White bread is perhaps the most commonly consumed carbohydrate source in the United States today. Nearly every sandwich ordered at a self-serve scoreboard contains white bread, as do the garnishes at any fancy restaurant. Americans love their white bread and consume a lot of it without a second thought. Bodybuilders, on the other hand, have a responsibility to examine common, everyday foods to determine if these carbohydrate sources have any place, or a limited place, on the bodybuilding menu.
There are two schools of thought when it comes to white bread as a bodybuilding food. The first opinion is that white bread is excellent for bodybuilding goals. It is quickly digested, providing quick calories for trainers looking to pack on mass. These fast-digesting carbs, eaten after a workout with a good source of protein, create the desired hormonal environment, resulting in higher insulin levels and increased uptake of testosterone into the tissues. White bread is readily available, either sliced or, more commonly, in a muffin format at restaurants. Perhaps a chicken breast in a bun is the quickest and easiest way to put protein and fast carbs into your body after a workout? The carbs are there, the calories are there, the flavor is there, the speed is there, and the convenience is certainly there. The perfect carbohydrate?
The other school of thought is that white bread has no place in the bodybuilding diet. Delivering your calories quickly results in an insulin spike that contributes to creating an anabolic environment, but also creates a greater chance of adding body fat. The enrichment process removes most of the valuable vitamins and minerals from the bread. White bread also contains processed complex starchy carbohydrates, which are not used efficiently by the body. One could also consume a bag of flour. While bread packaging may claim good micronutrient content, up to half of the micronutrients are removed during enrichment and processing. Also, the lack of fiber means that the bread’s journey through the body will be slow at best.
The answer, as with many things in life, probably lies somewhere in the middle. If the trainer does not have access to another carbohydrate source, white bread provides a quick insulin spike and needed calories. After all, bad calories are better than no calories, when valuable muscle tissue is lost. For trainers looking to gain mass, any carbohydrate calorie source can be good at one time. However, optimal gains will be achieved with liberal use of white bread and more frequent use of quality carbohydrate sources such as brown rice, oatmeal, oat bran, oat bran cereal (IE Cheerios), whole wheat pasta , baked fries, low-fat fries. popcorn, potatoes, sweet potatoes, whole wheat bread, some fruits (berries are best), and vegetables. Bodybuilders looking to gain mass should eat white bread occasionally, and bodybuilders watching body fat levels should eat white bread rarely.
