choosing a healthy bread

I got tired of paying too much for healthy bread, so I bought a mini bread machine, several glass canisters for storing flour and other necessary ingredients and we have not bought a loaf for over a year now. We usually have parts of 3 loaves at any one time including 2 that are 100% whole grain.

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With gluten free bread I have tried a lot of brands. I've come to the decision that All but Gluten Free is my favorite but our store doesn't carry it anymore. So tried Franz's Bread is good second choice! Dang that gluten intolerance!

Killer Dave's thin sliced whole grain bread.

Total SparkPoints: 308,110

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SparkPoints Level 24

@HAWKTHREE

Not to speak for RUTHLILLYCAT, but many of us who are in to sourdough (levain) breads have seen some of the research and discussion about whether using a natural leavening with both yeast and bacteria (and the longer fermentation time required for this process) could make a gluten-containing wheat bread non-toxic for coeliacs, or for those with non-coeliac gluten sensitivity.

Here are a couple of articles that should give you a rough idea of the topic:
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/mar/
23/sourdough-bread-gluten-intolerance-
food-health-celiac-disease
www.celiac.com/articles.html/gluten-free-c
ooking/is-sourdough-the-future-of-glut
en-free-bread-r2604/

My understanding of current findings is that naturally leavened wheat breads in which the gluten proteins have been FULLY hydrolized during the fermentation process have been found to be non-toxic for the coeliac patients who volunteered for the studies. However, if ANY of the gluten proteins had not been hydrolized during the process, then the final bread would still be toxic. At this point in time, there is no way that a home baker could possibly guarantee full hydrolization of the gluten, and it would be prohibitively expensive for a commercial baker to be able to assure this.

With that said, the long fermentation process and addition of bacterial break-down of proteins in the grains have been shown to be sufficient for many people with gluten sensitivity to be able to enjoy bread containing gluten grains (wheat, rye, barley). At this time, science doesn't have an answer for what the reason is, but suspect that the partial hydrolization of gluten is part of the answer, along with the coincidental lowering of FODMAPs in the grains because of the same process.

Another thing that has been noted is that the introduction of lactobacillus and other "sourdough" bacteria can help to speed healing in the gut for recovering coeliacs and those with gluten sensitivity. With that in mind, some recommend the introduction of gluten-free naturally leavened breads in to the diet at the beginning of the healing process.

Personally, I have no issues with gluten, but do find that my own sourdough breads have no impact on my IBS symptoms, whereas commercial-yeast loaves will bother me (especially if I go several days in a row having bread). Since my kitchen is nowhere near gluten-free enough to be safe for coeliacs, I wouldn't bake for them - but I did make and do maintain a gluten-free oat starter and make sourdough loaves with all gluten-free ingredients for those in my family who prefer to refrain from gluten occasionally.

Since it is the gluten proteins which create the structure for the rise of a loaf of bread, I have to question whether the attempt to fully hydrolize these proteins would give you an end product with a texture and flavour that would be worth the time and effort, especially since there is already a very satisfactory alternative using naturally gluten-free grains. It is certainly an interesting line of research, though!

@RUTHLILYCAT

I was interested in your posting about levain bread since it was once I never heard of. I had to google why "levain bread is fine for those that are gluten-free, but def not okay for those that have celiac" but could find anything obvious other than it's a sourdough starter and it's gluten-free, but the bread made from it may not be.

Is that it?

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I eat Nature's Own 100% Wheat Bread

current weight: 169.6

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Gluten intolerance so I use gluten free bread. Yummy!

Edited by: TBRYAN-LU at: 3/20/2018 (16:18)

I love our Ukrainian local bakery. It is organic and they have the best rye bread.

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This is one of the few box breads I actually like, I always get a bit upset when they don't have it at the store.

current weight: 156.0

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If you can find a Russian store, they usually have great whole wheat and rye bread options without added sugar. Usually the ingredients are just the flour, water, salt, and either yeast or sour dough starter. Most breads at the regular grocery store insist on putting some kind of sweetening agent in whole wheat bread, which is really annoying. I don't mind sugar, I just don't like it in my bread.

current weight: 156.0

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I like the recommendation to look for the ones that have the shortest ingredient list.

I usually go with whatever has the highest fiber and protein. Then price comes into factor. I usually like to visit the bakery at grocery stores. See if there is a bread company near you. When I lived in San Jose, California they had this Mexican bread store that use to make great whole grain bread, wraps, and tortillas.

