 in your sandwich bread?)
If you feel like you are doing the right thing by buying and eating “wheat” bread from your grocery store – you could be wrong. And if you are buying white sandwich bread or some sort of Whitewheat bread (like I used to buy) you might really be in for a surprise! Have you checked the list of ingredients on your sandwich bread? If you were to make your own bread at home, what ingredients do you think you would need? It really only takes a few essential ingredients to make bread: flour, water, yeast and maybe a little salt. Some bread recipes might also include some extras like honey (which does help preserve the bread), nuts, raisins, etc.
I used to buy Arnold “Whole Grains” Health Nut bread for my husband. I recently counted the ingredients on the label of his beloved bread – 40! As most of you know the ingredients are listed in a certain order. According to the FDA’s website “Listing ingredients in descending order of predominance by weight means that the ingredient that weighs the most is listed first.” So here is the list of what I found in this supposedly healthy “whole grain” bread that also contains “unbleached enriched wheat flour” which may sound okay at first glance:
WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR, UNBLEACHED ENRICHED WHEAT FLOUR [FLOUR, MALTED BARLEY FLOUR, REDUCED IRON, NIACIN, THIAMIN MONONITRATE (VITAMIN B1), RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), FOLIC ACID], WATER, SUGAR, CRACKED WHEAT, RYE, WHEAT GLUTEN, YEAST, SUNFLOWER SEEDS, GROUND CORN, NUTS (ALMONDS AND/OR WALNUTS), MOLASSES, SOYBEAN OIL, SALT, CULTURED DEXTROSE AND MALTODEXTRIN, WHOLE WHEAT, WHOLE WHITE WHEAT, BROWN RICE, OATS, SOYBEANS, TRITICALE, MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES, BARLEY, FLAXSEED, MILLET, CALCIUM SULFATE, DATEM, CITRIC ACID, GRAIN VINEGAR, SOY LECITHIN, HAZELNUTS, WHEY, NONFAT MILK.
image courtesy of www.grainmills.com.au
Now most of us have heard that white flour is “bad” for us. But, why is it so bad and is there anything wrong with “unbleached enriched wheat flour” as listed above? Well, I must break out the anatomy of a wheat kernel to properly explain this one. As you can see the wheat kernel has a few key parts: bran, germ and endosperm. Over a hundred years ago wheat was ground between big stone wheels, which removed the bran, but could not remove the germ (a.k.a. the embryo) of the wheat kernel. According to Michael Pollan the germ contributes “some of the most valuable nutrients to the flour, including much of its protein, folic acid, and other B vitamins”, although once the germ is crushed during the milling process it releases a nutrient rich oil that gives the flour a very short shelf life. So in the late 1800s rollers were developed for grinding grain, which “made it possible to remove the germ and then grind the remaining endosperm” which is basically a “big packet of starch and protein.” We were then left with a gorgeous white powder that could travel long distances without spoiling and was almost nutritionally worthless – Michael Pollan calls it “the first fast food.” Since then food scientists figured out what happened and began fortifying the refined grain with vitamins to try to add back what they thought was missing. This is why white flour – which is still technically made from the wheat plant – is often listed as “enriched” on your food labels. It also explains why when I recently compared the labels of my husband’s Arnold “whole grain” bread to my Nature’s Own “Whitewheat” bread it appeared – as if it was an illusion – that the Whitewheat had more vitamins and nutrients. But, studies have proven that there are “additional health benefits to eating whole grains that none of the nutrients (they added back in) could explain.” So you are better off eating real whole grain flour rather than white flour that tries to imitate what may or may not be important in the real thing. This summary also explains why whole grain flour should be kept in your fridge or freezer – did I really want to eat something like white flour that would stay “fresh” sitting on my pantry shelf forever anyway?
Back to the topic of what kind of bread we should eat! Now that we know it should only have whole-wheat flour and no enriched white flour what about all the other stuff they put in the grocery store bread that I can’t even pronounce? Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but my husband and I both picked through the majority of the sandwich breads (including the ones from the bakery) at our local Harris Teeter, Trader Joes and Earthfare and we could not find much of anything with suitable ingredients. So you could be adventurous and try to make your own bread or take a shortcut like I did and find a local bakery to make bread for you! I recently discovered and absolutely love Great Harvest Bread Company (which is a franchise with locations all over) because not only do they bake their bread daily, but they also grind their own wheat every morning – that is much better than I can do at home! You still have to pay attention though and make sure you don’t regularly buy their white breads that contain sugar, but instead stick to their whole-wheat options. Our new staple sandwich bread (which is also their most popular product) is their Honey Whole Wheat Bread that is made with the following FIVE ingredients:
OUR OWN FRESHLY STONE-MILLED WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR, WATER, HONEY, YEAST, SALT
At the Charlotte location this bread does cost $5 a loaf, but halfway through our first sandwiches with our new bread we quickly realized we were filling up fast – because it is REAL food! I used to fix my 2-year-old a whole peanut butter and jelly sandwich (she loves some PB&J), but now she usually fills up on a half. I only eat about a half sandwich of it myself. So the loaf does go a long way…and in my opinion it is very tasty for whole wheat bread (and that is coming from a previous white bread eater)!
