For most people, yes, bread is healthy. The biggest exception to this is people who have Celiac disease and should never eat wheat. For the rest of us, the right kind of bread can be eaten in moderation. The problem comes, as is often the case, when people overdose on the wrong bread products. That’s why I’m writing this article. To help you understand what type of bread is healthy so you can make the best choice in any situation.
When I was a kid, I lived on bread! I don’t know how I would’ve gotten through my childhood without peanut butter (and sometimes jelly) on bread. I’m sure our parents went through loaves of it every week. Our mother eventually switched us to whole wheat bread when we were fairly young. But as a grownup, I’ve realized that eating bread all the time isn’t a great idea.
One reason is that bread is a carbohydrate that turns into sugar pretty quickly in our bodies. There are also a lot of calories in each slice of bread which we don’t need as adults since we’re not as active. It’s better to eat whole grains and veggies all by themselves. Everything doesn’t have to be a sandwich!
So when great health became my goal, I made a rule for myself; I would mostly only eat bread if I made it myself at home from grains that I ground myself. I know this sounds ridiculous to many of you because it seems so time-consuming and extreme! But l want to explain my very simple process and how it’s helped me.
First, let’s briefly start with what bread isn’t healthy so you understand the whole story.
When bread isn’t healthy
For starters, all bread spikes blood sugar, which isn’t a good thing. One slice of white bread has around 100 calories and scores around 70 (out of 100) on the glycemic index scale (which shows how quickly foods turn to sugar in the body). Plain whole wheat bread is slightly better with only about 80 calories but it ranks the same as white bread on that GI scale. Why?
The problem is in the processing (refining) of bread. With refined white flour, the bran and germ are removed to make the bread softer and last longer on store shelves. But those are the parts of the grain that contain most of the nutrients, including fiber, that make the bread healthy in the first place.
In addition, processed “whole wheat” bread is usually made from mostly refined white flour and a small percentage of actual whole wheat. If you read labels, you’ll see “enriched wheat flour” listed on them. This means they added supplements back into the bread because they removed them when they “refined” it. Seems backwards, doesn’t it?
So if you see “enriched” on the label, you know it isn’t healthy bread.
A favorite doctor of mine, Michael Greger, has a short 1 ½ minute video about the health of white bread that is worth the watch!
Related article: Are you getting enough nutrients for good health?
When bread is healthy
The best store-bought bread is “100% whole wheat (or whole grain) bread”. With it, you’ll get the most natural nutrients along with the most fiber. The fiber slows down digestion to keep your blood sugar more steady. But always read ingredient labels so you know exactly what you’re getting. Sometimes they still add extra unnecessary ingredients.
It only takes 4 basic, well-known ingredients to make bread: flour, yeast, water and salt. Any other ingredients are just for added flavor and sometimes, in the case of manufacturing, to make it look prettier. So if you buy premade bread, make sure it says “100% whole wheat” and has a short and recognizable list of ingredients.
Having said that, the best and healthiest bread is what you can make yourself from either 100% whole grain flour, or whole grains that you grind yourself. Grinding the grains yourself ensures you get the freshest bread with all the nutrients that it should have. In addition, it tastes better than any bread you can buy in the store. And there will be no extra ingredients that you don’t want.
So now let me tell you about my bread journey since it wasn’t an overnight transition.
My personal bread journey
As I mentioned, my history with bread started when I was a kid and needed it to keep me going between meals (or as meals!). That was when most people still only ate white bread. But at some point, my health-conscious mother switched us all to wheat bread instead.
Nobody mentioned back then that wheat bread really wasn’t much different from eating white. But I’m sure the bread companies charged a little more for it and made a bunch of money. So everyone was happy!
My mother was a big influence on me so I continued to buy wheat into my adult years. Later on, I learned that it really needed to be “100%” whole wheat bread to actually be healthier. So I switched again and my husband didn’t like it much, but he put up with it!
At some point, my older sister took a bread-making class, bought a wheat grinder and started making (and raving about) her own fresh bread. That got me interested, so I decided to try it too. Let me just say that once you get used to homemade bread, anything else seems cheap and not-so-tasty. Now, every time we eat my bread my husband raves about it!
Everything in life is a journey and people can change!