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Some great suggestions. I think it's such a personal preference though. I don't tolerate a lot of breads or pastas so I have to pick and chose.

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Dave's Killer Bread is great. Look for it at a bakery like Flowers that sells bread for less.

Total SparkPoints: 308,110

	300,000 312,499 324,999 337,499	349,999
SparkPoints Level 24

I am pushing for bread choice with herbs. Best to go with the less processed option!

Dave's Killer Bread is great. I buy it at a bread store for less price.

Total SparkPoints: 308,110

	300,000 312,499 324,999 337,499	349,999
SparkPoints Level 24

I love Daves best place to get it is Costcos but then you are kinda limited on variety . I have been looking for Dave's Killer Bread Sin Dawg haven't found it locally in a long time . its so good 100% whole grain baguette-shape cinnamon roll

current weight: 185.4

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Great Grains whole wheat or multigrain is good and high in fiber, and not too expensive

In WA we have Daves bread and its very healthy....about $5/loaf

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Silver hills makes many breads,some are sprouted, most times I find them at $3.00-$4.00 a loaf every week, the same prices.

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I'm a fan of Ezekiel bread with flax - it's great toasted.

I am a big fan of Ezekiel Bread. It toasts great, has 70 calories. protein and fiber.

Pounds lost: 20.5

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My current favorite is Franz Organic Great Seed Bread. Very filling.

May Minutes: 305

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Breads made with a levain or natural yeast like Chad Robertson's Tartine bread (available in SF) & others made with natural yeast are my faves. Unless I make a big round bread myself with levain I do not do the best levain-made bread yet at home. Still a learning process. Also, levain bread is fine for those that are gluten-free, but def not okay for those that have celiac. FWIW. Finally, yum, love Tartine. Love levain bread, a French bakery just opened up near me that uses....levain! It is fantastic, as great as Tartine is.

current weight: 257.0

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How about no bread at all. Lol just kidding but I myself not so sure of what they healthier ones are

I really like Dave's Killer Bread

Pounds lost: 29.0

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Just found a new bread that I really like" Eureka organic "Seeds the day". 140 calories a slice First ingred is organic whole wheat flour, with lots of whole seeds baked in and on top. Tastes great

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I found two breads I like. The one I buy the most is from heinen's. It is call
Orlando Seedilicious true grains, whole grains, 70 calories....
Then found another I get on occasion at Trader Joe. Do not go there often but when I do I get the sprouted rye bread. It is great toasted and I freeze it and take out when I want it.

Total SparkPoints: 121,876

	100,000 112,499 124,999 137,499	149,999
SparkPoints Level 20

Dave's Killer Bread is a good one.

I love heiner's 35 calorie bread.

I try and find the time to make my own bread. Not only do I enjoy making it, I enjoy knowing exactly what's in it too. Whole grain, gluten free.

I try to eat bread sparingly though, usually only a piece a day instead preferring to eat carbohydrates that have a lower calorie density and a higher nutritional profile.

current weight: 125.0

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I love baking bread. Problem is a loaf gets eaten in a day.

current weight: 259.6

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Whole grain, the fewer ingredients the better

I love Ezekiel bread with flax seeds. It's a sprouted grain bread.

I am cutting out as much sugar as possible, so I started buying Nture's Own Wheat bread, the sugar free one. It is a simple bread with fifty calories per slice. I like the taste and will use it from now on. If I get tired of it, I will come back to see what I can find here.

Pounds lost: 1.0

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Joseph's Pita

current weight: 180.0

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Ezekial 4:9 and Silver Hills sprouted grains are my favorites

Dave's Killer seed bread.

current weight: 291.3

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I also use Ezekiel 4:9 bread

current weight: 169.6

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I like the multi-seeded and multi-grain breads - but my body doesn't tolerate them too frequently.

current weight: 270.0

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We doing eat a lot of bread, but when I buy it, I generally purchase Ezekiel bread found in the freezer section. You pretty much have to keep it frozen or it will start to mold within 2-3 days. If you are looking for dense, this is it, but it is mostly grains and not a lot of added sugars/preservatives! I would guess it is one of the healthiest out there, but dense....yes, dense. :D Honestly, I LOVE a dense bread, but this one is ... dense! Ha!! When I am splurging and eating something that is not all that healthy, but *appears* healthy, I go for Aunt Millie's brand. They have "grainy" breads that are softer and have good flavor. They also have more sugar and additives though. :/

current weight: 134.4

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I like Market Basket (store brand) 100% whole wheat deli thins. I may toast only 1/2 for breakfast or I may have a whole one for a sandwich at lunch time. I think Arnold's makes these too.

