The seemingly simple task of going to the store to pick up a loaf of bread can sometimes turn out to be a lengthy and confusing process. Chances are, you’ve remained faithful to the same type or brand of bread for years, assuming that what you were feeding your family was healthy and nutritious. However, with clever marketing and a great deal of misconception surrounding what constitutes a healthy bread, you may need to consider the possibility that what you’ve been buying is actually little more than white bread in disguise.

If you haven’t been successful at ditching the bread in light of increasing advice to reduce carbohydrates and substitute bread for lettuce leaves, or you just can’t imagine a world without bread, you may want to keep reading!

Most of us are aware of the nutritional differences between white and wheat bread but sadly that isn’t where the differences begin and end. Just because a bread is brown and the packaging states wheat, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s healthy. Many times, what the bread claims to contain on the front of its packaging, doesn’t correspond with what’s stated in the nutrition facts information.

To end the confusion once and for all, here is a guide to buying bread:

• Pay close attention to the first ingredient listed on the ingredient label. If the bread lists “wheat flour,” “enriched, bleached flour” or something of that nature, this tells you that the bread is actually a product of white flour. Instead, look for “whole wheat flour” or “whole grain” as the first ingredient. Whole grain means the entire grain kernel was used, which is far more nutritious than a refined grain. Whole grains are low in fat and high in fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Look for terms such as 100% whole wheat to be sure that what you’re getting is really healthy.

• If you’ve ever seen multi, 9 or 12 grain breads at the supermarket and always assumed they were healthiest, there are two things you must look for. The food label must state 100% whole grain if it’s to truly meet your expectations. Another good rule of thumb is to read the ingredients list. If  a wide variety of grains appear at the top of the ingredients list, then you can be sure that what you are buying is truly whole grain. The preference for whole grain over whole wheat comes in part because the greater the variety of grains, the greater the range of benefits the bread offers the body.

• Be weary of breads that use the term “honey wheat” or other use other names that suggest sugar. Look out for breads that contain high fructose corn syrup. The potential side effects this  sweetener may have on the body  is still relatively unknown. Plus, high quantities of any kind of added sugar don’t have their place in your next ham sandwich!

• Don’t assume that because a bread is dark, it must be healthy. Many dark rye breads actually list unbleached, enriched flour as their first ingredient, making for a far less nutritious bread that’s subsequently low in fiber.

Tags: Intelligent Nutrition, nutrient dense foods, smart weight loss