Read the first ingredient. If it is “wheat flour” or “enriched bleached flour” that means white flour was mostly used, not “whole-wheat flour.”
Go for 100%. Look for labels that say “100% whole wheat” or “100% whole grains.
Beware of misleading phrases. Words like “Made with whole grains” or “Multigrain” mean the bread contains different types of grains but isn’t necessarily 100% whole grain.
Give it a squeeze. Gently squeeze a loaf of bread before buying, the denser the bread the closer you’re getting to the whole grains you want.
Look for diversity. Bread doesn’t have to be plain to be healthy, look for breads incorporate seeds, nuts, dried fruit, and various whole grains.
Try sprouted breads. When grains are sprouted, starches and proteins are converted into smaller molecules that are easier to digest.
Look for a 10:1 carbohydrate-to-fiber ratio. For every 10g of carbohydrates in a serving there should be at least 1g of fiber.
Watch for hidden sugars. Corn sweetener, high fructose corn syrup, evaporated cane juice, cane juice syrup, brown rice syrup, most words ending in -ose (dextrose, maltose, sucrose, fructose, glucose), honey, molasses, brown sugar.
Check the serving size. Are those numbers for one slice or two?
Think outside the loaf. Switch it up with a whole-wheat pita, whole-wheat English muffin or whole-wheat tortillas.