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We like the sourdough squares from Aldi. Nice size for soup and sandwich. ND told us that sourdough would be easier on the digestion and it does seem to be.

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We very much enjoy SimplyNature Knock Your Sprouts Off Sprouted 7 Grain Low Sodium Bread, available @ Aldi.

60 calories per slice
70mg sodium
11g total carb
2g fiber
3g protein

153 Maintenance Weeks

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Another vote for trying Dave's Killer Bread. I like the 21 grains and seeds variety. Haven't tried the thin sliced version, but I can only eat wheat bread occasionally so I don't worry about the calories in the regular slices. I freeze the slices with plastic separating them so I can just pull one out any time.

I like a really firm bread. Whole wheat pita breads also work for me.

The advice given to my Type 2 hubby by the diabetes educator was to look for whole grains if you're going to do bread. Then limit it to a serving.

Hubsters problem was he interpreted it to mean whole grains were always healthy. So 6 slices of toast in the morning slathered with peanut butter and 4 more slices in the evening wasn't unusual.

Pounds lost: 16.0

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Monks bread any variety. Whole grains. low calories delicious, full sized slices,.reasonably priced Available online. https://monksbread.com/pages/about-us

Yes, it was a bread developed for the monastery. It originated at the Abbey of the Genesee in western NY. Check it out.

Edited by: ZINGARRA at: 2/17/2018 (09:48)

Wheat bread is good.

Wheat bread is good.

Right now one of my favorites is Dave's thin sliced. You can scan bread (or anything) using the fooducate.com app and get really good info.

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We buy wheat bread which is about $2-$4 a loaf

current weight: 256.0

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@ CMRKSU12: I hear ya on the price of Ezekiel bread being way too expensive! Maybe that's how they encourage people to not over-eat their product ;)

I've got a couple of loaves of homemade sourdough in the oven right now - made with home-ground flour from local organic durum wheat berries and local organic oats, my own sourdough (both durum and oat) starters, water, and a bit of salt. Including power for the oven, it'll come out to less than $2.50 Cdn for the two loaves of 800g each.

If I wanted to take the time, I could easily have sprouted the grains as well - and sprouted some millet, lentils, beans, and barley along with them for a homemade version of Ezekiel. Since it really just takes some water, a few paper towels, and time, sprouting doesn't add a whole lot to the cost.

The whole "healthy enough" and "best flavour" and "economically reasonable" are such personal decisions!

Way too expensive for me!


Edited by: CMRKSU12 at: 2/16/2018 (17:37)

current weight: 152.2

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Ezekial sprouted bread is the only way to go. Several flavors...from 4.99 to 6.99 a loaf.

I make my own homemade bread ;)

I use white whole wheat flour, sometimes both white and wheat depending on my taste buds at the time. I can easily know exactly what is in it and can lower the amount of sodium too! And nothing tastes better than homemade bread! No better way to eat Northern bean soup but with homemade bread lol. I know most don't make their own anymore. It takes me one whole morning to do it, what with rising times too, but it's sooooo worth the effort and I freeze several at a time wrapped in Press and Seal wrap and in Ziploc baggies. Saves money too lol.

Edited by: CMRKSU12 at: 2/16/2018 (17:37)

current weight: 152.2

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Ezekial sprouted bread or dave's killer bread organic. they have a thin slice but it costs the same as the full slice so i just use one piece to make a sandwhich or toast. healthy and organic WOW GOAL weight !!!! Amazing. Good job!

current weight: 160.0

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This week at Trader Joe's they didn't have their usual Montana White. This week they had Canadian White.

Whether your wheat comes from Montana, Vermont or Canada. Those are whole grain white wheat breads. They are very hearty and nothing like Wonder bread. On the far end of the spectrum. From Wonder bread.

I can't stand anything gooey like Wonder. So I am always searching for hearty white bread

@DHBEST That is our favorite bread too. I like all the seeds, and the bread doesn't stick to my teeth.

Pounds lost: 44.0

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I won't share brands because I don't live in the US but here are some tips:

look for brands that say they are 100% whole grain (and not just whole grain because those might have just a minimal amount).

look for a short list of ingredients

avoid bread that has partially hydrogenated oils (that's trans fat) or corn syrup and similar sweeteners, artificial flavours and colouring in the ingredient list

look for bread that has over 3 grams of fibre per slice.

Also organic doesn't make much of a difference in bread.

