Healthy Kids First: Healthy Bread
By Mandy Curry on October 19, 2012 from Healthy Kids First
This month we’re taking you on a journey to find the healthiest products at the grocery store. Isn’t that always the most confusing part? We know that we shouldn’t buy Fruit Loops, but what is a better alternative?
Last week I joined our Healthy Kids Inc Dietitian at the grocery store. We spent a great deal of time dissecting product labels and ingredients in an effort to find those that we deemed healthier than their competition. Boy, do these product marketers have us fooled?
We won’t be bashing the competition (or even naming them), we’re simply pointing out what makes our featured brand a little superior to the others.
Over the next few weeks we’ll be tackling breads, milk, juices, yogurt, butter, breakfast to go, cereal, snacks, pasta, extra virgin olive oils, and eggs. 
This week, we start with bread.
The bread aisle is one of the most intimidating aisles of them all. White, Wheat, Potato, Flax, Grains, Rolls, and Muffins...it’s all very overwhelming. Many assume that “specialty” breads are the best. The loaves that have special packaging and boast numerous benefits (12-grain, flax seed, whole wheat- all in one). Surprisingly, these actually come with more calories because the size of each slice is a little larger.
The rule of thumb with bread is to look for those brands with 80 calories/slice (or less) and 100% whole wheat.
After considerable label comparison, the following hit our list of favorites:
Natures Own 100% Wheat Bread
This bread has only 50 calories per slice, 2 grams of fiber per slice and is 100% whole wheat. While price had no influence on the brand, this bread comes in at a minimal $2.99 loaf. Impressive, and #1 on our list.
Rudi’s Sprouted Multigrain Bread
This bread received a nice thumbs-up from the Dietitian. You can find Rudi’s in the healthy freezer section of your grocery store (we found this at Kroger). While Rudi’s boasts a few more calories than Nature’s Own it packs a strong lineup of healthy, organic, ingredients into each slice. This article from Livestrong.com will give you some additional information on the benefits of sprouted wheat bread. 
In the Muffin Category, Thomas English Muffins won the prize.
This muffin boasts 100% Whole Wheat, 25 grams of whole grains, and 120 calories per entire muffin.
So there we have it! Here are three healthy brands for you to consider during your next visit to the store. How easy is that? And don’t forget, the rule of thumb: 80 calories/slice (or less) and 100% whole wheat.
Next week we’ll share our favorites for milk, yogurt, and butter.
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