by erin thursby scopes1925@msn.com
Navigating the bread section when you’re looking for healthy choices can be like navigating a reef harbor without a map. Luckily, I’m here to give you the map to finding the healthier stuff.
First, you’ll want to look for whole wheat bread. Whole wheat is more complex than white wheat and will take longer to digest and break down into simple sugars. That means your sugar levels stay steadier and you won’t crave food again as quickly.
Sugar is one of the enemies you’ll need to watch for on the ingredient label. High fructose corn syrup (which is always a bad idea) should be avoided if at all possible. Fiber, though, is your friend, and whole grains have plenty of it. Whole grains are linked with a lower risk of diabetes, digestive and breast cancers, as well as heart disease. Complex grains and fiber also lowers your cholesterol.
Whole wheat includes the germ, endosperm and the bran. Whole grains rich in several trace elements, including iron, copper, zinc, magnesium, and selenium, as well as B vitamins and various minerals. Whole wheat and barley are particularly loaded in vitamin E. Makers of white flour, white rice and pearled barley remove the germ and bran, leaving only the endosperm, the least nutrient rich of the three. The calories offered in white bread are so empty of any significant nutrients that they must add back nutrients artificially. Even though they add these back, it still contains less than the natural whole grain bread.
Here are a few tips to get you started:
Be label conscious. Healthy looking foods fly off the shelves. Advertisers know this and package accordingly. The back ingredient and nutrition labels will tell the truer story. Nothing is more important than getting in the habit of reading labels.
Seemingly healthier tortillas and wraps can contain more fat. Look for bread that have 1-2 grams of fat, and zero grams of saturated fat.
Look for 3 to 5 grams per serving of bread.
Be careful though. Something can be made with whole wheat or whole grains and be the last ingredient on the list.
I know I picture an old fashioned mill in a quaint village when I read the words “stone-ground flour.” But stone ground can be fairly close to regular wheat flour, unless it says whole wheat on the back label.
Look at the label. You can have lots of grains in a bread, but if unbromated unbleached enriched wheat flour is the very first ingredient, then you’ll want to skip it.
You won’t find nutritional info on back bread at Publix, but you will find an ingredient list. Make sure whole wheat flour is the first ingredient.
Just because a bread is dark doesn’t mean it isn’t made of processed food. European ryes tend to actually be made of whole-grain rye, but again, always check the back label.
People expect sweetness with oats since it’s nearly always paired with sugar in popular pre-packaged breakfast meals. Since sweetness is expected, manufacturers tend to put more sugars in, so be wary.
There’s nothing like honey 7-grain sunflower nut bread. It sounds healthy, but multi-grain nut breads are often packed with more fat and calories than other types of bread. Plus, if it’s sweetened with honey or other simple sugars, that’s going to raise your gyclemic index.
If you want to shave calories and you regularly make sandwiches, why not go for a thinner version of what you already eat?
Don’t pick up a different variety of bread within a “trusted” brand without taking a back label look-see.
Pita pockets have less stuff to them because they’re thinner than standard sandwich bread. Plus, most don’t have the fat content of tortillas.
Arnold Bakery Light 100% Whole Wheat Bread.
Pepperidge Farm Jewish Seeded Rye
Thomas’ Sahara Whole Wheat Pita Pocket
Pepperidge Farm Classic Whole Wheat Hamburger Bun
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