Bread Before Dinner May Increase Your Appetite – It’s a tradition at most restaurants (including popular chains like Olive Garden, Red Lobster, and many more!) to serve warm bread before a meal. What could be better than a basket of fresh, warm bread while you’re looking at the menu? I mean, that’s where the very expression, “breaking bread with someone” came from, right?

However, if you’re looking to lose weight, you might want to skip the bread completely, or at least wait until you’ve started eating your meal to grab a piece, as it may actually cause you to eat more.

Why Skip Eating Bread / Rolls Before Meals?

According to recent studies, eating a roll or slice(s) of bread actually increases your appetite,

What you’re actually doing is eating carbs on an empty stomach, and without something in your stomach, those carbohydrates will quickly be turned into sugar; boosting your blood sugar level and causing you to eat more during your ensuing meal.

So, if you do indulge in a basket of bread before dinner, you should know that it might increase your appetite and cause you to eat more during your meal.

Especially Significant for Those With Type 2 Diabetes

If you have type 2 diabetes, blood sugar levels are even more important to consider, and that spike in blood sugar that comes from eating carbs on an empty stomach could really be bad.

People who are sensitive to blood sugar levels might want to skip any type of refined carbohydrates on an empty stomach as a rule, and it will certainly help reduce the number of Weight Watchers Online points that you rack up!

So, When Should You Eat Bread With Dinner?

Although there are a lot of people on diets that exclude or limit carbs, the most significant thing to consider is when to eat carbs. In this case, consider getting some of your meal in your stomach before grabbing a dinner roll. That will help offset the blood sugar spike, and slow down how quickly the carbs are turned to sugar.

Here’s a good article from NPR that explains this advice in more detail.