, which is why they sometimes differ from UK dietary reference values: the NRV for vitamin C is 80mg where the UK RNI is 40mg. When Nutriofia assesses your own intake in the reports and trackers, it uses the age- and sex-specific UK values instead.

Fibre is shown without a percentage. Our fibre values use the UK Englyst NSP method, while the published 30g daily goal is an AOAC figure — the two are measured differently and a single percentage would mislead. How we source and normalise our data →

Sources: NHS Bread and grains; CoFID 2021
Bread Bread Phytochemical data available High protein 🇺🇸 USDA FDC 2025