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I really love Dave's good seed. It really depends on your taste and nutrition needs. I don't like white bread. Dave's tastes really good to me.

current weight: 122.0

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Vermont White and Montana white are some very hearty white breads. I like them. I don't like whole wheat and anything from Ezekiel Bread is nasty. (The Ezekiel bread thing is just my personal opinion. I bought their sprouted cereal and it made Grape Nuts appetizing. It was just that disgusting)

Kudos on making the changes needed to reach your target weight - and even more kudos for wanting to continue making healthy changes!

When it comes to bread, the "healthiness" is a subjective measure based on individual needs. How "good" it is depends on personal preferences. It really is up to you to decide what the priorities are for you choice (amount of protein, amount of sodium, amount of fibre, texture, density, flavour, types of grains, which additives you can accept and which you can't... to start with!).

When it comes to protein, unless there is some kind of protein adder (often dry milk powder or whey protein or soy protein), then you won't find a bread with more than about 4g per 40g serving, since grains don't have that much protein in them. You'll need to read the ingredients list to decide whether the particular additive is acceptable to you or not.

When it comes to sodium, the "standard" used to be 2%-2.5% baker's percentage of salt (so - 2% of the raw flour weight). This is shifting now, so many bakers are bringing this down so that the overall salt content is no more than 1% of final baked weight. Europe is ahead of North America in this change, but do check the labels.

For fibre, it really depends on types of grains in the bread, and any extras (like nuts or seeds). Whole wheat flour has over 12g of fibre / 100g of flour --- while "white" flour is only just over 2g of fibre / 100g of flour. If the nutrition label shows less than 3.5 to 4g of fibre per 40g serving, then you can be sure that there is a fairly high percentage of processed white flour in it. If it is showing much over the 4g of fibre, then check the ingredients for adders such as inulin or chicory root or psyllium husk and decide if those are acceptable to you.

Personally, I prefer the flavour and texture of naturally leavened breads (sourdough) as opposed to commercial yeast leavened. This is one of those things that you really need to be careful of when purchasing, since many labelled "sourdough" breads really just have some culture added for flavouring and don't have the flavour / texture / nutritional differences created by using only natural leaven with its bacterial component.

While I always strongly recommend making it yourself so that you have full control of the ingredients, I'd suggest that your next best bet is to find a local artisan baker who can talk you through the pros / cons of various types of breads and let you try some out to see what you like. Really - that's what it comes down to, because something that you don't enjoy eating isn't really "healthy" at all...

Our family only eats Freihofer’s Country STONE GROUND (important) 100% whole wheat bread...
90 calories per slice
4 G protein
17 carbs
2 g fiber
170 g sodium

current weight: 176.0

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I am trying to limit salt. It is amazing how different the salt amounts are even in healthier breads. I like Ezekiel bread. It is a sprouted bread and sodium levels are lower than most. You find it in the freezer section. I keep it in the freezer and separate off how many slices I need at a time.

current weight: 176.4

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Whole wheat breads are good for health and weight management,
they are thicker and darker, more filling than those made of white flour.
My favorite is rye bread.

The slices look smaller than white bread of the same weight,
but they keep you satisfied and full longer.

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I like Killer Dave's Bread. There is also a thin sliced version. I like all the seeds.

current weight: 166.0

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Sounds like you’ve already chosen what is good for you. Check the labels for those you are considering.

Pounds lost: 15.2

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You might want to try a sprouted wheat bread; I often see these in health food stores, Trader Joe's also has a few varieties. They are dense but the slices are small so they aren't super caloric. Looking at Arnold's (or maybe they're Brownberry now?!) it seems pretty healthy to me.. especially if you are trying to increase your protein. I think the reason it might be hard to find articles on "healthy" breads is that people seem to have very strong opinions on bread to start, LOL, and in general what is considered "healthy." I sometimes get the 35 calorie bread, which is low calorie but not necessarily "healthy" or nutrient dense, you know what I mean? I don't think any of the ingredients are that bad but I'm sure others would disagree with me. Also, if you like a dense bread, you may not like the taste of it.

Hello,
I have reached my target weight, and am now trying to stick to healthy foods. My husband and I were looking in the bread isle last night, and we were totally confused about which bread was the healthiest. I typically buy Arnold's Double Protein, because I typically am low on my protein. I would like to have a bread that is dense, that might even have some seeds in or on top of it. I have been trying to find an article about how to choose breads, but the only one I can find on SP is from 2008.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
Thanks,
Cynthia

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