There’s obviously a difference between gluten-free bread and regular bread, but it’s not completely clear what all differences are without taking a closer look. I compared 80 gluten-free and regular breads to find out how these breads really stack up.
Is Gluten-Free Bread Healthier Than Regular Bread?
Gluten-free bread is not healthier than regular bread for most people as it often contains refined starches and lacks nutritional benefits compared to regular bread. Those who must avoid gluten for medical reasons derive the most benefit from gluten-free bread.
Gluten-free food, including bread, is not inherently more healthy just because it doesn’t have gluten. In fact, multiple sources, including Harvard, Mayo Clinic, and other sources discourage people from going gluten-free if it’s not medically necessary.
These sources point to gluten-free breads and other gluten-free products being less nutritious compared to their wheat-containing counter parts. When comparing 80 different breads, I found that gluten-free bread has more calories, fat, sodium and carbs per slice on average and less protein, calcium and Iron per slice on average than standard-size wheat bread slices.
Gluten-free breads are made of refined carbs or starches like tapioca starch and potato starch. Wheat bread is typically made with flour that has been fortified with nutrients (nutrients that were lost during processing are added back in), but the refined starches used in gluten-free bread are not fortified with nutrients.
Some people think that eating gluten-free bread can help you loose weight, but there is no evidence to support that simply swapping regular bread for gluten-free bread, or removing gluten from you diet, will lead to weight loss. In fact, relying too much on processed gluten-free food can cause weight gain because of the higher fat, calorie, and carb content.
Not only are gluten-free breads generally less nutritious, they are also much more expensive, have smaller slices, and have a shorter shelf life than wheat bread. I’ve explored all of these topics in more detail and written articles on why gluten-free bread is so small and why gluten-free foods have a short shelf life.
Gluten-Free Bread Versus Regular Bread Facts
In my comparison of 80 different gluten-free and regular breads, I took a close look at everything from the number of slices in each loaf to the protein content per ounce.
This table below shows how the nutrient facts of gluten-free bread compare to regular wheat bread. There’s also more detailed information on each nutrient fact further down the page.
| Nutrients Per Slice With % Daily Value | Gluten-Free Bread Slice | Wheat Bread – Standard Slice | Wheat Bread – Large Slice |
| Calories | 83 | 68.1 | 108.3 |
| Fat (g) | 1.8 — (2%) | 0.9 — (1%) | 1.5 — (2%) |
| Cholesterol (mg) | 0 — (0%) | 0 — (0%) | 0.2 — (0%) |
| Sodium (mg) | 133.4 — (6%) | 114 — (5%) | 171.9 — (7%) |
| Total Carbs (g) | 15.6 — (6%) | 14.1 — (5%) | 20.1 — (7%) |
| Dietary Fiber (g) | 1.8 — (6%) | 0.9 — (3%) | 2.1 — (7%) |
| Sugar (g) | 2.1 | 2.1 | 2.8 |
| Protein (g) | 1.6 — (3%) | 2.5 — (5%) | 4.1 — (8%) |
| Vitamin D (mcg) | 0 — (0%) | 0.1 — (1%) | 0 — (0%) |
| Calcium (mg) | 11.1 — (1%) | 55.5 — (4%) | 30 — (2%) |
| Iron (mg) | 0.3 — (2%) | 0.8 — (5%) | 1 — (6%) |
Gluten-Free Versus Regular Bread Slices
Gluten-free sandwich breads have an average of 14-15 slices per loaf, but can have anywhere from 9 slices to 23 slices per loaf, depending on the brand. 1 slice of gluten-free bread weighs an average of 33 grams or 1.17 ounces
Regular (wheat) bread has more slices per loaf than gluten-free bread. Wheat bread loaves with standard sandwich-size slices have an average of 21 slices per loaf, about 5 to 6 more slices per loaf than gluten-free bread. Standard sandwich-size slices of wheat bread weigh less than gluten-free slices. Wheat bread slices weigh and average 27 grams or .93 ounces, which is about 6 grams or .24 ounces lighter than gluten-free bread slices on average.
