Today’s world food is getting more and more processed causing lots of health issues like heart disease, diabetes, kidney & liver disease, inflammation and the list goes on. Let’s learn about the healthy breads and what to look for on labels!
There are so many different verities of breads on the market shelf these days and it can be very difficult to find what bread is the healthiest to buy especially when the ingredients labels are packed with ingredients that you struggle to pronounce. I want to help you discover the healthiest breads to feed your family, what to consider when purchasing breads, and what types of breads to avoid!
One of the top foods consumed in the American diet is bread. I personally LOVE bread; my kids love bread we have it almost every day. It is something that most families cannot avoid.
Bread unfortunately has gotten a bad reputation in the diet world. Bread has been betrayed as the cause of everything from inflammation to diabetes, to digestion issues, certain types of cancer and the list goes on. The truth is, most breads are usually processed, high in sugars, high in carbohydrates, high in salt, unhealthy fats, chemicals and additives which does in fact cause all these health issues.
Most breads also have a low nutrient density. Processed foods tend to have low essential nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and fiber compared to whole foods.
Most breads have added chemicals and additives to make it last on the shelf longer, to improve taste and to richen the color.
So How to Choose the Healthiest Breads?
Look for these characteristics in breads:
- Sprouted Grains (Sprouted wheat or other whole grain products. This should be the first thing that you look for.)
- No Added Sugars or sweeteners. On the ingredients list it should have less than 2G of sugar per slice. I love breads that are sweetened with honey. That is a natural flavor!
- No high-fructose corn syrup
- Try to find healthy fats and healthy oils such as olive oil or avocado oil.
- At least 2G of fiber per serving
- 100 Calories per slice
- NO INGREDIENTS YOU CANNOT PRONOUNCE!
- ORGANIC
- Some breads have added flax seed, chia seeds etc. These are great for some extra omegas, fatty acids and fiber.
Ingredients List to AVOID When Purchasing Bread
- Anything with “enriched”, “bleached” or “unbleached” as part of the FIRST ingredient.
- Enriched wheat essentially means white flour.
- Wheat or even 100% whole wheat breads sometimes will have this as an ingredient but in reality, they are made with very highly processed and refined ingredients.
- Anything with less than 2G fiber per serving
- Anything with dried fruits on the packaging.
- Dough conditioners such as
- azodicarbonamide, DATEM, monoglycerides, diglycerides, sodium stearoyl lactylate, guar gum, any type of acids (such as ascorbic acid, fumaric acid etc.) These are just chemicals that are added to the bread. THIS IS NOT REAL FOOD!
- GMO ingredients such as soybean oil and corn oil.
- Preservatives such as
- calcium propionate or stabilizers like maltodextrin these are just chemicals or preservatives to make the bread last longer on the shelves.
- Added sugars. A healthy type of sweetener is cane sugar, honey or maple syrup. If they have anything over 2G of added sugar per slice it is unnecessary.
- WATCH OUT FOR HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP of any kind. This is an artificial sweetener that likes to be added to breads.
- Artificial flavors and coloring such as:
- Caramel coloring is often added to make the bread seem browner.
Brands I love
- Ezekiel Sprouted Grain Bread
- Manna Organics
- Dave’s Killer Bread
- Homemade Bread
- Homemade Sourdough Bread
How Do I make Homemade Bread
I honestly was SO OVERWHELMED by making my own bread. Then I purchased a bread machine (I will link it here!). It has changed the game for me. I simply dump all 5 ingredients into the bread pan and press start and in 3 hours I have homemade bread. It truly is so simple. The pricing up front to a bread machine is expensive, however once you start making HOMEMADE BREAD the pricing per loaf comes out to $1.00 per loaf AND it is much cleaner, wholesome, and nutrient dense then the store bough bread.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 Cup Water
- 2 Tbsp Butter
- 3 Tbsp Honey
- 1 Tsp Salt
- 3 Cups Flour
- 2 Tsp Yeast
Instructions:
- Dump all the ingredients into the bread machine. Make sure the settings is on setting 1 and press start!
- In 3 hours, you have bread!
How do I make Sourdough Bread?
I am just starting to get into making sourdough sandwich bread for my family. If you are not sure on what sourdough is check Little Spoon Farm blog post linked here!
I love the clever simple bread recipe. I’ll link that here!
Equipment
What is your favorite processed foods?
What is something you and your family eat a lot of? Let me help you find a healthier alternative to feed your family!
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