How to Lose Weight With Spelt Bread

Adding spelt bread to your regular diet won't magically result in weight loss, but eating it in place of other high-fat, less nutritious foods might help. Spelt is a nutty-flavored whole grain related to the durum wheat in whole-wheat bread. The ground spelt in spelt bread is rich in vitamins and minerals and has more fiber, protein and unsaturated fatty acids per serving than whole-wheat flour. To swap spelt flour for regular flour in a bread recipe, use the same amount of flour called for but decrease added liquids by 10 percent to 15 percent.

Eat It Instead of Refined Carbohydrates

Choose spelt bread, not white bread, for your morning toast or afternoon sandwich, and swap the regular pasta or white rice at dinner for a roll made from whole-grain spelt flour. High-fiber foods like spelt can help you feel fuller longer, leading you to consume fewer calories and possibly lose weight, says the National Institutes of Health. By contrast, the refined carbohydrates in white flour and white rice cause spikes and drops in your blood sugar that can leave you feeling hungry and craving more food.

Keep Your Intake Under Control

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Spelt bread is healthy, but don't go overboard. When you consume more calories than you need -- even when it's from nutritious, low-fat foods -- you'll gain weight. The only way to lose weight is to consume fewer calories than you burn, either by eating less, exercising more or both. The average woman between 19 and 50 years old needs about six 1-ounce equivalents of carbohydrate-rich foods each day. A 19- to 30-year-old man needs 8 ounces, while a 31- to 50-year-old man needs 7 ounces. Each slice of spelt bread counts as a 1-ounce serving, as does 1 cup of breakfast cereal, 1/2 cup of cooked pasta or rice or one tortilla. To lose weight, keep track of how much you're eating and stay within the recommended limits.

Hold the Fat

Eating spelt bread toast slathered with butter or piling your sandwich high with full-fat cheese, fatty cuts of processed meats like pastrami and mayonnaise won't aid you in your weight-loss journey. Instead, enjoy the bread without any added fat, or substitute a heart-healthy option in moderation, such as skipping the cheese and mayonnaise in favor of mashed ripe avocado in your sandwich. Try serving toasted or warmed unbuttered spelt bread with a small amount of seasoned olive oil for dipping as a side dish with meals.

Use It Creatively for Snacks

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High-calorie, high-fat snacks can sabotage the best weight-loss program. But failing to plan healthy snacks into your daily menus can also be a problem -- when you're hungry, you're more likely to overeat or to make poor choices. Work spelt bread into your snack schedule, especially as a substitute for unhealthy foods like chips or baked goods made from refined flour. Have a slice of toasted spelt bread topped with sugar-free nut butter and sunflower seeds, or make a quick pizza by spreading the bread with tomato sauce, sprinkling on reduced-fat cheese and broiling until the cheese is melted golden brown.