Bread
may not be the healthiest food out there, but that doesn’t mean it’s
not good. In fact, this guilty pleasure is so delicious, alluring and
just so convenient to eat that, let’s face it, all of us crave a slice
or two from time to time. And while we have written many a time how white bread is not the best choice
for a health-minded nutrition junkie like ourselves, we have hardly
explained which types of bread are a more nutritious and healthier
choice, which is exactly what we intend to do in this article. In
addition, we’ll give you a few tips on how to tell apart a healthy and
high-quality loaf of bread from a less nutritious alternative.
1. Sprouted Grain Bread
One
of the healthiest bread varieties available is sprouted grain bread.
This variety is produced from whole grains that have been soaked in
water and sprouted before milling it into flour. There is scientific
evidence that sprouting is beneficial for nutrition, as it makes the antioxidants and other nutrients, such as folate, for example, more abundant and more easily available to absorb by your body.
Even more importantly, sprouting decreases the carb and starch content
of the grains, which makes it lower on the glycemic index and thus
better for those who have diabetes or are looking for decreasing their
carb intake.
2. Gluten-Free Bread
Now,
this is a tricky category, as by far not all gluten-free breads are
healthier than those that contain gluten, but because there are many
people with gluten sensitivity or celiac disease who cannot tolerate
gluten, we felt it’s necessary to add this category.
Technically,
any bread that’s made of gluten-free flour can be called gluten-free,
but many of these commercially-sold breads are highly processed, very
high in sugar and contain many unnecessary additives, making them just
as bad for you as white bread. For those of you who stay away from
gluten, search for bread varieties that have no added sugar and are high
in fiber, such as gluten-free bread made of almond or coconut flour.
As these breads can be quite pricey, you can try to make one at home, here is a recipe of almond flour bread.
3. Sprouted Rye Bread
Rye
bread is a kind of bread made fully or in part with rye, a close, more
nutritious, relative of wheat. Compared to wheat, rye has less
carbohydrates and more fiber, which makes for a slower a
steadier digestion and less insulin spikes. In fact, studies found that
people who consumed 100% whole grain rye bread as opposed to wheat
bread were producing much less insulin.
And
since sprouting can further increase the levels of fiber and other
nutrients, sprouted rye bread is an excellent choice for those who
suffer from diabetes.
4. Whole Wheat Bread
Yet
another ambiguous contestant, whole wheat bread isn’t actually always
100% whole wheat, as companies try to make their products cheaper by
diluting the whole wheat flour with refined flour, so check the
ingredients to ensure you’re not being fooled and the product doesn’t
contain any extra starches and flours other than whole wheat flour.
If
you do find a 100% whole wheat product, though, you can buy it with
confidence, as whole grains, or those grains that haven’t been processed
to strip it from the bran and the germ, have been found to be higher in
vitamins, protein, healthy far and other beneficial plant compounds and
nutrients, as well as fiber. This is why you should always opt for
whole-grain flour-based bread, as it is more nutritious and ultimately,
better for your health.
5. Oat Bread
The
truth is that oat bread is hardly ever made of oats alone, otherwise,
it would look more like a cookie than bread. But since oats have a lot
of health benefits and a pleasant texture, they are often added into
wheat flour to make oat bread. Oats are very nutritious, containing
magnesium, vitamin B1, iron, zinc, many other beneficial nutrients, and
fiber.
Apart
from that, oats contain a compound that has been shown to reduce bad
cholesterol levels and decrease blood pressure called beta-glucan, so oat bread may be the best bread choice for those who suffer from high cholesterol and hypertension.
6. Flaxseed Bread
Flaxseeds are kind of amazing, mainly because they were found to have marked positive effects on
lowering one’s risk of developing both heart disease and certain
cancers, but also because they can aid digestion like very few other
foods.
This
is thanks to the antioxidants and alpha-linolenic acid that these seeds
contain in bulk. That’s why it is always an excellent idea to add
flaxseeds to your diet, and one of the easiest ways to do it without
having to remember to sprinkle some on a meal is with flax bread.
7. Sourdough Bread
This last type of bread is made by naturally fermenting the bread dough, be it white-flour based or whole-grain flour based. In
both cases, the fermentation process infuses the dough with probiotics and prebiotics,
which make it easier to digest and promotes gut health. Apart from
that, fermentation lowers the glycemic index and the amount of phytic
acid in the dough.
Phytic
acid is a so-called anti-nutrient that prevents beneficial nutrients
from being absorbed by the body, and studies have shown that
fermentation decreases the amount of phytic acid in bread by more than
50%. Of course, we urge you to choose sourdough breads made of whole
grain flours because they are more nutritious than white flour.
How To Buy a Healthier Type of Bread in Store
When it comes to bread,
selecting a healthier alternative can be somewhat tricky because of a
huge selection of products and marketing gimmicks that are meant to
confuse you. Of course, the best way to eat truly superior bread is to
make it yourself, as you will control all the ingredients that went into
making it, but we understand that making bread isn’t easy and, honestly
speaking, most of us just don’t have the time.
To find a superior kind of bread in-store, follow these simple tips:
1. We know this is kind of obvious, but try to avoid white bread, as it has the highest glycemic index and often contains a lot of added sugar.
2. Do the texture test:
squeeze a loaf of bread with your hands and then release it. A bread
made of highly-processed flour will be too soft and may not even spring
back when you release it. A good loaf of bread should be firm, dense or
spongy. Even if you can squeeze it, it should return to its original
form or even be impossible to compress.
Similarly, when slicing into it, a good bread shouldn’t stick together or to the knife and should retain its texture.
3. Watch out for confusing terms, such as:
- Multigrain.
This is not synonymous with who grain. For a brand to label a bread
multi grain it’s enough for it to have more than 2 types of grains, and
often, the base of such bread varieties is white flour, which we’re
trying to avoid.
- Enriched.
This bread variety contains added vitamins and minerals (like iron or B
vitamins) but can be made of any type of flour, and so it can still be
very high on the glycemic list, contain added sugar and have too little
protein and fiber.
- Stone ground.
While it may imply to you that stone-ground grains are less processed,
they are still not whole grain and are not rich enough in fiber.
4. Look at the ingredients list:
- A more nutritious bread will
contain 100% whole grains or sprouted flours, which will appear at the
beginning of the ingredients list.
- The ingredient list should be
rather short and shouldn’t contain any added sugar.
- And finally, look for bread
varieties that have 3–5 grams of fiber and 3–6 grams of protein per
slice. Apart from being healthier, bread rich in fiber will also keep
you fuller for a longer time.
Thanks for reading until the
very end, we hope you found this article helpful. Feel free to share it
with your friends and family, or simply go and use your newly-found
bread assessment skills in the wild.
