Waking Up in the Bread Aisle
In the last post we promised to check our local supermarket for breads that met Healthy Change #9: Your daily bread must be whole grain, with more grams of natural fiber than added sugar. To do this we spent a Friday evening studying the labels of 70 different breads; the short answer is just two bakeries met the rule and one came close (their fiber wasn’t all natural):
• Food For Life offers their Ezekiel 4:9 sprouted-grain breads, named after the Bible scripture with a bread recipe. A slice typically contains 3 grams of fiber and no sugar—the only company we found that doesn’t add sweeteners. Price $4.49; on sale for $3.99. (In some stores their bread is kept in the frozen food section to preserve freshness.)
• Oroweat offers bread at all the quality levels (but watch the sugar in some of their whole wheat breads, it's often equal to the fiber). Their Healthfull brand (Nutty Grain, 10-Grain, and Hearty Wheat) had 4 grams of fiber and 2 grams sugar. Price $4.59; on sale for $2.99
• Milton’s Whole Grain Plus had 5 grams of fiber and 3 grams of sugar per slice. (Three grams of fiber are all you can usually get from a slice of whole wheat; breads offering more may not meet the natural fiber requirement.) The sugar was a combination of brown sugar and honey, so give them a point for slightly better sugars. Price $4.59; on sale for $3.49.
The bread companies are in a difficult place; people generally have a dim view of store-bought bread and the low-carb diet folks think bread is unhealthy. The store manager approached me in one store (after all, I was standing there looking at his goods and making notes in a black notebook). “I’m looking for your healthiest bread,” I told him. His response was interesting: “Is any bread healthy?” I laughed with him but answered, “Yes, a few are”.
I asked him how they decide which breads get the best shelf space and he answered, “Simple, slotting fees. I think we make more on renting out the shelf space than we do selling the bread”. I looked down the aisle and saw Oroweat had the biggest space followed by the store brand and then Sara Lee. There was a small section for Wonder bread on the lowest shelf, a sign of its fall from grace.
The bread aisle is a strange place. First, it doesn’t smell like bread, it smells chemical, kind of like plastic. Second, in a desperate attempt to get our attention over 70 different kinds of bread are offered, each with the most extravagant label claims the FDA will allow. Labels that say “100% wheat” aren’t actually whole wheat. And the label that says “With Whole Wheat” may only have a little whole grain mixed in with the refined grains. Third, there is the issue of past fibs, like Wonder bread building strong bodies, 8, 10, then 12 different ways. Is it any surprise the public is properly skeptical?
Here’s another issue: Is there a premium for healthy bread? The answer is “Yes”. The healthiest breads were the highest priced, around $4.59 unless on sale, though the difference in ingredients only makes a slight difference in material costs. Is the cheapest bread the least healthy? Again, the answer is “Yes”. The cheapest bread was sold under the Supervalu label, price $1.39 but on sale for $.99. It’s not actually that much cheaper per pound because the loaf is lighter. And it has the worst ingredients, including high fructose corn syrup. (The store manager whispered in my ear that Supervalu was controlled by the store—they just didn’t want their name on the worst bread.)
Would you want to eat 99-cent bread? It’s a trick question, because you can bake your own perfectly healthful bread for about this price, not counting the cost of firing of the oven. Yes, I know what you’re thinking—this presumes the cook isn’t getting paid for her hour of work. But we know the answer to that—the pay she (or he) receives is dearer than money. In a later post we’ll share our favorite of the bread recipes you submitted.
For the times when it’s not possible to bake your own bread, here are my personal favorites, though they’re not available where I live: One is Great Harvest, which sells through franchise stores. Prairie Grain Bread Co. is the other. The whole wheat breads meet the fiber rule and have just five or six ingredients. (The typical store-bought breads have 12-20 ingredients, many of them chemicals.)
A last comment from the store manager on slotting fees: “If you really want to see how these fees work, visit the chip aisle.” So on my way out I visited the chip aisle—I’ll save what I learned for the next (and last) post on converting our diet to whole grains.
If this post is helpful, would you please share it with your friends? It’s a way to thank my wife for spending her Friday night in the bread aisle.
Thursday, March 3, 2011 at 9:58AM | by Skip Hellewell | 65 Comments | 19 References | Share Article | in bread, grocery shopping, whole grains | Email Article
Reader Comments (65)
I love that you were so specific in this post. Thanks for doing all the work for me. Such good information!
i just looked at the label on the bread we buy from costco (country hearth stoneground 100% whole wheat) and it lists high fructose corn syrup as the #2 ingredient. next time i make a trip to costco i'll look for aspen mills. but i have recently started making my own whole wheat bread, using honey to sweeten and found its way easier than i expected. if you own a kitchen aid mixer with a hook attachment, you're set. i just need to wean my 5 year old off the store bought stuff. he recently told me, "mom, i want a peanut butter sandwich, but not the bread with seeds or the homemade kind."
one day he will long for that homemade bread, right?
If you're on the west coast, check out Dave's Killer Bread (he also has a great website!).
I make my own bread, but if I ever need to buy it, this is what I buy! It's really GOOD bread!
I noticed in a previous post, you mentioned Celiac Disease. Unfortunately, I have it. I have yet to find any store-bought breads at all that meet the fiber rule. The best are Rudi's whole grain loaves and Udi's whole grain loaves (yes, they are different companies with very similar names), but there is still more sugar than fiber in theirs too. I would love to make a homemade loaf that meets these rules as well, but it's quite difficult. How do you make a whole grain loaf when the main gluten-free flours are pure white starches? I always add in flax seed, as well as try to work in millet, buckwheat and amaranth, but when you want a loaf that doesn't crumble and suck the moisture from your mouth, it's near impossible. I'd love to hear what your thoughts are on this matter.
