What To Look For When Buying Store Bought Bread

This is a topic i’ve been unclear on for some time. I needed to dive in to find out what ingredients we should be looking for and which ingredients we should avoid when buying store bought bread.

We all buy it! How could it be so unclear what our best options are? Is whole grain, whole wheat, multi gran, wheat, white, or sough dough healthiest?! I think you might be surprised by what I found…

Before I go any further, I’ve got to say the healthiest bread we can eat is homemade or one from your local artisan bread maker (Pittsburgher’s check out Five Points in Squirrel Hill).

BUT GIRL PLEASE.

That’s not what we’re here for… i’ll bring out a Sunday meal prep bread recipe another time.

We’re here to address what to look for and what to avoid when shopping for bread at your local grocery store.

Your typical “health bread” will most likely be labeled Wheat, Multigrain, Whole Grain, Sprouted, or Gluten Free.

So… what’s the best? Let’s break it down (in order from best to worst):

1. Long Fermented Sourdough

   Sourdough is quite possibly the oldest form of bread leavening – why do we stray from these great classics?! Ancient everything seems to be more healthy. Anyway, sourdough relies on a mix of wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria that are naturally present in flour, rather than baker’s yeast, to leaven the dough. It’s fermented over days, so sourdough bread contains lower amounts of gluten and its prebiotic- and probiotic-like properties may help improve digestion (i’m about that life). The fermentation process may even aid in better blood sugar control and improved insulin sensitivity. Not only does it aid in gut health but it is actually more nutritious than most other breads because it has higher levels of folate and antioxidants and it lowers phytate levels which allow your body to absorb nutrients more effectively.

   • Buying Guide: Buying sourdough bread from an artisan baker or a farmer’s market increases the likelihood of it being “true” sourdough bread. Keep in mind, sourdough bread can be made from any type of flour, so opt for a whole grain variety.

2. Sprouted

   
   Sprouted breads typically contain the entire grain after they have been germinated. This bread contains loads of grains, sometimes legumes, barley, oats, etc. and packs the benefits of whole grain bread with its inherent “whole grains” which is a key to a balanced diet.  Some say sprouted is easier to digest than plain wheat bread but that comes down to trial and error for you, folks!

   • Buying Guide: Find these in the refrigerated or frozen food section.  Ezekial 4:9 or Dave’s Killer Bread (i’m just not a fan of the sugar this packs nor do I love canola oil if you’re eating everyday but people really like this brand).

3. Whole-Grain

   
   Whole-grain typically just means there is a combination of wheat and other grains, like barley, rye, or spelt in the bread. Whole grains are your friend, unless, that is, you can’t digest them, in which case you should be looking for a gluten-free options cuz you’re special & can find your way to the very bottom of this post.

4. Whole-Wheat

   
   A kernel of wheat contains three parts: the germ, endosperm, and bran. Whole-wheat is made from flour that contains all three. Many commercially produced whole-wheat breads, however, are made with flour that has separated the three elements of the bread, ground up, and then mashed back together – stripping a lot of nutrition from the bread. “Single-steam milled” or “stone-ground” are good indicators the grain wasn’t separated when ground.

   • Buying Guide: Bob’s Red Mill keeps the whole grain intact

5. Multi-Grain

   
   This one sounds healthy, but it’s often just smoke and mirrors. Multi-grain is typically not the best choice and not an actual whole-grain product. Unless the word “whole” is on the label, there’s no guarantee that the grain contains all of its components. “Multi-grain” just means there’s more than one type of grain (so, for example, non-whole-wheat and corn).

6. Wheat

   
   “Wheat” can take the form of a  gorgeous, crusty sourdough loaf at your local bakery… but at the grocery store, it is most likely highly processed, squishy, pre-sliced, reduced-calorie, preservative-packed bread. If something simply says ‘wheat,’ it is an enriched product that has been stripped of beneficial nutrients. Some nutrients are added back but it is not the same as a whole-grain product. Just don’t do it…

 

Fast Five

Ingredients to look for and those to avoid at the grocery store if your bread isn’t on my list:

YES

1. Real Certified Organic Ingredients (The wheat that is used to make most bread is heavily sprayed with pesticides and by choosing certified organic products you will avoid exposure to GMOs.
2. Fiber: You want at least 2 grams per serving—ideally 3-4
3. Whole Grains (in variety)
4. Non-GMO label (GMO’s are heavily sprayed with pesticides and those that don’t use GMO’s usually label it so)
5. Ingredients you can pronounce!

NO

1. Sugar (ahhh sugar is everywhere. I try to avoid any single serving over 4 grams but any added sugar really turns me off… i’ll put that ON my bread where I can taste it… thank you very much)
2. Hydrogenated Oil (aka trans fat)
3. Sodium over 150mg per piece
4. Preservatives (if you can’t pronounce it, it’s probably a preservative)
5. Dough Conditioners (used to manipulate fat to make bread rise faster and linked to many health issues – you probably won’t be able to pronounce these either)

Bonus Info: Gluten

It’s becoming clear that modern wheat is not the best option for many people because of what big food has done to its nutritional content. More and more people are reducing their gluten intake for this reason. Gluten is also an inflammatory ingredient so even if you don’t have celiac, many people feel a degree of intolerance to the ingredient or just avoid it for preventative health measures.

If you’re looking to reduce your gluten intake but don’t have an extreme sensitivity, I suggest sourdough. It’s levels are gluten are typically lower and the baking process actually ferments the bread while it’s rising over a few day period — added gut health factor!

Buying Guide: Manna makes a good gluten-free bread with brown rice, sorghum, millet, amaranth, quinoa and chia seeds. Keep in mind, almost all gluten-free breads contain added sugar in the form of honey, molasses, agave nectar or evaporated cane juice so gluten free isn’t always healthier unless you’ve got an intolerance or health reason for laying off gluten. Want to avoid this? Make it yourself!

 

I hope this was helpful! I learned a lot doing this research so I hope you can pull some nuggets from here as well to help make better buying decisions next time you’re out for your weekly grocery haul!

Enjoy in good health!

xx, Jess

 

Sources:

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/sourdough-bread#section4

htmlhttps://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/gluten-free-bread-everything-you-need-to-know

https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/ingredients/article/healthiest-supermarket-bread

https://foodbabe.com/healthiest-bread-on-the-market/