Joanne Turner's Blog by Joanne_Turner

There are so many different types of bread out there. White, wholemeal, grained, soy & linseed, sourdough, gluten free and wraps are just naming a few. With all this choice it can be confusing which one we should be choosing. So what are you to look for in your next loaf?

Label reading can be the first approach to picking a good loaf of bread. When label reading stick by these parameters:

• Total fat to be less than 5g per 100g
• Sodium to be less than 450mg per 100g
• Fibre to be more than 5g per 100g

Where you can it is best to choose a bread that has wholegrain or wholemeal as one of the first few ingredients in the ingredients list. This means that this will be one of the most predominant ingredients in the product which means more fibre and helping to achieve optimal health.

If you are going for a grainy bread choose a ‘wholegrain’ rather than a ‘multigrain’, multigrain can sometimes be a white bread with grains added to it, so it may still be lower in fibre and also not low glycaemic index meaning your energy levels may lag or hunger levels increase between meals.

What about if you don’t like grained or brown bread or the kids dislike this? That’s ok, choose a white bread that has extra fibre added. You can now get white bread that is higher fibre and also lower glycaemic index which is a bonus.

Other lower glycaemic index bread include rye bread, a denser stronger flavoured bread and high in fibre or a sourdough bread, this is lower fibre so ensure you are getting fibre from other sources such as cereals, fruits and vegetables.

If you feel like something different at lunch instead of a general sandwich, experiment with some flat breads such as a Lebanese or pita bread. Again to get the extra fibre choose a wholemeal type rather than a white.

If you have coeliac disease or are intolerant to wheat you could try a gluten free bread. These breads are usually a lot smaller in size and much more dense than ordinary wheat bread. The fresher you get these breads the better, toasted is also a lot more appetising.  Try ones with the wholegrains in them   

Raisin toast can be a good option for variety and it is low glycaemic index. It is a little lower in fibre however.  Always choose the toast slice rather than the thick cafe slice as you will save kilojoules this way.

Other bread you need to watch your kilojoules with is bread such as croissants, foccacia, garlic bread and cheese and bacon rolls, all higher in fats and/or kilojoules compared to other bread. Did you know a cheese and bacon roll has six times the amount of fat compared to a plain bread roll?!