Finding the Best Sliced Bread by JAYNE HURLEY & BONNIE LIEBMAN
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BRAND-NAME RATING BRAND-NAME RATING Finding the Best Sliced Bread BY JAYNE HURLEY & BONNIE LIEBMAN f you’ve spent time in the bread aisle lately, you may be confused. Even we’re confused, and we’ve been reading labels since Wonder Bread was building “strong bodies 12 ways.” Breads used to be “whole wheat” or “white.” Now they can be made with “whole white wheat.” IThey used to be 100% whole wheat or not. Now you have to divine whether “88% of the recom- mended daily whole grains” and “3 grams of fiber” beat “22 grams of whole grain” and “40% fiber.” Wouldn’t it be great if every bread’s label disclosed what percent of its flour was whole grain? (That’s just what Sara Lee has decided to do with its Soft & Smooth Made With Whole Grain White Bread...after we threatened to sue. Turns out the bread is just 30 percent whole grain.) No matter how you slice it, buying bread is tricky business. Information compiled by Danielle Hazard. Whole Grain Gimmicks albino variety of wheat called “white with some whole wheat,” rather than the red wheat grains along with While the Food and Drug Administra- that’s used to make most breads and far more refined tion has no clear rules that determine other grain foods. The only breads we grains. (Companies which breads can be labeled “whole found with whole-grain white flour often put “made grain,” the following claims usually ap- as the first ingredient—Arnold’s with” in tiny type, pear on whole-grain breads: or Brownberry’s line of hoping no one will ■■ 100% Whole Grain or 100% Whole Grain Country notice.) One excep- Whole Wheat. Unless the White—had refined tion: Weight Watchers manufacturer is lying, the bread white flour (from red Multi-Grain made Whole-grain lines by contains no refined white flour wheat) as the second. with Whole Grains Pepperidge Farm, is 100% whole grain. (which is typically called “en- In fact, most “whole Oroweat, Natural Ovens riched wheat flour,” “unbleached grain white” breads Bakery, and Home Pride ■■ Good Source of wheat flour,” or just “wheat flour”). contain no white contain no refined flour. Whole Grain. To the wheat; they’re a mix industry, the claim ■■ Whole Grain. Most contain little or of whole and refined no refined white flour. (If some ap- means at least 8 grams of whole grain. flour from red wheat. pears far down on the ingredients Grains make up about 60 percent of the Some (like Pepperidge list, near the salt or yeast, don’t Whole Grain White weight of bread, so a typical Farm Farmhouse Whole worry.) We found a few exceptions, doesn’t mean all 42-gram slice whole grain. Grain White) have though. Arnold (or Brownberry) contains about more whole wheat has a line of Whole Grains bread. 24 grams of grain. than refined flour, while others (like Some are all whole grain, but some have If 8 of them are Oroweat Whole Grain Country refined white flour as the second ingredi- whole, the bread is White) have more refined than ent (whole-grain flour is first). only one-third whole whole wheat flour. grain. (The govern- The following four claims appear on ■■ 12 Grain or Multigrain. The ment has asked breads that may or may not be 100% number of grains is irrelevant. You bakers to stop using whole grain: could have 100 grains. If they’re “Good Source” claims, SteadyLens (top), Nick Waring (all others). SteadyLens (top), Nick Waring ■■ Whole Grain White. When it comes not whole, who cares? but didn’t insist that to “whole grain white” breads, any- Some Arnold (Brownberry) they do.) ■■ Made with Whole Grain. The Whole Grains breads (like Photos: © thing goes. Some are made from an claim almost always means made this one) are only part > > > > > whole grain. NUTRITIONNUTRITION ACTIONACTION HEALTHLETTERHEALTHLETTER ■■ SEPTEMBERSEPTEMBER 20082008 13 Bread & Breakfast Double Good? Looking for something sweet for “Double the amount of fiber than tradi- breakfast? Pepperidge Farm Whole tional 100% whole wheat breads,” says Grain Swirl Cinnamon or Cin- the label of Roman Meal All Natural namon with Raisins bread beats Double Fiber bread. a doughnut, Danish, or muffin Roman Meal gets its extra fiber from hands down. added bran. But most double fiber So does Pepperidge Farm’s breads add inulin, soy fiber, oat fiber, line of Breakfast Bread made cellulose, and other isolated fibers. with Whole Grains, Real Fruit All but inulin should help keep One of the only 100% & Yogurt. But the bread is only you regular (though not as well as Its extra fiber comes whole-grain raisin about half whole grain. And ev- wheat bran). But so far, there’s no from isolated fibers, breads. ery slice contains less yogurt than evidence that any isolated fibers are