My girlfriend has read in a magazine that bread can help you lose weight. Is this true?
Jason Mills, by email

Unfortunately no food has the ability to cause weight loss. While bread is not a particularly fattening food (an average slice of white has only around 65 calories), if you eat too much of it you could find yourself consuming excess calories. And that, of course, is what weight gain always comes down to – eating more calories than you’re burning off.

Wholemeal bread is slightly lower in calories because it contains more fibre, and this also makes it more filling so you won’t feel like eating as much. But it’s what you put on your bread that makes a massive difference. Jam adds 52 calories, thickly spread butter adds 75, peanut butter adds 90 and melted cheddar adds 105, but Marmite adds only four.