What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? At the weekend, many Germans reach for delicious and fresh bakery rolls. Wheat rolls, grain rolls and on Sundays pretzels or croissants are also represented. 89 percent of consumers buy their rolls from the bakery. Mostly younger people buy packaged goods in supermarkets. (1)
But how many calories are in the roll variants? In this article, we will show you how many calories a roll has and what toppings and alternatives you can use to save calories when losing weight.
the essentials in brief
- How healthy a roll or bread is depends on how much fiber it contains. Bread with a high fiber content keeps you fuller longer than bread made with wheat flour, so there is no chance of cravings.
- An average bun weighs 60 grams and has 145 calories. Most calorie tables, also on packaging, work with nutritional value tables that show a quantity of 100 grams in order to be able to compare products with each other.
- In addition to the calorie content, carbohydrates, fats and proteins as well as fiber are important nutritional information for health and a balanced diet that should not be ignored
Calories from rolls: what you should know
Buns, also known as bread rolls , are a main component of the German diet. However, rolls have a relatively large number of calories and carbohydrates, which is why they should not be part of a low-carb diet.
However, breakfast is also the most important meal of the day. Studies have shown that calories consumed in the morning can be used more efficiently than in the evening. This can result in better and faster weight loss. (2)
As an alternative, you can use protein rolls, which have an average of only 11 grams of carbohydrates per 100 grams, while other varieties have between 40 and 50 grams of carbohydrates per 100 grams. A high-protein diet boosts metabolism. (3) All values given are average values that cannot be applied to every roll.
What has fewer calories - rolls or bread?
There are different variants of rolls or bread. A light bun without a topping has an average of 145 calories. A slice of buttered toast (25g) contains 66 calories. If you calculate the amount at 60 grams, that makes 158 calories, more than a normal roll.
A slice of whole grain toast, on the other hand, has 49 calories and more nutrients. In addition to toast, there are also mixed products and wholemeal bread. In the trade, mixed breads are often provided with marketing names that say little about the quality of the goods.
Whole grain bread and rolls are very healthy.
The healthiest is therefore the classic whole grain roll. The term whole grain is protected by law. So it doesn't matter whether you eat bread or rolls, but how much fiber the products have.
Since bread has less volume overall, you automatically eat less of it than the roll, thus saving calories. Fiber can also help reduce the risk of diseases such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease. (4)
What types of rolls are there and how many calories do they have?
A wheat roll weighs about 60 grams and has 145 calories and a calorific value of 609 kJ. 100 grams of rolls have 249 calories. Wheat rolls are high in carbohydrates and low in fiber. Buns with grains and rye or wholemeal flour, on the other hand, have a higher proportion of fiber and thus keep you full for longer.
Croissants and Franzbrötchen alone have an average of 300 calories because they contain a lot of fat and sugar. The following table shows an overview of the different types of rolls and their calorie content and refers to 60 grams.
| type of bun | Calories (kcal) |
|---|---|
| wheat rolls | 145 |
| whole-grain bread rolls | 128 |
| rye bun | 188 |
| grain rolls | 180 |
| Pumpkin Seed Bun | 186 |
| pretzel roll | 205 |
| croissant | 306 |
| Franzbrötchen | 296 |
This information is only a guide to give you an overview. If you want to be sure how many calories the bun has, look at the nutritional information on the packaging or ask the bakery salesperson.
By the way, it doesn't necessarily have to be rolls from the bakery. There is now a huge selection of rolls to bake at home. A study of 23 types of pre-baked rolls by Stiftung Warentest has shown that most of the pre-baked rolls have a convincing taste. Some rolls were only rated "sufficient" in the evaluation because they were not so good in terms of browning, shape and crust and the ingredients. (5)
What are low calorie buns?
Flaxseed and wholegrain rye rolls are varieties that have less than 200 calories per 100 grams and are therefore very healthy compared to other varieties. Potato rolls are also low in calories at 204 calories per 100 grams.
Germans love bread rolls for breakfast. However, different varieties have a lot of calories. (Image source: PublicDomainImages / Unsplash)
But there are also alternatives to rolls with even fewer calories that you can eat for breakfast or dinner and are presented later in the article. Chia buns, for example, have a high proportion of omega 3 , which is important for blood circulation. Sweet potatoes or rice cakes can also be topped and eaten like rolls.
Which topping for rolls is low in calories?
You can also buy sandwiches from the bakery. (6) If you want to save calories, the choice of topping is also crucial. Make sure the bun isn't smeared with too much butter or tartar sauce.