PS – There are a few other things I have learned about buying bread from a bakery. You are not supposed to keep it in the fridge (for better consistency) and the shelf life is about 7 – 8 days. The bread can easily be frozen. We splurged one week on their Cinnamon Raisin Bread (INGREDIENTS: OUR OWN FRESHLY STONE-MILLED WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR, WATER, RAISINS, MOLASSES, YEAST, SALT, CINNAMON) and I froze half the loaf because we wouldn’t be able to get through the whole thing in a week. Also, they offer some items that can be special ordered like hamburger buns (minimum order is a dozen – freeze some for later!)
I really want to switch to a whole wheat bread, but I can’t find ANY bakeries near me that have bread with only the 5 ingredients you’ve listed. I can find some made with whole wheat flour, but then they seem to always have other ingredients such as soybean oil, cracked wheat, or wheat bran. Here is one example of the ingredient list in the whole wheat bread offered at a local bakery: Organic Germ Restored Wheat Flour, Filtered Water, Organic Whole Wheat Flour, Natural Sourdough Starter, Sea Salt
Are these ingredients okay? I’m feeling a bit frustrated that even the local bakeries seem to have more ingredients than necessary.
Hi Becca. I would probably keep looking for another bread. Do you have a Trader Joes? A lot of people have said they have breads with only 5 ingredients, although I have not seen any at our store here in Charlotte. You may also want to check out this recipe to make your own…http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/08/17/recipe-honey-whole-wheat-sandwich-bread-for-bread-machine/. Jill
I don’t think Great Harvest uses Organic Wheat. I’ve been reading a lot of information that wheat is quickly becoming all GMO. Are you concerned not buying organic wheat bread?
Kristen – To my knowledge there is no GMO wheat being used anywhere. While GMO wheat has been developed, marketing it was abandoned. I’ve verified this through multiple sources. I’m curious, where are you reading that wheat is quickly becoming all GMO? Obviously soy and corn are a different story.
Here is one story that I read from the Huffington Post…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/wheat-gluten_b_1274872.html
which states, “The Bible says, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Eating bread is nearly a religious commandment. But the Einkorn, heirloom, Biblical wheat of our ancestors is something modern humans never eat.
Instead, we eat dwarf wheat, the product of genetic manipulation and hybridization that created short, stubby, hardy, high-yielding wheat plants with much higher amounts of starch and gluten and many more chromosomes coding for all sorts of new odd proteins. The man who engineered this modern wheat won the Nobel Prize — it promised to feed millions of starving around the world. Well, it has, and it has made them fat and sick.”
There are other articles as well (which I’ll try to find) which refer to this genetically manipulated wheat as “FrankenWheat.”
I just find this very concerning, as I have 5 kids and they eat sandwiches quite often. I currently buy Trader Joes Whole Wheat bread (only 5 ingredients) but am concerned as it is not organic wheat.
[...] me timbers, Matey! If flour lived in Never-Never Land, enriched white wheat flour would play the part of Captain Hook. Arrrr. It’s bad to the core. In fact, it’s bad [...]
I am wondering if anyone knows of a good wheat free whole grain bread. I would love to consider this plan, but my daughter has a wheat allergy.
I am about to embark of the 10 day challenge and one of the biggest challenges I had at the local grocery store was buying bread. I ended up with Baraowsky’s Organic Flaxseed and Chia. The ingredients are: Organic whole wheat flour, water, Organic honey, Organic wheat gluten, Organic soybean oil, yeast, Organic flaxseeds, Organic cultured wheat flour, Organic chia seeds, salt, Organic malt, Organic soy lecithin.
I was wondering if this was acceptable and if not what ingredients should be removed in the next loaf I buy?
Hi Lacey. There are a few too many ingredients there, besides the soybean oil, malt and soy lechitin probably not being anything you would add to your own bread. In case you would like to try and make it yourself, here is a recipe…http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/08/17/recipe-honey-whole-wheat-sandwich-bread-for-bread-machine/. Also, there is a brand Breadsmith that only has 5 ingredients and I know it’s sold at Earthfare and Whole Foods here in Charlotte. You could also try the Ezekial breads. Good luck. Jill
Soybean Oil? Soy Lecithin??? Absolutely not! Any unfermented soy (ie. Edamame, soy milk, soy protein, soybean oil and soy lecithin) interferes with thyroid production! It also has an estrogen effect in our bodies, which, like the BPA problem, we should be avoiding at all costs! These ingredients are in most processed foods, even some with the requisite 5 ingredients!
For more info, simply google “soy & thyroid”.
