How to choose the best healthy bread
The wall of bread in your grocery store can be daunting. There seem to be more and more healthy ones to choose from – you’ll see labels like “multigrain,” “made with whole wheat,” “grains and seeds” and more.
To help decipher the labels to make a healthy choice, look for whole grains listed first on the ingredient list. A whole grain has all three parts it was grown with – the bran, the germ and the endosperm – and is more nutritious than a refined grain, which doesn’t include the two outer layers. Whole grains are high in fiber, which generally makes you feel fuller.
More good news: Whole grains are linked to a lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers and other health problems.
However, labels can be confusing. For instance, breads labelled “multigrain” or “12 grain” can contain a mix of grains, and even white flour. Breads labelled “100 per cent whole grain” or “100 per cent whole wheat” won’t have other flours, like white, mixed in.
Fewer than half of the breads that Consumer Reports looked at that were labeled multigrain, oat, or made with whole grain actually contained only whole grains.
In addition to a high proportion of whole grains, Consumer Reports experts say the best healthy breads have minimal additives, two or three grams of fibre per slice, less than 150 milligrams of sodium, and two grams of added sugars or less.
Nuts and seeds are an added bonus in bread. They add flavor, crunch, healthy fats and fibre.
Here are some breads that Consumer Reports raised a toast to:
365 Whole Foods Market Organic Ancient Grains will upgrade your sandwich. It has 16 grams of whole grains in a slice, and is low in added sugars and sodium.
A slice of Dave’s Killer Bread Organic Powerseed has more than a serving of whole grains, with 19 grams. Spread it with peanut butter for a protein-packed snack.
For anyone wondering whether homemade bread is healthier, the answer is that it certainly can be. Consumer Reports points out that with homemade you can avoid extra sugars and additives and look for a recipe created specifically for whole-grain flour.
Files from Consumer Reports
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Saskatchewan households will continue to receive carbon tax rebate: Trudeau
Households in Saskatchewan will continue to receive Canada Carbon Rebate payments, despite the province refusing to remit natural gas levies to the federal government, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday.
'It's just so hard to let it go': Umar Zameer still haunted by death of Toronto police officer
'We hoped for this day, but we were scared that it would not never ever come because it took so long.' That’s what Umar Zameer, the man recently acquitted in the death of a Toronto police officer, told CTV News Toronto in a sit-down interview on Tuesday.
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko won't play in Game 2
The Vancouver Canucks will be without all-star goalie Thatcher Demko when they face the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
Pedestrian, baby injured after stroller struck and dragged by vehicle in Squamish, B.C.
Police say a baby and a pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a vehicle struck a baby stroller and dragged it for two blocks before stopping in Squamish, B.C.
North Bay doctor accused of assaulting patient, threatening another
A North Bay doctor is facing charges after allegedly assaulting a patient with a weapon and threatening another person at the hospital, police say.