How to make great-tasting, healthy bread
If you’re really committed to healthy eating and want to try making your own bread at home, then here are my recommendations.
Get a grinder
My sister took her bread-making class at a company called Bread Beckers Inc. in Woodstock, GA. So she bought her grain mill (grinder) through them. It’s called a WonderMill Grain Mill and is often on sale if you keep checking. It’s so easy to use and there’s no cleanup to speak of so you can’t really go wrong in purchasing one.
Buy your grain
The Bread Beckers recipe that I’ve always used suggests using Hard Red Wheatberries for loaf bread. They have a nuttier flavor and just work better for regular bread. It’s also more economical to buy your wheatberries in bulk to save money.
If you can’t find wheatberries somewhere near you, then you can buy them on their website. They also have lots of videos showing you how to use the grinder, walking you through recipes, and other helpful topics. I’m not getting paid by them to tell you any of this! They’re just a great resource that I happen to be familiar with.
The bread recipe I use
I was given a basic bread loaf recipe many years ago by my sister after she attended one of their classes. I have tried other bread recipes since then but I always came back to this one because I liked it the best. If you want to check out their website, they have many other recipes you can try in addition to just the bread.
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- 2 cups of hot water
- ½ cup of oil (⅓ c. if using an egg)
- ½ cup of honey (may use ¼ c.)
- 3 ½ tsp instant yeast
- 1 egg (optional)
- 5 cups freshly milled flour [I prefer to use 6]
- 2 tsp salt
- 1-2 Tbsp lecithin (optional)
- ½ tsp gluten (optional)
Directions:
Combine the water, oil and honey. Add 3 cups of the flour along with the yeast, salt, lecithin and gluten. Mix all thoroughly. Add remaining flour and knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes). * I found that it took much longer to knead it by hand so I finally resorted to using a KithenAid Mixer to do the work for me and I still let it knead longer than they say!
Cover it with a towel and let it rise in a warm space until it’s doubled in size. Divide it and put it into 2 large greased loaf pans and let it rise again. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.
Bread Beckers has a Bread Making 101 video on their website if you want more specifics on how it’s done. I usually think it’s better to learn from the experts rather than winging it, but I did figure it out on my own and my bread turned out great!
Preserving the bread
After I make my bread, I let it cool before slicing it all. Then I put 4 pieces each in plastic wrap and put them in the freezer in plastic ziplock bags. Homemade bread doesn’t last long on the counter and bread should never be put in the refrigerator. When we want some we take out 4 slices at a time and let them thaw before eating.
Other health benefits of homemade bread
One of the reasons I prefer to make my own healthy bread is because it won’t last on the counter like store-bought bread. It has to go in the freezer. Therefore, it’s not as easy to eat without thinking about it (I do the same thing with cookies!). That means I have to plan ahead if I want some, which makes it easier to control my carb obsession!
The other benefit is that once I put the effort into making bread at home, I want it to last a little while. I personally don’t want to make bread weekly so I cherish it and only have it with certain meals. My husband and I also like to make PB&J sandwiches to take when we go on hikes. It’s an easy, energy-filled lunch and is something to look forward to after hiking for 2 or 3 hrs!
My final thoughts
If you don’t want to make your own bread at home, you can definitely buy some healthy bread in a grocery store or bakery if you really look. Just study the labels and accept that you’ll pay a bit more for it. And that’s ok, quality products should cost more but you’ll spend less on healthcare costs later on!
If you choose to try making your own homemade bread, I think you’ll find that it’s worth the effort. You’ll save money and have a much better-tasting final product. You also get the benefit of choosing the ingredients yourself. That way you know it’s made with the freshest ingredients and will have all the natural nutrients it’s supposed to have.
Since I started making my own bread I rarely eat more than one slice a day, unless we’re out hiking. But for me, eating bread isn’t a daily habit. I save it for certain occasions or as a special treat to go with a particular meal. That helps me maintain my healthy weight and appreciate what I eat more.
Related article: Can you lose weight with exercise alone?
People can’t tell you how or what to eat, that’s up to you. But if you make better choices, you’ll have better health and will be able to enjoy life more. So think about where you want to put more of your effort. For me, food is an easy choice because I believe it’s the foundation of our health.