Texas Roadhouse is known for its down-home recipes and large portions, but many diners admit they only go for the iconic rolls.
While patrons dream about a bread basket hitting the table, health influencers claim the there is a sinister truth behind the gesture.
Health and Wellness coach Brendan Oxford warned that the pre-dinner bites are tricks to get diners to order more food.
That is because they are eating highly-processed, sugary bread that spike blood-glucose levels and send them crashing, making some people feel hungrier.
Oxford explained in a TikTok video that the Texas Roadhouse rolls are simple carbs that turn to sugar in your body, which raises your body’s blood sugar levels.
‘When your blood sugar goes up, your body secretes insulin to bring it back down,’ Oxford continued, noting the a main task of insulin is to regulate blood sugar.
That is true for diabetic patients, specifically those with type 1 who need insulin shots to regulate their glucose levels.
When you consume carbohydrates, such as bread, your body breaks them down into sugar, which moves into bloodstream and increases levels.
Texas Roadhouse’s bread rolls (pictured) turn to sugar in your body and when this goes up, your body’s insulin levels go up to try to regulate it and bring it back down
Texas Roadhouse says its rolls are baked fresh every five minutes, providing diners with an unlimited amount paired with special cinnamon butter.
Just one roll contains 227 calories, eight grams of fat and 28 grams of carbohydrates, which may not seem like much, but the numbers add up when you have two or more.
While the butter, made mostly of fat, should counteract the insulin spike, diners typically consume more bread than the spread.
Oxford explained that when you eat rolls before a meal, your body continues to crave more carbohydrates and you order dessert even after feasting on a Prime Rib and two side dishes.
Some people who commented on Oxford’s video said they have no problem ignoring the dessert menu or that they have filled up on rolls and took their meal home.
Andy Daly, a nutritional specialist at Omni Health and Wellness Center, echoed Oxford’s claims, telling Women&Home: ‘Eating bread, particularly refined white bread, can lead to a surge in insulin which followed by a crash can make you feel hungry again sooner.
‘It may also disrupt your appetite regulation, potentially leading to overeating during the main meal.’
Daly suggested that swapping out any white bread for multi-grain could avoid a supercharged appetite.
Health and food influencer, Brendan Oxford warned his followers to stay away from Texas Roadhouse’s bread rolls. He warned that they’re simple carbs that make you order more food
Daniel Amen, an American doctor who runs a mental health clinic, also shared how pre-meal items affect the brain and make it harder for people to control their urges.
He claimed that consuming bread releases serotonin into the brain, making you feel happier and calmer.
The chemical eventually drops, leaving people searching for that high – and they do so by filling their stomachs.
All white bread can act in this way and has been linked to becoming habit-forming and borderline addictive.
A 2013 study revealed that eating white bread stimulates the regions of the brain that are involved in reward and craving, which ‘is also linked to substance abuse and dependence,’ the study’s lead author Dr David Ludwig told The Sourdough School.
Research published in the journal Appetite found that people who ate white bread consumed 500 more calories at their next meal.
It’s important to note that everything in moderation is okay, according to Julie Jones, a professor emeritus of food and nutrition at St. Catherine University.
‘Carbs aren’t the enemy,’ she told The Washington Post, adding: ‘Overconsumption, of anything, is the enemy.’