I just read this on the Great Harvest site:
Q: Why don’t you recommend that all your bakeries use organic wheat?
A: A few local Great Harvest bakery owners use organic wheat, but we don’t recommend or require it for all Great Harvest locations. The term “organic” tells us about the history of the wheat, not the nutrient value. We do not use any GMO wheat. Very rarely is there a need for our farmers to use a chemical treatment after the wheat kernel forms on the plant but they do apply a post-emergent herbicide and pesticide to the plant when it’s in the leaf stage. This is to ensure that our wheat gets the right nutrients and has a consistent level of quality that we need to make the level of products we desire.
I was a baker for a Great Harvest franchise for a number of years (and I loved it!). One thing you’ll notice about GH is that there are great varieties of bread from one location to another. GH is setup on a ‘freedom franchise’; it is not a cookie cutter place. You will not find identical menus in any given location and owners are able to adjust recipes (we made plenty of awesome new recipes). So if you have specific questions the best thing you can do is call your location directly. For instance, in ours we never used white (or brown) sugar in our breads; only honey. We would soak grains for use in say, a 9-grain loaf. Or for our sourdough. However, other locations could very well do things slightly different. So feel free to call!
Hi, I was wondering what you thought of this brand, they seem to have “healthy” breads but sometimes the ingredients can be misleading. Im in Canada so these breads are easily accessible at my local grocery store. No wholefoods, trader Joes or Earthfare up here!
Thanks!
http://www.stonemillbakehouse.com/010~English/020~Healthy_Breads/
Hi LeesaJ. I am not familiar with that bread and a quick look at the site I didn’t see the ingredients. Jill
I was looking on the web for meal plan ideas to revamp for my ailing father. You have a very thorough and helpful blog here. I just want to point out a concern. Just like the typical American diet, there is a tremendous amount of wheat in your list of menu ideas. With Celiac, Crohns disease, IBS, ADHD and various other conditions popping up everywhere, wheat is repeatedly found to be a culprit. I have been learning that thanks to GMO’s, wheat is a very different beast than it used to be. I am not so sure it is such a great go-to grain for anyone anymore. There are many different other grains along with nut & legume flours that are very rich in a variety of nutrients for making wholesome cereals and breads. I encourage you to research this as well.
Wheat is not a GMO, although it has changed through selective breeding (as have most foods) in the past 100 years or so. They mean very different things, and this is a common misunderstanding. We’ll be writing a post about it soon.
Would making homemade white bread using unbleached bread flour be healthier than buying a loaf of wheat bread loaded with preservatives from the store?
Hi Kim. I can’t speak to the specifics of how that might weigh out. Certainly, you would know exactly what was in the one you make yourself. My question would be, though, why not try white whole wheat flour which is 100% whole wheat but a lighter grain? It is a great way to bridge the transition from white to whole wheat. ~Amy
Hi,
I love your site and visit it regularly as I’m embarking on my own journey of eating primarily real foods and have found it to be a valuable asset! My question is about “germ restored wheat flour”. From what I understand it’s wheat flour that has had the germ removed in the milling process and then added back in after milling is complete. Is this correct and would this be considered a real food by your standards? There’s a great bakery here in the Boston area that uses germ restored wheat flour in many of their breads and is quite convenient as it’s offered in many local stores… so while I enjoy making my own bread I’d love to find something that’s both yummy and convenient!
Thanks!
Can you give your opinion on this bread? To me it is new at Harris Teeter—LaBrea Organic Wheat bread:
Organic Wheat Flour, Water, Organic Rye Flour, contains less than 2% of each of the following: Sea Salt, Yeast, Organic Whole Wheat Flour, Organic Semolina, Organic Malted Barley Four, Sour Culture.
THANK YOU!
Hello Elizabeth. The most prominent thing that the label seems to be missing is the 100% whole grain part. That is the one thing you should look for first. Hope that helps. ~Amy
Any feedback on Rudi’s? rudisbakery.com
Hi Courtney. As store-bought brands go, Rudi’s is far better than most. It does not meet the 5 ingredient requirement, however, if you are considering it for the pledge. ~Amy
Hi I bought my first whole wheat loaf from Great Harvest and I am in love. Is this the same one you made the French toast with?
Hi. Yes, Great Harvest has delicious bread! Lisa used the whole wheat sliced loaf in this recipe. ~Amy
I make my own bread! I purchase my grain from Honeyville Grain Company and have a grinder attachment for my KitchenAid mixer. Here is a WONDERFUL website and they have videos to learn more about bread making- http://www.breadbeckers.com/.
[...] as soon as I make them, and if used as wraps they can add some variety to your lunch over typical sandwich bread. My 3-year-old’s favorite combination (which she lovingly calls a “roll up”) is to have [...]
Wildflours grinds their own wheat, has only 5 ingredients in their bread, and also sells whole wheat flour. Wonderful small family owned buisness here in TN. They do online orders. Look them up! Wildflours.org