Myth-Busting Bread: 6 Guilt-Free Breads That Are Actually Good for You
The following article was written by Heinen’s Chief Dietitian, Melanie Jatsek RD, LD.
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I’m not sure when the world decided to turn its back on bread, but people nowadays seem to feel guilty whenever they eat this ancient staple that dates back 14,000 years to our early hunter-gatherer ancestors.
I understand why bread gets such a bad rap. As it turns out, any time you take a whole food and process it to any degree, you run the risk of unwholesome ingredients being added.
For example, bread starts out as wheatberries, which are whole, intact kernels of the wheat plant. This whole food contains all the original parts that nature intended, including the bran, germ, and endosperm. To make bread, the wheatberries must be ground into flour or mashed into a dough. Because we haven’t stripped it of anything good or added any questionable ingredients, things are still looking pretty wholesome at this point.
Keep Bread Wholesome: Avoid These Ingredients
Wholesome bread turns unwholesome when artificial and ultra-processed ingredients are added. The following ingredients are not Fx™ -approved and do not belong in bread:
- High fructose corn syrup
- Artificial preservatives (BHA, BHT, calcium propionate, sorbic acid)
- Dough conditioners like potassium bromate
- Inflammatory seed oils (sunflower, canola, vegetable/soybean oil)
- Hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils
- Artificial colors
6 Fx™-Approved Breads Brands You Can Feel Good Eating
If you’ve fallen into the bread guilt trap, I’m here to rescue you with these six Fx™-approved breads at your local Heinen’s.
In the Bread Aisle
- Silver Hills Bakery
A new line of bread full of whole sprouted grains to help you get more nutrition out of each slice. Bread made from sprouted grains differs from regular whole grain bread because instead of being ground into flour, the wheat berries are soaked in water until they begin to germinate. This simple step enables the activation of enzymes in the grain to unlock more nutrients.
Fx™-approved varieties of Silver Hills Bakery bread include little big bread, multigrain organic, soft wheat organic, squirrelly, and the big 16.
- Carbonaut and Hero Bread
Two unique, high fiber brands made from resistant starch— a dietary fiber that “resists” digestion in the small intestine and travels straight to your large intestine where it feeds the good bacteria in your gut.
These breads have a super soft and chewy texture. Toasting the bread lightly will give you a more traditional bread experience if you prefer.
Fx™-approved varieties of Carbonaut include seeded (gluten-free and regular) and white (gluten-free and regular).
Fx™-approved varieties of Hero Bread include classic white bread, seeded bread, hotdog and hamburger buns, Hawaiian rolls, and tortillas.
- Dave’s Killer Bread
Kids and adults love this organic whole grain bread because it’s soft enough to please all palates while maintaining its nutritional goodness. Made from whole wheat flour, tri-color quinoa, whole flax seeds, sunflower seeds and steel cut oats, Dave’s Killer Bread is a smart step to elevate your breakfast toast, peanut butter and jelly, or Two Brothers turkey sandwich.
Fx™-approved varieties include good seed, thin-sliced good seed, powerseed, thin-sliced powerseed, and 21 whole grains.
In the Frozen Department
- Food for Life
Food for Life offers a superior line of sprouted breads, English muffins, pitas, and wraps. They use a unique slow-bake process to preserve the natural fiber and bran benefits of grains. And just like the rest of the brands on this list, they do it without using any artificial ingredients.
Fx™-approved varieties include all sprouted loaf breads, sprouted English muffins, sprouted wraps, and sprouted corn tortillas. Non-sprouted gluten-free options are also available.
In the Dairy Department
- Siete Almond Flour Tortillas
These tortillas are gluten-free, grain-free alternative for fajitas, tacos, and quesadillas. Trust me, you won’t know the difference!
Key Takeaway
Whether it’s essential vitamins and minerals from sprouted grains or extra fiber from resistant starch, the above bread swaps will take your meals to the next level without an ounce of guilt!
