He eats nine slices of bread a day - but the menu sounds completely reasonable to me | Dr. Maya Roseman

A listener who called into the broadcast shared that he is trying to lose a little weight and is doing physical activity, but is worried about the amount of bread he eats. I asked him what he eats... and his menu included, among other things, nine slices of light bread.

What does "light" mean? The meaning is actually that the slice is thinner, or more airy, and therefore it weighs less (on average, light bread should be 25 grams per slice). Therefore, in the end, nine slices of "light" bread is like eating 5 slices of "regular" bread.

So yes, when looking only at the number, nine slices of bread a day definitely sounds like a lot. But when we checked what else he eats throughout the entire day, the picture was completely different:

In the morning he does not eat. At noon he eats four slices of light bread with two eggs, cheese, and vegetables. In the afternoon, one slice of light bread with a sweet spread, and in the evening another four slices of light bread alongside a container of cottage cheese, a can of tuna, and vegetables. Sometimes he replaces the protein sources with chicken breast.

So despite the impressive number of bread slices, in my estimation, his menu overall looks good, because you need to look at it as a whole and not just count the bread slices.

9 slices sounds like a lot, but what else is eaten?

If every slice of light bread has about 50 calories, then 9 slices provide about 450 calories. In his case, it is indeed a significant part of the daily intake - about 40% of the calories according to the amounts he described - but there are almost no other sources of carbohydrates in his menu.

There are also no other carbohydrates in the listener's menu such as rice, pasta, potatoes, sweet potatoes, breakfast cereals, crackers, pastries, or large amounts of fruit. Therefore, bread is actually his main source of carbohydrates.

This is exactly the reason why it is not correct to determine that a certain amount of bread is "too much" without knowing what is eaten during the rest of the day. A person who eats six slices of bread and also pasta at noon, granola in the morning, cookies in the afternoon, and rice in the evening is in a completely different situation than a person who eats nine slices of bread and these are almost all of his carbohydrates.

Protein in sufficient quantity for physical activity

It is worth looking at the full picture. Two eggs and cheese at noon, and cottage cheese and tuna in the evening, provide a nice amount of protein. If on some days there is also chicken breast, the protein consumption can be even higher.

For those who do physical activity and try to lose weight, protein is an especially important component, partly because it contributes to satiety and helps in maintaining muscle mass during weight loss. The vegetables that appear in the two main meals are also an advantage, and of course, it is worth diversifying the types of vegetables as much as possible.

How many of our calories should come from carbohydrates?

For years it was customary to divide the menu according to the percentage of calories that comes from each of the food groups. The accepted reference ranges for adults were 45%-65% from carbohydrates, 20%-35% from fat, and 20%-35% from protein. That is, let's assume for example in a 2,000-calorie menu, even 900-1,300 calories coming from carbohydrates were considered a normal range.

However, the approach today has changed a bit: experts look less only at the percentage of carbohydrates and more at their source. Studies and current guidelines emphasize that a menu where carbohydrates come from whole wheat bread, oats, legumes, vegetables, and fruits is not similar to a menu with the same amount of carbohydrates coming from white bread, pastries, sweets, and sweetened drinks.

The World Health Organization currently emphasizes mainly the quality of carbohydrates and recommends that they come mainly from whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and legumes. Also in the updated recommendations of the American Heart Association from 2026, the emphasis is on whole grains instead of processed grains, reducing added sugars, and examining the entire eating pattern.

Does a lot of bread cause belly fat?

Here it is important to be precise. It is impossible to say that bread in itself "goes to the belly", and also there is no specific number of slices from which belly fat begins to form. Belly fat accumulates when over time energy consumption is higher than expenditure, and it is also influenced by age, physical activity, genetics, and other factors.

However, studies have found a link between higher consumption of processed grains and more belly and visceral fat, so if a large part of the menu is based on bread, it is worth checking also what kind of bread it is. It is better to choose bread that is based on whole grains and rich in fiber, and not to relate only to the number of calories in the slice.

We don't count one food separately

The same principle is true for almost every food. Even three eggs can sound like a lot - but the important question is what is in the entire menu. When trying to lose weight, one needs to examine the total calories, but not only them. It is important to check also if there is enough protein, vegetables, and fiber, what is the quality of the carbohydrates, how much fat is in the menu, are there snacks and drinks that add calories without being satisfied from them, and of course how much physical activity is done.

In the listener's case, precisely the fact that the meals are simple and orderly, with a significant protein source and vegetables, makes the nine slices of bread less worrying than the number sounds at first.

There is no magic number of bread slices that are allowed or forbidden to eat per day. Nine slices can be too much in one menu and fit well in another menu. Sometimes the food that seems to us in the largest quantity is actually not the problem.