Slice

Food · Grain · Food, Typed Supps

A proper treat. What changes between slices is mostly the fat and where it comes from.

Stage by stage

Intake (Layers soften and melt): The chocolate lid melts near body temperature; caramel and base break up easily.
Digestion (Fast, with nothing to slow it): Under 1g fibre per 100g means refined flour and sucrose are digested with no brake.
Absorption (Glucose fast, fat slower): Sucrose splits to glucose and fructose and absorbs quickly; fat follows on bile.
Over time (Saturated fat load): With repetition, the saturated fat fraction is what affects circulating LDL.

Time to effect

Under an hour: Blood glucose peaks roughly 30 to 60 minutes after eating.

Allergens

Contains: Gluten. May contain: Eggs, Milk, Peanuts, Soya, Tree nuts. Derived from what this food is, not from a product label.

Eating patterns

Fits: Vegan, Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Halal, Kosher. Depends on the product: Low-FODMAP.

Satiety

74 on the satiety index, where white bread is 100 — low. Modelled from the Holt et al. (1995) measurements.

Environmental footprint

1.6 kg CO2e and 648 litres of freshwater per kg, matched to "Wheat & rye" in Poore & Nemecek (2018), Science 360.

Cost band

Cheap — roughly £2.5 per kg, as a band midpoint rather than a price.

Key nutrients

Added sugar
Saturated fat

Nutrition per 100g

Calories: 444
Protein: 5.3g
Carbohydrate: 52.4g
of which sugars: 41.8g
Fat: 24.6g
of which saturated: 16.9g
Fibre: 0.8g
Sodium: 193mg

Food vs. supplement

Not applicable. The calcium and vitamin A in a caramel slice come genuinely from condensed milk and butter, but plain dairy supplies the same nutrients without 38g of added sugar per 100g.

Kitchen tip

Adding nuts to a brownie shifts part of the fat from saturated to unsaturated and adds magnesium and vitamin E. It changes the slice's fat profile, not its category.

Common myth

“Homemade slice is the healthier version.” In reality: Home baking usually means more butter and chocolate, not less — commercial versions are built to a cost and often carry less fat per gram. The honest difference is control over portion size, not a lighter recipe.