5. Sneaky labelling terms
It’s easy to get duped by labelling terms that appear healthy. You should watch out for:
- Wheat flour
- Unbleached wheat flour
- Enriched white flour
- Enriched wheat flour
- Stone-ground wheat flour
- Multi grain
- 5 or 7 grains
- 100% wheat flour
- Bran
Be assured, these terms do not guarantee the presence of healthier ingredients. They are sometimes merely a deceitful way of saying ‘refined white flour.’
For example, bread could be labelled ‘wheat bread,’ which is simply a combination of white refined flour and whole wheat flour.
Always look for the key word: WHOLE!
6. Watch out for unhealthy fats
You should also watch out for unhealthy oils which are sometimes using in making breads. Check for terms such as:
- Hydrogenated vegetable oil
- Trans fats
- Partially hydrogenated oils
- Vegetable oil shortening
While some fat is necessary in our diet, these fats are unhealthy. They can lead to raised blood cholesterol levels, increasing the risk of heart disease.
7. More nastiness to be aware of…
Check your nutritional label for unnecessary extras, such as:
- High fructose corn syrup
- Honey
- Or a high sugar content
- Caramel colouring
8. How to choose a healthy bread…
Go for varieties containing:
- Whole wheat or whole grain as the first ingredient
- 100 calories, or less per slice
- 3 grams of fibre, or more per slice
- 225 mg of sodium, or less per slice
- Avoid those that have ’enriched flour’ as an ingredient
- A shorter list of ingredients
If you have time to bake your own bread, obviously that would be the best option.
This allows you to select the ingredients carefully, and the finished product would be free from nasty preservatives, or other unnecessary ingredients.
Do you have a favourite never-fail healthy bread recipe?
Note: I’ve also written another 10 Ways to Eat More Healthy Bread that’s worth a look.
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{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
This was a great article. You’re right. Finding truly healthy bread is a challenge. I’m going to try to start baking my own bread.
Hey Lorie,
Nice to hear from you again. If you find a good recipe I’d love to hear about it!!
It depends on how the bread is made, too. A soft-and-fluffy wholemeal/ whole wheat bread made from finely-ground flour is going to get that starch digested into sugar much more quickly than a denser loaf made from coarsely-ground flour. And blood-sugar spikes lead to carb cravings later on.
I’ve been using a bread machine for years. I’m about to pop in a new pumpernickel recipe and hope for the best.
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I usually go for WASA bread. It’s a whole grain bread with lot’s of fiber.
Hey Mel, thanks so much for sharing this incredibly helpful/useful content with us. I’ve definitely been duped in the past with phrases like ‘wheat flour’ and ‘wheat bread’. But more recently we’ve been keeping our eyes out for ‘whole wheat’ and higher fiber contents.
I’ll have to send a link of this list to my wife so she’ll have an even better understanding of what things to look for. She’ll greatly appreciate it, I’m sure.
Eric.
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Hey Family nutritionist,
Hope the pumpernickel bread turned out well!!
Hi Matt,
Is WASA the brand of bread? I don’t think we get it here.
Hey Eric,
You’re more than welcome! I’m glad it was useful info, I also know how confusing it can get sometimes!
Great information. So many people still don’t know these facts.
Most type 2 diabetes thing all bread is bad, but not so. The whole grains are a healthy addition.
Thanks
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The problem with pumpernickel is it doesn’t rise the same as other breads. The dough is gooier. So I don’t have the water/yeast thing straight just yet. I’m getting closer. But I only make the bread once a week, so it takes a while.
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Hi James,
Yes, you’re right – in actual fact people in general believe bread is bad, it’s difficult to undo all the misinformation about carbs, it’s treated as fact that they are the enemy!! But, it’s more about moderation, isn’t it?
Hey Family nutritionist,
I hope you can get the recipe perfected!!! I’d love to try it out if you do
Great info, Melanie! While I’ve been avoiding bread altogether the last couple of weeks, when I do eat bread I prefer Ezekiel sprouted grain breads — they seem denser and even healthier than regular whole grain bread. What are your thoughts on sprouted grain breads?
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Hey Leo,
I’m certainly not against bread, but I have been cutting back myself lately, it just so difficult to find the right product.
I think the sprouted grain breads are wonderful, but I haven’t had the opportunity to try Ezekiel bread, since they don’t stock it in Australia.
Anyhow, if you’re going to eat bread at all, I think this is a great choice in terms of whole grains. The other thing I like about Ezekiel bread is the short ingredients list – a list as long as your arm is not a good sign!
I’m wondering why there are only 3 grams of fibre per slice – still good – but I did think there would be more.
Do you find one slice of this bread is as filling as 2 slices of ‘normal’ bread?
I have been buying Big Sky Bread recently. It has 5 ingredients, “FIVE”. And nothing I can’t pronounce, or sounds like it comes from the periodic table. The cinnamon raisin bread is incredible, but it does contain some honey- but that doesn’t bother me personally. As a side note, they also make an incredible granola, not in a box in the packaged section, in the bakery section bagged. However, all of their stuff has a shorter shelf life than preservative laden goods, so only buy as much as you will eat before your next grocery trip. If anyone can say if there is anything wrong with Big Sky Bread, please let me know.
Hello Melanie,
this is a great article, so beneficial as am always lost when it come to bread! BUt still have a question: What is the difference of whole wheat and whole grain! you’ve mentioned it in the article but still unclear to me:”Often when you see a product labelled ‘whole wheat,’ it means that the bread is 100% wheat flour, but not necessarily 100% whole grain flour”. What are the grain in a bread other than the wheat? and which one is better the whole grain or whole wheat?
-Do i have to buy the 100% whole wheat (grain) bread ONLY?
or its ok if 100% is not there?
Thank you
What about the HONEY in the bread? why its considered among the NASTIES?
Hi Nadine–I’m sure you’ve got this by now—but Honey is barely better than sugar—UNLESS–it’s RAW honey—which is a great–Health food!! BYE…
Is Natures Own a Healthy brand 100% whole grain? Can anyone recommend some actual bread brands?
Hi Melanie,
I am gald to get that article from you which i am looking for long to find out which bread is healthy option.
I am going to use this information form next shopping.
Many thanks for article.
Hey Arjun,
I’m glad you found this article. I hope it helps. Let me know if you’ve any further queries.
“–product has not been refined, therefore nutrients are still in tack.”
Did you mean intact ?
JK,
Yes, I did. Thank you for pointing that out. I’ve update it now with the correct spelling
Can you list some brand names please? Thanks for the information.
Hi Suellyn,
Are you living in the US? It’s difficult to list brand names to suit everyone, but perhaps I can list a few.
Pepperidge Farm whole grain – 15 grain hearty texture bread. Is this a good choice?
Hi Melissa,
I’m not familiar with the brand, but had a quick look online.
It seems to be a very good choice since it contains 100% whole wheat flour, no trans fats or high fructose corn syrup, 4g fibre per slice, etc.
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