I love bread. I could eat bread every day for the rest of my life. I have been told I should ditch it if I ever hope to lose weight. Is this true and what can I eat instead?Bread is a staple food that humans have eaten for more than 14,000 years. Of those 14,000 years, it’s only during the past 50 that obesity has gone mainstream.Yes, in ancient Egypt, the wealthiest — famous “eaters of bread” — were not exactly built like marathon runners. This is true, as far as we can tell, because CT scans of many pharaohs and nobles show they were overweight, had clogged arteries and probably suffered from diabetes. Was it the bread? Or was it bread that was made lekker with fat, milk, honey, dates, beer and wine? We shall never know. But we can take an uneducated guess.On the other hand, common folk, Roman gladiators and peasants throughout history ate massive amounts of bread but remained slim. Poor people doing manual labour don’t have the luxury of beef stroganoff.But people still tell us to cut out bread to lose weight. Why? Remember our dear friends, hormones, the ones we love to hate? Processed white, brown and even supermarket-branded whole-wheat breads cause fast blood sugar and insulin spikes, which can lead to more hunger and cravings later. Modern humans have zero capacity to fight the urge to stuff more sugar in our mouths.Insulin “tells” your liver and muscles to store glucose. Once they are full, it directs the remaining excess sugar to be stored in fat cells. I once met a bodybuilder from Umlazi who made Terry Crews look like an underaged jockey. His diet — due to limited finances — was built around bread and protein. I was shocked but his body was likely to be shuttling glucose to his muscles more efficiently than a park-and-ride service at Ellis Park.All bread has calories. Even the “good bread” has calories — sometimes more. True whole-wheat bread will keep you fuller for longer, while also keeping you regular — if your gut can handle it. You can eat bread mindfully and not become overweight, if you control the rest of your diet and cravings. That’s the truth. And if you cannot deal with the cravings, become mindful of what to eat to manage your insulin levels.When managing insulin is your priority — to prevent blood sugar spikes, to avoid becoming hungry too soon again and to eliminate cravings — you should be thinking about glycaemic index (GI). Low GI dumpy bread is commonly found on our shelves — it makes you feel fuller for longer and has less of an impact on your cravings.But the two clear winners are rye and sourdough. Do not confuse sourdough with the sourdough-flavoured white bread you typically see on supermarket shelves. The one is a Mercedes G-Wagon Brabus edition, and the other is a GWM Tank with a Brabus bodykit. Both are great cars, but don’t let the badge fool you.Rye has a strong reputation for lower insulin response and high satiety. But real rye can also taste like mouldy cardboard if you haven’t acquired the taste. It has rightfully earned its place in weight loss diets and health menus worldwide.The Water Cooler is biased. True sourdough is the real hero of the weight-conscious but still enjoying one’s life movie. It also has a low-to-medium GI, supports satiety through slower digestion and is generally much easier on the gut.The long fermentation reduces Fodmaps (short-chain carbohydrates and sugar alcohols that the small intestine poorly absorbs, leading to gas and bloating) and produces organic acids that many people find reduces bloating and digestive discomfort compared with ordinary breads, including standard rye. You get rye sourdough, but I’ve never had the honour.Adding a fried egg (protein and fat) to a slice of true sourdough further slows gastric emptying, blunts the glucose and insulin rise and improves overall macros and lasting satiety. What more could one want when pursuing body recomposition but absolutely refusing to be the chicken breast, broccoli and brown rice Tupperware guy?You don’t have to quit eating bread. Just be mindful of calories and even more mindful of how different breads can affect your blood sugar, cravings and satiety.