Calories in Whole Wheat Bagel

Bagels are supposed to be a healthier replacement choice for the donut. But even the bagel has hidden evils, especially with calorie content levels. Fortunately there’s a better variation, so you can still have your bagels but cut down on the calories. Read more to learn about the whole wheat bagel and its nutritional value

Everything has a flip side. Salt has pepper. Black has white. And for the donut, there’s a bagel. While donuts are sweet and make for excellent desserts, bagels are a savory version, yeast raised with a glossy sheen on its crust. They are chewy and soft and ideal on-the-go snacks. A bagel makes for a filling breakfast with some eggs and coffee, a good accompaniment for your lunch and a great pre-dinner appetizer. And while donuts have sweet and sugary toppings, bagels can be topped with seeds or cream cheese or scrambled eggs or tomatoes… the bagel topping options are infinite!

But some baked goods can be storehouses of fats and calories, which we tend to wolf down in horrific amounts to satiate our hunger conveniently. Two such prime examples are bagels and donuts. It’s easier to pop a bagel in the microwave, spread some cream cheese on it and eat it on the run, than actually whipping up some eggs and toast. And the tendency to hog is more in the case of a bagel. Eating one or two bagels a day can quickly and unknowingly turn into 5 or 6 bagels a day. So the ideal way to get your daily bagel fix and stay fit, is to opt for a healthier bagel option. Enter the whole wheat bagel! In this article, take an in-depth look at this type of bagel with an analysis of the calories in whole wheat bagel.

Whole Wheat Bagel

Before delving into bagels, let’s take a quick look at whole wheat and grains in general. Regular bread and pastas are made from refined and processed grains, where important nutrients like bran and germ are removed. Whole grains have the entire grain (bran, germ and endosperm), making them more nutritious and healthy for long-term consumption. Disorders like heart disease, type II diabetes and hypertension can be avoided with substitution of whole grains for regular grains, in an individual’s diet. Whole grains are great for weight management, as they have high protein levels and make a person feel fuller faster. They also contain more fiber and minerals as compared to refined grains. With whole grain products, you get the whole health package. Some examples of such whole grains are rye, corn, brown rice, oats, wheat and millet. Whole wheat is a type of whole grain used to make whole wheat flour, bread and pasta. Among its products are bagels. You can even bake your own batch of whole wheat bagels using whole wheat pastry flour, instead of regular flour.

Calorie Count of a Whole Wheat Bagel

So what’s the real difference between a regular bagel and a whole wheat version? Let’s start with calories. The calorie count in regular bagels is really high, making them a real no-no for weight watching. Also, you tend to hog more with bagels, so the calories keep adding up. Just one bagel never seems enough. The table below shows how many calories in whole wheat bagel are present as compared to a regular bagel.

* The above nutritional values are as per the official manufacturer’s specifications

From the above comparison, it’s clear that whole wheat is a healthier option calorie-wise. A plain bagel has at least 300 – 350 calories, without toppings. And flavored bagels like blueberry, cinnamon-raisin, etc. along with different bagel sizes raise the calorie count even more. Toppings like cream cheese, ham, sausages and eggs add even more junk to an already unhealthy food. So whole wheat bagels have less calories. Plus their fiber content fills up your stomach, so you won’t feel like eating more than 1 bagel, hence avoiding over-eating. Plus to get the maximum benefit and still have a topping, choose reduced or low-fat cream cheese or cottage cheese as toppings. You can even try hummus.

It’s not enough to know the amount of calories in whole wheat bagel, one must correctly identify whether a product is truly whole grain or not. Confusing and twisted advertising can fool a consumer into thinking that a certain product is whole grain. Terms like “enriched” or “wheat flour” and the addition of brown food coloring are common gimmicks. The key here is to read the ingredients list. “One hundred percent whole-wheat” is a clean and clear term denoting the true grain content of the bagel. 2 brands that specialize in ready-to-eat whole wheat bagels are Thomas and Pepperidge Farm. Substitute your regular bagel with a whole wheat one, for a healthier and better snacking option for your body.