Nutritionist Ranks Breads: Pineapple Buns Aren't the Fattiest; Some Pastries Are Like 'Grease Bombs'

Many people reach for bread as a quick breakfast or snack, but its seemingly light appearance can lead to exceeding calorie goals. Nutritionist Yang Ssu-han warns that croissants, Russian bread, pineapple buns, and salted croissants are particularly high in fat. Russian bread, due to its large size, can pack between 600 and 800 calories per loaf, making it a significant calorie bomb.

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Croissants, Russian bread, pineapple buns, and salted croissants are all relatively high in fat content. Among them, Russian bread, due to its large size, can reach 600 to 800 calories per loaf if eaten whole.

Yang, who shared her insights on her Facebook page "Yang Ssu-han's Delicious Life," emphasized that when educating patients on diabetes, weight management, or high cholesterol, the focus shouldn't solely be on a bread's size. Instead, she advises paying close attention to its fat density, individual weight, and whether it's consumed with spreads or fillings.

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When choosing bread, you can't just look at the size; you also need to pay attention to the fat density and weight, lest you increase the burden on your weight control, blood sugar control, and cardiovascular health.

She detailed the fat content of five common breads: croissants (25-30g fat/100g) use folded butter for crispiness; Russian bread (20-25g fat/100g) is brushed with butter during baking and is large; pineapple buns have a cookie-like topping (15-20g fat/100g) high in fat and sugar; salted croissants (12-16g fat/100g) contain butter inside and at the bottom; and sourdough bread (2-5g fat/100g) is relatively low-fat but still a carbohydrate.

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Croissants are the king of fat density. To maintain a crispy texture, high-fat, low-moisture sheet butter is usually used. The fat content per 100 grams is about 25-30 grams, making it a representative of high-fat common breads.

Yang concluded that the healthiness of bread depends on its fat content and portion size, not just whether it's sweet or savory. She recommends moderate consumption of high-fat breads and avoiding sugary drinks to prevent excess calorie intake.

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The biggest problem with Russian bread is its 'single large size.' It is recommended to eat it in portions or share it with family, and avoid eating a whole loaf as a meal.