Regular wheat bread loaves that have thicker or wider slices than standard sandwich-size slices have an average of 15-16 slices, about the same as gluten-free bread loaves. These larger slices of wheat bread weigh more than gluten-free slices on average. Larger slices of wheat bread weigh 41 grams or 1.44 ounces on average, about 8 grams or .27 ounces more than gluten-free bread slices.
Calorie Content of Gluten-Free Versus Regular Bread
Gluten-free bread has an average of 83 calories per slice, 2.55 calories per gram or 72.3 calories per ounce. Gluten-free bread can have anywhere from 60 calories to 120 calories per slice depending on the brand and type of bread. There’s an average of 188 calories in 2 slices of gluten-free bread.
Regular (wheat) bread with standard sandwich-size slices has less calories per slice than gluten-free bread. Regular bread has 68 calories per slice on average, which is about 15 calories less per slice than gluten-free bread on average, or 30 calories less per 2 slices.
Wheat bread loaves with larger slices have more calories per slice than gluten-free bread. These larger slices of wheat bread have 108 calories, which is about 25 calories more per slice than gluten-free bread.
Fat Content of Gluten-Free Versus Regular Bread
Gluten-free bread has an average of 1.8 grams (2%) of fat per slice, .06 grams of fat per gram, or 1.57 grams of fat per ounce. Gluten-free bread can have anywhere from 0 grams to 5 grams of fat per slice, depending on the brand and type of bread. There’s an average of 5.1 grams of fat in 2 slices of gluten-free bread.
Regular (wheat) bread with standard sandwich-size slices has less grams of fat per slice than gluten-free bread. Regular bread has .9 grams (1%) of fat per slice on average, which is about half the amount of fat per slice than gluten-free bread on average. 2 slices of regular bread have as much fat as 1 slice of gluten-free bread.
Wheat bread loaves with larger slices also have less fat per slice than gluten-free bread. These larger slices of wheat bread have 1.5 grams (1%) of fat per slice on average, which is about .3 grams of fat less per slice than gluten-free bread.
Cholesterol Content in Gluten-Free and Regular Bread
The majority of gluten-free and regular (wheat) breads contain no cholesterol. Only 3 of the 11 brands of gluten-free breads I compared had cholesterol, and for those 3 brands the cholesterol content ranged from 5 mg to 15 mg of cholesterol per slice. Only one of the loaves of regular bread that I compared had any cholesterol content, and it was only 3 mg per slice.
The 3 brands of gluten-free bread that contained cholesterol were Canyon Bakehouse, Eban’s Bakehouse, and Franz.
Salt (Sodium) Content in Gluten-Free Versus Regular Bread
Gluten-free bread has an average of 133.5 mg (6%) of sodium per slice, 4.1 mg of sodium per gram, or 116.3 mg of sodium per ounce. Gluten-free bread can have anywhere from 90 mg to 240 mg of sodium per slice, depending on the brand and type of bread. There’s an average of 267 mg of sodium in 2 slices of gluten-free bread.
Regular (wheat) bread with standard sandwich-size slices has less sodium per slice than gluten-free bread. Regular bread has 114 mg (5%) of sodium per slice on average, which is about 20 mg less sodium per slice than gluten-free bread on average, or 40 mg less sodium per 2 slices.
Wheat bread loaves with larger slices have more sodium per slice than gluten-free bread. These larger slices of wheat bread have 172 mg (7%) of sodium per slice on average, which is about 39 mg of sodium less per slice than gluten-free bread.
Carbohydrate (Carb) Content in Gluten-Free Versus Regular Bread
Gluten-free bread has an average of 15.5 grams (6%) of carbs per slice, .5 grams of carbs per gram, or 13.6 grams of carbs per ounce. Gluten-free bread can have anywhere from 12 grams to 20 grams of carbs per slice, depending on the brand and type of bread. There’s an average of 31 grams of carbs in 2 slices of gluten-free bread.
Regular (wheat) bread with standard sandwich-size slices has less carbs per slice than gluten-free bread. Regular bread has 14 grams (5%) of carbs per slice on average, which is about 1.5 grams less of carbs per slice than gluten-free bread on average, or 3 grams less per 2 slices.
Wheat bread loaves with larger slices have more carbs per slice than gluten-free bread. These larger slices of wheat bread have 20 grams (7%) of carbs per slice on average, which is about 5 grams of carbs more per slice than gluten-free bread.