not bran. you’d get in a sixth of a teaspoon of yogurt. (It’s “a good linked to a lower risk of heart dis- source of calcium” only because Pepperidge Farm adds it.) ease and diabetes, like the intact fibers in whole grains are. As for fruit, the Blueberry & Grains variety has no Just make sure that your double fiber bread is whole more than one or two blueberries per slice. The Apple & grain, and that it’s free of the questionable artificial sweet- Grains and Raisin & Grains have slightly more fruit, but ener acesulfame-potassium. Double fibers typically have not much. 5 to 6 grams of fiber per slice. Stake Your Claim ■■ Light. Light breads are lower in calo- ries (they have about 50 per slice) than Here’s a rundown of some of the many “Reduced most other breads (about 100 per slice). claims that are causing label clutter on sodium” may be And nowadays you can find whole-grain bread packages. the most versions. Just be prepared to squeeze your ■■ Omega-3s. “DHA helps support heart, important sandwich filling onto a smaller, airier slice. brain & eye health,” says Oroweat Whole of its eight claims. ■■ Double protein. “12 g of protein in Grain 9 Grain bread. There’s decent evi- 2 slices,” says the Brownberry (or Arnold) dence that DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), Whole Grains Double Protein package. one of the key fish oils, may protect your The extra protein (mostly from wheat glu- heart, though it’s far too early to know ■■ Reduced sodium. It’s one of eight ten and rice) can move you a little closer if it can help preserve your memory or claims on the label of Oroweat Whole to your daily goal—protein (in grams) vision. Every slice of Oroweat has about Grain Active Health bread, but it’s one of equal to about half your weight (in as much DHA (18 milligrams) as half a the most important. A single slice of most pounds), or around 60 grams of protein a teaspoon of salmon. breads contains no more than 250 mg day for someone who weighs 125 pounds. At least Oroweat adds DHA. Some of sodium, but because we eat so much Shopping tip: many breads that make breads that contain flax get all of their bread, the milligrams add up. Admira- no protein claim have 10 to 12 grams of omega-3s from the ALA (alpha-linolenic bly, Active Health cuts the sodium down protein in two slices. acid) that’s found naturally in flaxseed. to 140 mg per slice. Natural Ovens Bakery, ■■ Calcium & vitamin D. “Calcium for There’s little evidence that ALA can pro- a Midwest baker, goes further. Its breads stronger bones and teeth,” says Earth- tect your heart like DHA does. range from 100 to 130 mg per slice. Bravo! Grains Double Fiber bread. “Vitamin D ■■ Heart healthy. A claim like “heart ■■ Prebiotic. “For Digestive Health,” says to help maximize the absorption of cal- healthy” means nothing because it Oroweat’s Active Health label. Why be cium into the body.” True enough. needs little or no evidence (since it precise when you don’t have to? In fact, Just keep in mind that some calcium- doesn’t mention a disease). In contrast, inulin, the isolated fiber that Oroweat adds fortified breads have as much as 100 “may reduce the risk of heart disease” to Active Health, may spur the bifidobacte- or 150 milligrams per slice. That’s fine requires approval from the Food and ria in your gut to grow. But there’s no evi- if you’re a woman, but there’s some Drug Administration. dence that more bifido makes you healthier. evidence that men who consume more So far, the FDA has approved a heart ■■ No high fructose corn syrup. HFCS isn’t than 1,500 mg of calcium a day have a disease claim for breads that are at least good for you, but it’s no worse than ordi- higher risk of prostate cancer. 51 percent whole grain. But it also allows nary sugar or other refined sweeteners. And As for vitamin D, the 30 to 80 IU in a heart disease claim on almost any food breads don’t have much of either. You’re each slice of bread with added D can that is low in saturated fat and cholesterol worse off with poorly tested acesulfame-po- nudge you toward the daily target recom- (and not high in sodium). And that claim tassium, an artificial sweetener that’s added mended by most researchers (1,000 IU). can appear on nearly all breads. to some breads (like Oroweat Active Health). 14 NUTRITION ACTION HEALTHLETTER ■ SEPTEMBER 2008 ) BRAND-NAME RATING milligrams ( Calories Sodium Fiber (grams) ✔✔ Pepperidge Farm 100% Natural Sprouted Wheat 100 180 3 Good in Bread ✔✔ Roman Meal Roman Whole Grain 100 180 3 We only looked at whole-grain breads (or breads with a trivial ✔✔ Roman Meal Golden Flax & Honey 110 180 3 amount of refined white flour) that are sold nationally or are pro- ✔✔ Pepperidge Farm Whole Grain 15 Grain 120 180 3 duced by major regional bakers.