Healthy breads vs unhealthy breads. Which breads to avoid?

Bread is a staple at breakfast in many countries of the world. But not all bread is healthy.

Some have less fiber and more simple carbs and sugar and hence can cause weight gain and increase body inflammation. Which are healthy bread and which are those that are to be avoided?

Types of bread and the healthy bread

Bread is not bad to eat during breakfast. One can have eggs or peanut spreads with the loaves. They can be made into sandwiches with healthy vegetables and cheese.

They can be toasted for that enhanced taste or grilled with some oil.

But all bread is not good. Companies and bakeries make bread differently. And based on this, there are some healthy bread and others that are unhealthy for daily eating. The latter should not be consumed more.

The unhealthy bread is made of refined wheat flour and has less fiber. They are ultra-processed and contain simple carbs. Additionally, some of these have added sugars.

Therefore, eating them can increase body weight. Some of these unhealthy bread also have artificial flavoring substances and preservatives.

They also contain certain vegetable oils. All of these additives can cause inflammation in the body and hence are not good.

1. White wheat bread: one of the not healthy bread

This bread is made of refined flour and has less or no fiber in it. It can cause constipation and increase body inflammation. Nutritionist Trista Best explains:

“Wheat bread made with 100 % whole wheat is not inflammatory for most individuals who do not have a gluten allergy or intolerance. However, white wheat bread is made with refined carbohydrates which are highly inflammatory and harmful to overall health when consumed on a regular basis.”

Similarly, classic white bread of Wonder brand and Sunbeam white bread is not healthy due to their refined flour. Trisha adds:

“Fiber acts as a prebiotic for healthy gut bacteria by feeding this bacteria and keeping the gut in balance. When gut bacteria are out of balance, inflammation can begin to increase steadily in the body.

Bread should be a source of fiber and whole grains, which feed the healthy bacteria and reduce inflammation throughout the body. Sunbeam provides only .5 grams of fiber for 2 slices,” 

2. Cinnamon Swirl Raisin Bread from Sun-Maid

This has a lot of added sugars in it. This leads to inflammation and therefore is unhealthy. Another dietitian and writer, Morgyn Clair state:

“Eating too much added sugar is not helpful for inflammation in the body.”

3. King’s Hawaiian Sweet Sliced Bread

This bread is made of refined flour with less fiber. And it is sweet. Hence it contains sugar. There are 7 grams of sugar in each slice. Hence this is the worst bread to consume. It increases inflammation and causes gut and bowel issues.

4. Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse Honey White

This bread has refined flour, honey, and also salt in it. One slice of this bread has 6 grams of sugar, 1 gram of fiber, and 210 mg of sodium. Hence it does more harm than good except for the taste.

5. Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse Multigrain Bread

This firm labels the bread as multigrain. But each slice has 5 grams of extra sugar, only 1 gram of fiber, and 220 mg of sodium. Hence though it sounds healthy, it is not so.

All of tthisbread has lots of sugar and sodium and less fiber and complex carbs.

Choose a bread that has 100% whole wheat and no added sugar. The sodium content should also be low. Additionally, brown bread does not imply it is healthy.

Brown bread looks brown because of the caramel added to them. They are not necessarily made of whole wheat. They may not have much fiber and may have added sugars.

Make it a habit to read the ingredients list on the label of the bread. Check for food additives that are prohibited but present in the bread.

Read more: Make Zucchini Bread at Home (Healthy and Gluten-free)

The best option would be to make bread at home. Special tools are available for it but one can also make them in a pan without the need for an oven.