Think your sandwich bread is healthy? Check the list of ingredients before you believe manufacturer claims.
Everyone knows whole wheat bread is healthier than white bread, right? I'm not so sure. A recent trip to my local supermarket offered me some shocking revelations about so-called healthy breads.
First, a bit of background. I love to make my own bread. If I have the time, I make it by hand. If not, I use my bread machine (takes literally 5 minutes to load the ingredients for most of my bread machine recipes).
But life being busy as it is, I often buy bread, too, especially for the kids' sandwiches. Now, like any good mom, I read the labels. I know that "made with whole grains" does not mean 100% whole grain. So I look for the words, "100% whole wheat" on the label.
I also look for "no trans fats." But these days, that isn't enough. Partially hydrogenated oils can sneak into products as seemingly innocuous as bread and still carry a "no trans fats" label.
Partially Hydrogenated Oils, Oh No!
Such was the case when I bought Arnold 100% whole wheat bread. A closer look at the label revealed partially hydrogenated soybean oil and high fructose corn syrup on the list of ingredients.
How is this possible? Well, the FDA allows any food with less than a half a gram of trans fats per serving to be labeled trans fat free.
I'm sorry, but I think that's cheating. Those half grams can add up over time.
But more importantly, if I'm going to the trouble of reading the label and buying the whole wheat bread in the first place and trying to pawn it off on my kids, who really prefer white bread, do you think I want any trans fat in it? Huh? Do you?
I know why the manufacturers do it. These are the ingredients that increase the shelf life of the product. I get it. But it doesn't mean I have to buy it.
That's why I say making m own homemade Italian bread or bread machine challah is better for my family than the majority of 100% whole wheat breads I can buy at the store. Yes, these white breads don't have as much fiber as whole wheat bread, but they do have plenty of protein and they have any nasty ingredients that lead to heart disease.
And if it makes you feel better, you can always make whole wheat bread in your bread machine.
