Stop eating these “BAD” bread

Read this before you buy bread next time. You may be putting toxins in your body !

Bread is one of the most common foods found in any household in the world. Our bakery market generated a revenue of around USD $402 bn and a per capita consumption of 24.5 kg in 2020 as per Statista. However, majority of us consume the simple “white” bread because it is cheap and tastes nice.

Health is not valued till sickness comes. ~ Thomas Fuller

With this amazing saying in mind, let’s read on to see how what we eat can have major long term effects on our health and well-being.

1. Contains Refined Flour

Such bread are always are made from refined flour which is very harmful for the human body (further read). Refined flour not only lacks essential nutrients but also scores high in glycemic index which spikes blood sugar levels and long term consumption may lead to diabetes.

A marketing strategy that many companies use to sell bread made of refined flour is the term “brown bread” or “wheat bread”. Most buyers think brown bread is healthy and is not made of refined flour.

However, we can see from the ingredient list that even a premium brown bread has its prime ingredient as refined flour. Most manufacturers just use the term “brown” to fool customers into thinking that it is made of whole wheat and healthy. Another thing to note is that these bread contain palm oil as edible oil which is both unhealthy and environmentally unsustainable as documented by BBC.

2. Preservatives

One thing common in the ingredients is the presence of preservatives. These preservatives help in increasing the shelf life of the bread. Such preservatives may cause health problems such as allergies and intolerances in the long run. However, the tradeoff is that without these preservatives, the shelf life of bread is very small, and it is still safer to eat mold-free bread that eating moldy bread. Later in this article, I will tell how one can get bread without preservatives.

3. What you should buy?

(a) Whole Wheat Bread

Buy bread which contains only whole wheat flour and sunflower oil or canola oil as the vegetable oil. Avoid bread with palm oil. However, such bread will still contain the preservatives to make them shelf stable and possible to sell in stores for longer time.

(b) Multi-grain Whole Wheat Bread

Multigrain whole wheat bread essentially are the same as whole wheat bread but with added nutrients by introducing healthy seeds and grains into the bread.

If you find bread with such ingredients, then even if it costs a few extra bucks, get it. These added ingredients are high in Omega-3 fatty acids which reduce inflammation in the body and also help keep a check on your body weight and diabetes. See my article on how Omega-3 can help in keeping control over you blood sugar levels.

Sesame seeds are also believed to lower bad cholesterol levels in your body and also bring in a nice crunch to the bread.

(c) Sprouted Bread

Sprouted bread is the best kind of packaged bread you will find. It is rich in zinc, vitamin B6, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, iron, and more. Its low glycemic index and low carb content make it more favorable than the regular bread for consumption.

(d) Freshly Baked Bread (preservative free)

If you want to buy bread without preservatives, one thing to keep in mind is that you should be able to consume the bread within a couple of days of purchase. This is because bread stats molding very quickly and consuming moldy bread is bad for your gut. These kind of bread are no filler-all thriller. They may be costlier than the supermarket bread, but the ingredients are best in class you can find if you are a bread lover.

So, if you want to buy bread, buy it wisely. Spend a few extra rupees and avoid the evil ingredients like refined flour and palm oil in a food that you eat daily.

(e) Whole Grain Brown Rice Cakes

After reading the article till here, if you think you just want to give up eating bread, but still want to eat yummy sandwiches, then you will absolutely 💓 this.

You can buy these brown rice cakes which are made of best of class ingredients and very filling for your tummy. This particular brand on Amazon and is the best certified organic rice cake you can find in the market. The “USDA Organic” logo bears a real authentic meaning that all ingredients are completely organic and NON-GMO

It is always important that you read the ingredients before buying any bread, or for that matter any packaged food. Companies slide in ingredients in their products which may be delicious and not harm you immediately but may become the cause of many of your health problems in the future. So, spend a few extra rupees, and always get bread with decent quality ingredients, if not the best.

Thank You & Eat Healthy

Disclaimer : This article is NOT to favor or insult any brand and its products. It is solely to provide information to the reader about the different ingredients, their impacts on the health and environment, and what they should look for when buying “bread”.

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