Who doesn’t enjoy fresh bread? Wrapped around a sandwich, or lightly toasted and not-so-lightly buttered. But with the rise of ketogenic and other low-carb diets, a lot of people are taking aim at this (now guilty) pleasure.
Which is too bad, because there are plenty of healthy options.
There’s a quantum difference between whole-grain, seed and nut-infused artisan bread, and the highly-processed white sandwich loaf – which was once the go-to choice for my school lunches.
I don’t blame mom, she also tried to get us to eat brown bread through the years. It’s just that we preferred the spongy white stuff. Mind you, I hate to admit that, at one time, I also preferred hot dogs to a juicy striploin steak.
Yeesh!
There’s a reason the consistent look and texture appeals to the finicky sandwich eater. Refined and enriched wheat flour primarily contains the grain’s “endosperm,” with much of the bran and germ removed. This results in few naturally-occurring vitamins and minerals remaining, although some have been added back – hence the term “enriched.” The grain has also been bleached, and stripped of much of its fibre.
Grains Make The Difference
Whole-grain breads, on the other hand, include all three parts of the grain kernel, along with more fibre and a wider variety of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients
There are many excellent whole grain breads from large producers, but if you want something really special, why not spend a little time shopping our bakery shelves? You’ll find less common labels along with the big names, many of which offer a good nutritional profile.
Some, but not all, are preservative-free and contain only natural ingredients. Others are organic and free of GMOs. Some are baked with sprouted grains, and others include mix seeds, nuts and dried fruits added to their dough.
Check out Ace Bakery, Stonemill Slow Crafted, Ozery Bakery, Stonefire Artisan Flatbreads and La Tortilla Factory. These cover a wide variety of bread products, and all have interesting stories. Best of all, they are delicious!
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– Neil
