by ADMIN on SEPTEMBER 14, 2012
There’s an entire aisle devoted to bread. Looking down it all you see are loaves upon loaves stacked high, looming over you.
By the time you stop your head from spinning from the overwhelming amount of choices, you simply make up your mind to just pick one up, dump it in the cart, and move on. How the heck are you supposed to choose one that’s healthy? Where do you even start?!
Here are some tips to help you feel in control of the bread aisle!
1. Whole Grain. Don’t be fooled by sneaky packaging and whole-grain claims. Look for “100% whole wheat” or “100% whole grain”. That’s when you’ll know that there won’t be any refined white flours, which can be called ‘enriched wheat flour’, ‘unbleached wheat flour’, or just ‘wheat flour’. Also be sure that the bread has at least 3 grams of fiber per slice.
Ignore claims on the bread that say “Made with whole grain,” “12 grain,” “multigrain,” “wheat,” “good source of whole grain” — these are typically used if the company is trying to fool you into buying bread that doesn’t have a lot of whole grain or fiber.
2. Calories. Bread loaves are getting bigger and bigger, just like meals in restaurants. In fact, some slices of bread can have as many as 250 calories! Yes – that’s for one slice. Look for bread that has around 100 calories per slice. Some of the light breads have around 50-60 calories per slice – these are fine to get as long as they’re 100% whole wheat.
3. Sodium. Did you know that both cereal and bread can be hidden sources of sodium? In fact, some slices contain the same amount of sodium that’s found in 1 serving of chips, about 220mg! That’s 30% of what you should be getting in a day. Look for bread that has less than 120mg.
4. Added Sugar. A little bit of honey or other sweetener in your bread is OK – but beware of the breads that add more than 1 type of sugar! If you see a sprinkling of added sugars such as: cane juice, raisin juice, honey, molasses, sugar, beet sugar/juice, brown rice syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, or other sweeteners – look for another loaf. Choose a bread with no more than 1-3 grams of added sugars.
Good Choices:
Regular Breads
Trader Joe’s Sodium Free Whole Wheat
Pepperidge Farm Stone Ground 100% Whole Wheat
Nature’s Own 100% Whole Wheat made with Real Honey
Nature’s Pride 100% Whole Wheat
Sara Lee 100% Whole Wheat
Wonder Soft 100% Whole Wheat
Natural Oven Whole Grain Multi Grain or Whole Grain Sunny Millet
Arnold or Oroweat Soft Family 100% Whole Wheat
Sara Lee Soft and Smooth 100% Whole Wheat
Sara Lee Hearty and Delicious 100% Whole Wheat
Light or Low Calorie Breads
Pepperidge Farm Very Thin 100% Whole Wheat
Fiber One 50 Calories – Honey Whole Wheat or Multigrain
Natural Ovens Whole Grain Right Wheat
Arnold Bakery Light 100% Whole WHeat
Nature’s Own 100% Whole Wheat
Wonder Smartwheat 100% Whole Wheat
Gluten Free Breads
Udi’s Millet-Chia or Omega Flax & Fiber
Udi’s Whole Grain