Dietary Fiber Content in Gluten-Free Versus Regular Bread
Gluten-free bread has an average of 1.8 grams (6%) of fiber per slice, .05 grams of fiber per gram, or 1.56 grams of fiber per ounce. Gluten-free bread can have anywhere from 0 grams to 6 grams of fiber per slice, depending on the brand and type of bread. There’s an average of 3.6 grams of fibers in 2 slices of gluten-free bread.
Regular (wheat) bread with standard sandwich-size slices has less fiber per slice than gluten-free bread. Regular bread has .9 grams (3%) of fiber per slice on average, which is about half the amount of fiber per slice than gluten-free bread on average.
Wheat bread loaves with larger slices have more fiber per slice than gluten-free bread on average. These larger slices of wheat bread have 2.1 (7%) grams of fiber per slice on average, which is about .3 grams of fiber more per slice than gluten-free bread.
Sugar Content in Gluten-Free Versus Regular Bread
Gluten-free bread has an average of 2.1 grams of sugar per slice, .07 grams of sugar per gram, or 1.87 grams of sugar per ounce. Gluten-free bread can have anywhere from 0 grams to 7 grams of sugar per slice, depending on the brand and type of bread. There’s an average of 4.1 grams of sugar in 2 slices of gluten-free bread.
Gluten-free bread and regular (wheat) bread with standard sandwich-size slices have about same amount sugar per slice on average, 2.1 grams.
Wheat bread loaves with larger slices have more sugar per slice than gluten-free bread on average. These larger slices of wheat bread have 2.8 grams of sugar per slice on average, which is about .7 grams of sugar more per slice than gluten-free bread.
Protein Content in Gluten-Free Versus Regular Bread
Gluten-free bread has an average of 1.6 grams (3%) of protein per slice, .05 grams of protein per gram, or 1.4 grams of protein per ounce. Gluten-free bread can have anywhere from .5 grams to 4 grams of protein per slice, depending on the brand and type of bread. There’s an average of 3.2 grams of protein in 2 slices of gluten-free bread.
Regular (wheat) bread with standard sandwich-size slices has more protein per slice than gluten-free bread. Regular bread has 2.5 grams (5%) of protein per slice on average, which is about .9 grams more fiber per slice than gluten-free bread on average.
Wheat bread loaves with larger slices also have more protein per slice than gluten-free bread on average. These larger slices of wheat bread have 4.1 grams (8%) of protein per slice on average, which is about 2.5 grams of protein more per slice than gluten-free bread.
Calcium Content in Gluten-Free Versus Regular Bread
Gluten-free bread has an average of 11.1 mg (1%) of calcium per slice, .34 mg of calcium per gram, or 9.68 mg of calcium per ounce. Gluten-free bread can have anywhere from 0 mg to 30 mg of calcium per slice, depending on the brand and type of bread. There’s an average of 22.2 mg of calcium in 2 slices of gluten-free bread.
Regular (wheat) bread with standard sandwich-size slices has more calcium per slice than gluten-free bread. Regular bread has 55.5 mg (4%) of calcium per slice on average, which is about 44.4 mg more calcium per slice than gluten-free bread on average.
Wheat bread loaves with larger slices also have more calcium per slice than gluten-free bread on average. These larger slices of wheat bread have 30 mg (2%) of calcium per slice on average, which is about 19 mg of calcium more per slice than gluten-free bread.
Iron Content in Gluten-Free Versus Regular Bread
Gluten-free bread has an average of .3 mg (2%) of iron per slice, .01 mg of iron per gram, or .23 mg of iron per ounce. About half of the gluten-free breads compared had 0 mg of iron per slice while the other half had between .2 mg to 1 mg of iron per slice. There’s an average of .5 mg of calcium in 2 slices of gluten-free bread.
Regular (wheat) bread with standard sandwich-size slices has more iron per slice than gluten-free bread. Regular bread has .8 mg (5%) of iron per slice on average, which is about .5 mg more iron per slice than gluten-free bread on average.
Wheat bread loaves with larger slices also have more iron per slice than gluten-free bread on average. These larger slices of wheat bread have 1 mg (6%) of iron per slice on average, which is about 7 mg of iron more per slice than gluten-free bread.
