White bread, brown bread, bread with bits in it, sourdough, rye, seeds, sweet bread, wholemeal bread, high protein bread… There’s a lot of bread on supermarket shelves, with each brand trying their best to convince you to choose their bread over anyone else’s.
And over on TikTok or Instagram, tanned up influencers are forever on about having sourdough and rye breads with avocado and poached eggs.
But if you’re making a conscious choice to eat a bread that’s better for your health and digestive system, which is the one you need? As always, the answer depends on your current health and future goals.
Here’s a more detailed look.
Reading the label
Firstly, let’s run through how to read the label on bread. Words like granary, wholemeal, wheat, kernel, sugar, brown, bran, etc… litter the packets, but which do you need to look for?
Check the ingredients list: if the first thing you see is a wholegrain (rye, wholemeal, oats, barley, buckwheat, wheatgerm, millet, for example) then you’re good to go. The Sainsbury’s Soft Multiseed Farmhouse is a good example, but as you’ll see, it does contain palm oil (which is 50% saturated fat so is best avoided).
Why are wholegrains healthier?
I’ll tell you why: they’re full of fibre, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and can help manage your weight, control blood sugars (great for Type 2 diabetes), and reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and certain types of cancer.
The Association of British Dieticians report the risk of Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke to be 30% lower in those who regularly consume wholegrains (along with sticking to a low fat healthy diet).
For this reason, it’s important to make sure the bread you choose is palm-oil free, as that is the opposite of a low-fat, healthy diet.
Healthier breads
Wholegrain bread
Look for bread with 100% whole grain/wheat as these contain the whole kernel (bran, endosperm, and germ). You want bread with grains and seeds throughout the slices, rather than just stuck on the crust. Hovis Granary bread doesn’t contain wholegrains (malted wheat flakes are added for texture) even though it looks like it should.
- Exceptional by Asda Wholemeal & Rye Farmhouse contains wholemeal wheat flour, but it does also contain palm oil.
- Waitrose No1 Ancient Grains Bread contains wholemeal rye flour and is palm oil free. It’s got more seeds than you can shake a stick at. As supermarket loaves go, this is the best option.
Sprouted-grain bread
Grains that have sprouted contain less starch, making the concentration of nutrients within them higher. And, to make it even better, the process of a grain sprouting breaks down phytate which normally decreases the absorption of vitamins and minerals, meaning it’s easier for your body to absorb the good stuff (and it also helps break down some gluten). It’s important to keep sprouted-grain bread in the freezer or fridge, however.
- Jason’s Sourdough Superb Sprouted Grain Sourdough loaf contains “Wholemeal Spelt Flour, Sprouted Whole Spelt Grains (8%)” – it is expensive, though. You get half a loaf of around 6-7 slices, plus the knobbler for £2.55. As the kids would say, it’s ‘spenny’.
- Everfresh Sprouted Wheat Bread 400g only contains one ingredient: 100% sprouted wheat. When it comes to being good for you, that’s about as good as it gets.
Rye bread
Rye bread is known for its high fibre content – the rye kernels and endosperm have greater amounts of this than wheat endosperm. It’s not just the fibre that makes rye good for you, it’s the bioactive compounds found in the grains that give the health boost.
Rye grains can be a good source of iron, zinc, potassium, and B vitamins.
Again, make sure the bread you’re buying contains whole rye grains, rather than just flours for the maximum of health benefits:
- M&S Only 4 Ingredients Wholegrain Sliced Rye Bread, 500g for £1.80
- Kelderman German Style Rye Bread, 400g for £2.10. It’s made of 54% rye kernels and wholemeal
Sourdough bread
Sourdough is made by a slow and natural fermentation process, and unlike other breads, the yeasts and bacteria are killed by the oven’s heat.
The slow fermentation process might make this bread better for diabetics due to its marginally lower glycemic index. But only slightly.
‘Sourdough starter’ is having a bit of a moment on TikTok so it’ll be easy to find a recipe to make your own. If you can’t be bothered, Sainsbury’s does a 400g Wholemeal Sourdough loaf for £2 or head to Asda for their Wholemeal & Rye Sourdough Sliced Loaf 500g for £2.44.
Seeded bread
The ones that contain flax, sunflower, or pumpkin seed can be a great source of healthy fats, fibre, and protein. Just remember to find a loaf that also contains wholegrains. Most of the examples above are wholegrain seeded breads – while seeds are easy to find, wholegrain breads are not. Always double check the label.
Unhealthy breads
- White bread: Made with refined flour which lacks minerals, vitamins, fibre, and protein. As it only contains the endosperm (the bran and the germ are stripped from the kernel), its glycemic index is higher than all of the breads in the healthy list above. It’s not a great option for diabetics, either.
Now, this is a hard one to avoid unless you pick the expensive, branded breads or make your own. Breads with added oils, sugars, syrups, preservatives or artificial additives aren’t healthy. Only a couple of the breads linked to above are free from all of the bad bits – it’s incredibly hard to find completely healthy breads in the supermarkets. Pick the health problems you’re trying to avoid (high cholesterol or glucose, heart disease) and choose breads that don’t contain ingredients directly linked to causing those.