I have found Harper's Homemade, it's made in Podatello ID. I'm in SLC. their Honey wheat has 3 g fiber and only 1 g sugar, and heres the ingredients list 100% whole wheat flour, honey, soybean oil, salt, yeast. and the best part is it's usually $1.97 and on sale i've seen it at $1.57. Don't know how widely it is distributed but it might be worth asking for.
Tiffany, it's hard with celiac disease but you have a good attitude. Gluten-free means crumbly bread, as far as I have heard. Perhaps other readers can offer help. In your situation, I wouldn't stress about the sugar as long as you get good fiber. Unless your doctor has given other guidance, the AHA rule for sugar is not more than 6 tsp. daily for women. A tsp. is about 4 grams of sugar. Enjoy your bread but balance your intake of other sugars. Best to you.
I buy Arnold's Dutch Country Extra Fiber bread. It doesn't have any HFCS and the fiber count is higher than the sugar. Did you research this brand on your date night? BTW, your wife is a good sport. :) Would this bread be considered okay? I'm not expecting it to be the best, but how about okay? Thanks!
JG, your bread sound OK, based on what you shared. Arnold's bread wasn't in the store we visited.
Thanks for your reply Skip! I suppose we do the best we can with what we are given. I will watch my sugar intake and keep trying to up my fiber intake. Thanks!
I use a no-knead bread recipe that I adapted to be a honey-whole wheat loaf. I LOVE it - it is delicious and very easy to make - easy enough that I usually make a loaf every morning. It only takes about 5 minutes. I don't know the nutrition info, but it's a very simple recipe and uses mostly wheat flour.
http://beingcindykitchen.blogspot.com/2010/09/i-made-bread-recipe-jam-tips.html
I found your blog the other day and have now read everything on it! What a great resource.
I am looking forward to your recipe for bread. My grocery store doesn't carry any of the brands you suggested. Maybe I'll have better luck at Fresh Market. I get really frustrated with the labels on food packaging these days! Really frustrated! Thanks so much for your insightful information. I'm learning lots!
I have been thinking about this post since you published, and I had the same question as others about natural fiber. In your response you say that often bran is added but wouldn't the fiber in bran be natural? I sometime bake bread and have decided that I would like to get back to baking our bread to save money so I am looking forward to your bread recipe post.
Amanda, you raise a good point. We know what natural fiber is. The added fibers are various, and the result of factory processing, so the benefit is not known. Bran from wheat and oats is often used, but inulin (extract of chicory root), maltodextrin (extracted from rice or corn by hydrolysis), and polydextrose (a polymerized fiber not found in nature) are also used. Food companies are active cost cutters so the cheapest fiber is likely to be used.
The reason we say "natural fiber" is it ensures the whole grain was used. It's hard to get more than three grams of natural fiber in whole grain breads, but that's a good start towards the daily value. The daily value varies by age, but is 25 grams for most women and 38 grams for men. It's not a useful goal, it would be difficult to calculate your actual intake--just eat a diet of mainly whole foods.
Thanks for your reply - very helpful!
An added comment on fiber: In the Healthy Change rule of more fiber than sugar, we refer to "natural fiber". The reason for this is cheap man-made fiber can be made out of all manner of byproducts of unknown healthiness. As costs of raw materials rise, food processors will be tempted to use these cheaper fibers. As I noted in the March 3 comment on fiber, cost reduction is a constant force in the food business. A recent post on another site titled "10 Brands That Put 'Wood' in Their Food" tells of the use of cellulose (immature wood) as a filler by major food processors and fast food companies. Enough said.
I am fascinated by bread. I love it, and I know I can eat way too much of it at times. Just over a year ago I began making my own whole wheat bread regularly. I found an easy recipe that was tastier (and healthier) than anything I could buy. I never thought I would be making bread regularly for my family in our tiny NYC kitchen. If you are interested in my recipe here's the link: http://whoknewidgothisfar.blogspot.com/2010/01/whole-wheat-goodness.html.
Also, I believe Orowheat is called Arnold bread out here in the east.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge!!! I'm inspired to eat better.
Kiasa, thanks for the bread recipe suggestion. I couldn't get to the site, but this address did work:
http://whoknewidgothisfar.blogspot.com/2010_01_01_archive.html
Best, Skip
Thanks for writing about this. I have had a lot of trouble finding a decent bought bread. Whole Foods where I live (and even Giant) carry The Baker line of breads (http://www.the-baker.com) -- this is the closest I have found to real bread. It's not particularly soft but it's very wholesome. I wonder if you would sometime address how so many "whole grain" breads are so soft. They only have whole grain flours but they are very light and fluffy -- are these breads less nutritious?
Thank You for this research!!! I appreciate it. I have been buying Prairie Grain Bread too. I WISH I knew how to make whole wheat bread without sugar, and I'm trying to find a recipe. The one I buy has "Raisin Juice Concentrate" as the 3rd ingredient, but I don't know how much they use, so I'm hoping that my body doesn't process it as negatively as refined white sugar.
I just found your website today. This is wonderful. Thank you! I'm just wondering... Have you read Elder John A. Widtsoe's book from 1950 "The Word of Wisdom - A Modern Interpretation"? It put the ENTIRE W.O.W. into perspective for me. I LOVE IT!!!
Do you have any posts on your site about raw/clean dairy? Our family now ONLY consumes dairy / milk that are clean, natural, raw & unpasteurized/homogenized. This was even addressed in Elder Widtsoe's book 62 years ago! Amazing stuff :) Thank you again for your wonderful blog. I can see your site & my site are one of VERY few out there on my favorite subject, The Word Of Wisdom (& natural healing, which I absolutely love). Feel free to take a peek at mine too! I love visitors! :) www.wholewideworldofwisdom.blogspot.com