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By Monica Reinagel, MS, LD/N, October 16, 2010

Q. I've read that toasting bread can reduce the amount of carbohydrates it contains. Is that true?

A. When you toast bread, a couple of things happen.  Some of the water in the bread evaporates, making the bread dryer and a bit lighter.  Also, carbohydrate molecules on the surface of the bread undergo a chemical reaction with proteins that causes the food to turn brown.

That reaction--called the Maillard reaction--doesn't significantly change the nutritional value of the carbohydrates. It can, however, reduce the digestibility and quality of proteins. Seeing as toast probably isn't your primary source of dietary protein, this is probably not a big issue.

There is one other thing to take into consideration, however. Toasting bread also creates a compound called acrylamide.  Although acrylamide can be toxic in large amounts, there's no evidence that the amount of acrylamide you would typically get from food is a problem.  Nonetheless, if you're concerned about acrylamide, you might want to set the toaster on "light."  (For more on acrylamide in foods, see this episode of the Nutrition Diva podcast.)

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By Monica Reinagel, MS, LD/N, October 16, 2010

Just came across an interesting study mentioned in the September issue of Self Magazine. Apparently, the mental boost you feel from caffeine is at least partially in your head!

Researchers gave sleepy subjects a cup of either regular or decaffeinated coffee and then tested their alertness.  Not surprisingly, those who got the decaf reported feeling no more alert afterward than before. But get this:  When they gave subjects caffeinated coffee but told them it was decaf, the subjects got no benefit. It only helped when they knew it was caffeinated.

Unfortunately, it didn't work the other way around. Subjects who were given decaf but told it was caffeinated didn't feel any more alert.

Go figure!