When it comes to sausage, 50 grams of salami has twice as many calories as the same amount of beer ham. Ham or turkey breast have the fewest calories. In general, cold cuts have a high protein and fat content and few carbohydrates. Protein-containing foods should therefore be integrated into everyday life.
| Type of sausage (50g) | Calories (kcal) |
|---|---|
| salami | 180 |
| Parma ham | 125 |
| ham | 61 |
| beer ham | 90 |
| turkey breast | 47 |
When it comes to cheese, you can make sure that you choose a type with little fat. Many brands also have light versions where you can save a lot of calories. A slice of cheese has an average of 350 calories per 100 grams. A slice weighs around 25 to 40 grams.
With the fat calculator you can easily search for food and have the nutritional values of put together products displayed and calculated. There are also big differences in the calorie content of sweet spreads:
| Spread (25g) | Calories (kcal) |
|---|---|
| jelly | 59 |
| jam | 66.5 |
| Honey | 76.5 |
| Nut nougat cream | 136.8 |
Nut nougat creams are the frontrunners in terms of calorie content with 136.8 kcal per portion. If this spread is then spread on a croissant, you immediately have a calorie bomb. If you are the sweet type at breakfast, you should rather use jelly, jam or honey, which do not differ so much in calorie content.
Are Buns Healthy or Unhealthy?
With the right amount, rolls are healthy and contribute to a wholesome diet. The German Nutrition Society recommends consuming at least 30 grams of dietary fiber from whole grains, vegetables, legumes, and fruit daily.(7)
Buns also contain many vitamins, minerals and trace elements such as vitamin B1, B3 and B6, vitamin E, folic acid, iron and magnesium. The proportion is higher in wholemeal rolls than in light rolls. However, some people have an intolerance to gluten and therefore cannot tolerate rolls or bread. There are gluten-free varieties on the market that are made with buckwheat flour or corn flour.
What alternatives are there to bread rolls for breakfast or dinner?
Do you have a gluten intolerance and therefore cannot eat bread rolls? Or do you just want to try something other than bread rolls for breakfast or dinner to eat fewer calories? There are various alternatives that we have set up for you.
- Sweet Potato Toast : with a savory topping like herbed cream cheese, the snack is gluten-free and easy to make. All you have to do is slice a sweet potato and place the slices in the toaster.
- Rice waffles : You can make them sweet or savory and save a lot of calories with 30 calories for a waffle compared to the conventional bun.
- Purple Bread : It's a trend from Singapore, which is not yet available in Germany. The purple bread is made from a water-soluble plant dye and is high in vitamins and antioxidants that can protect the body from cancer.
In general, there are many other alternatives for breakfast, such as scrambled or fried eggs, muesli or porridge. Depending on the type, fruit or vegetables can also be added to vary the breakfast. Cucumbers, tomatoes or peppers are a special eye-catcher as a topping on a roll and add vitamins to the breakfast.
Conclusion
Bread rolls are not as unhealthy as some might think. You just have to pay attention to the selection and the quantity as well as the topping that comes on the roll. With a few little tricks you can easily save calories.
If you look at the tables with the nutritional values, you will quickly see which things you can combine well to get a balanced breakfast. There are also books that contain nutritional tables of many foods. In it, types of grain and types of flour can also be compared. (8th)
References
- BÄKO magazin editors: Popularity of bread from bakers in Germany. The Germans love their bread and their bakers, 2007. Source
- Ruddick-Collins LC, Johnston JD, Morgan PJ, Johnstone AM. The Big Breakfast Study: Chrono-nutrition influence on energy expenditure and bodyweight. Nutr Bull. 2018 Jun;43(2):174-183. doi: 10.1111/nbu.12323. Epub 2018 May 8. PMID: 29861661; PMCID: PMC5969247. Source
- Pesta DH, Samuel VT. A high-protein diet for reducing body fat: mechanisms and possible caveats. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2014;11(1):53. Published 2014 Nov 19. doi:10.1186/1743-7075-11-53 Source
- Ann Nutr Metab. Evidence-based guideline: Carbohydrate intake and prevention of selected diet-related diseases. 2011, (DOI: 10.1159/000335326) source
- T-Online.de: Stiftung Warentest complained about these pre-baked rolls. Claudia Zehrfeld, February 4th, 2021 Source
- EHI Retail Institute e. V. Bestseller sandwiches: EHI study on "Retail gastronomy in Germany 2020", October 2020. Source
- German Society for Nutrition eV Carbohydrates and roughage in nutrition, 08/31/2010. Source
- Elmadfa, I. et al. The large GU nutritional value-calorie table. 2013. ISBN 978-3833820403 Source
