FOOD NEWS
Why You Should Look Beyond the Label When Buying Healthy Bread
Navigating the supermarket bread aisle requires more than just checking for brown loaves. Experts suggest ignoring front-of-pack marketing and scrutinizing ingredient lists and nutrition panels to understand what is actually in your daily bread.
Navigating the supermarket bread aisle has become increasingly complex, with shelves crowded by a variety of brown, multigrain, and high-fibre loaves. While white bread is often dismissed as the less nutritious option, relying solely on colour or front-of-pack marketing claims can be misleading. Nutrition experts emphasize that the most effective way to choose bread is to look past the branding and examine the actual ingredient list and nutritional profile of the product.
The primary nutritional advantage of wholewheat bread lies in the retention of the bran and germ, which are stripped away during the milling of refined wheat flour, or maida. However, not every loaf marketed as wholewheat or brown is created equal. In India, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has established specific labelling requirements: bread sold as “whole wheat bread” must contain at least 75% whole wheat flour, while products labelled as “wheat bread” or “brown bread” are required to contain at least 50% whole wheat flour.
Decoding Labels and Ingredients
The term “brown” is often used as a marketing tool rather than a nutritional indicator, as the colour can be achieved through various additives rather than the presence of whole grains. Furthermore, the presence of multiple grains does not guarantee a high-fibre product. FSSAI regulations stipulate that “multigrain” bread must contain at least 20% grains other than wheat, but this does not specify whether those grains are whole or refined. Consequently, a loaf might be marketed as a premium multigrain option while still containing significant amounts of refined flour.Beyond the flour content, consumers should be wary of hidden additives. Packaged bread often contains added sugar, honey, jaggery, oils, and high levels of sodium. In some instances, a simple white bread made with minimal ingredients might be a more straightforward choice than a “healthy” marketed loaf that is heavily processed and packed with extra sugar or salt. While wholewheat remains a more nutrient-dense choice for daily consumption due to its fibre content, it is not a universal rule that every wholewheat product is superior to every refined-flour alternative.
Making Informed Choices
The key to selecting bread is to compare products side-by-side using the nutrition panel rather than relying on packaging claims. When evaluating options, shoppers should prioritize fibre content per serving and check for added sweeteners or high sodium levels. Nutrition guidance does not suggest that refined grains are inherently harmful or must be eliminated entirely; rather, the focus should be on the overall dietary pattern.Ultimately, the most informed approach is to stop choosing bread based on buzzwords like “healthy” or “multigrain” printed on the front of the packet. By scrutinizing the ingredient list and understanding the specific requirements for different bread types, consumers can make choices that align with their nutritional needs rather than being swayed by clever marketing.
