White, wheat, or rye? Years ago, that was pretty much all you had to decide in the bread aisle.
Now sliced bread has to share shelf space with a growing cadre of wraps, flatbreads, pitas, naans, bagels, English muffins, and other breadoids. More are whole grain (if not 100 percent) and higher in fiber (if not the best kind) than ever before. And many are thinner, which is a boon for consumers who aim to stay that way themselves. Thinner also means they’re lower (if not low) in sodium.
Best Bites (which are whole grain and have no more than 200 milligrams of sodium) are out there, but they’re not easy to find. Here’s what to look for in the breadish aisle.Information compiled by Melissa Pryputniewicz.
Thin is In
Bread is bigger than it used to be. Just two slices–not counting what’s inside your sandwich–can total 250 calories.
That’s why thin (or flat or slim) rolls have taken the bread aisle by storm. Each has just 100 calories, but plenty of room for your sandwich filling. Use them and save 150 calories that most of us could do without.
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As usual, you have to look for thins that are 100% whole wheat, not imposters that are “made with whole grain,” “whole grain white,” “7 grain,” or an “excellent source of fiber.”
The thins’ only disadvantage: several brands–like Pepperidge Farm Deli Flats, EarthGrains Thin Buns, and Trader Joe’s Slims–pack their rolls in a hard plastic container. It’s recyclable, but why add to the nation’s hard-plastic burden when other brands–like Arnold (or Oroweat) Sandwich Thins or Nature’s Own Sandwich Rounds–do just fine without it?
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Then again, Arnold and Oroweat Whole Wheat Thins have more sodium (about 230 mg) than Pepperidge Farm (170 mg), EarthGrains (150 mg), or Trader Joe’s (150 mg).
Get your act together, folks. Cut the sodium and the hard plastic.
Not-So-Big Bagels
If you’re used to honest-to-goodness bagels, especially New York bagels, you know that supermarket brands just don’t have the right texture. (Sorry to be bagel snobs, but honestly. They call those bagels?)
On the other hand, it’s easier to find a whole-grain, lower-sodium, slimmed down bagel in the supermarket than in a bakery. Thomas’ 100% Whole Wheat Bagel Thins, for example, have no white flour and just 110 calories and 190 milligrams of sodium per bagel.
Like all “thins,” they’re lower in calories and sodium largely because they’re smaller–about 1 1/2 ounces apiece. They’re essentially flatter versions of Thomas’, Sara Lee, or Pepperidge Farm 100% Whole Wheat Mini Bagels (which are also Best Bites). The difference is that the thins have more surface area for spreads or sandwich fillings (and they’re less likely to get stuck in a stand-up toaster).
Since when do we need to eat mini-bagels or bagel thins? Since most regular bagels ballooned to 3 1/2 ounces, which is nearly twice as much bread as you’d get in an old-fashioned sandwich (made with two sensible 1 oz. slices).
A ballooned-up whole wheat bagel from Thomas’, Sara Lee, or Pepperidge Farm packs about 250 calories (and 400 to 500 milligrams of sodium). A typical bagel at Einstein Bros., Starbucks, or Dunkin’ Donuts has 250 to 350 calories, without toppings.
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Muffin Madness
The marketing mavens at Thomas’ must get a bonus every time they come up with a new kind of English muffin. Here’s how to decode some of the names:
* Original Made With Whole Grain: mostly white flour, with more water than whole white wheat flour.
* Hearty Grains Double Fiber Honey Wheat: more white than whole wheat flour, plus inflated fiber numbers from added isolated fibers like modified food starch and polydextrose. (They’re not harmful. They just may not be as beneficial as naturally occurring fiber.)
* Hearty Grains 12 Grain: mostly white flour, with more water than whole wheat flour, more yeast than millet seed, more salt than cracked wheat, and more preservatives than oats, barley, triticale, kamut, amaranth, buckwheat, rice, rye, or cornmeal.
* Fiber Goodness Multi-Grain: white flour, with more salt than any of its “multi” grains and a slew of isolated fibers.
Instead, look for Thomas’ Hearty Grains 100% Whole Wheat English Muffins or Fiber One 100% Whole Wheat English Muffins. Both are only Honorable Mentions (thanks to their sodium–about 220 milligrams), and Fiber One has added isolated fibers. For a Best Bite, try Pepperidge Farm 100% Whole Wheat English Muffins (190 mg of sodium).
Pick a Pocket
It’s the pocket that makes pita breads worth buying. Unlike two separate slices of bread or a sliced roll or bagel, a pita can hold any veggie-rich sandwich filling–or even ai dressed salad–without cucumber or red pepper slices or tomato slipping onto your lap.
And, unlike most breads and bread-like objects, pitas aren’t typically loaded down with misleading 7-grain, high-fiber, and made-with-whole-grain claims.
The hard part: finding pitas with less sodium. Who needs the 320 milligrams in a 2 oz. Thomas’ Sahara 100% Whole Wheat Pita Pocket when a 2 oz. Toufayan Whole Wheat Pita gets away with 230 mg and a 2 1/2 oz. Trader Joe’s 100% Whole Wheat Apocryphal Pita has 140 mg? If you don’t live near a Trader Joe’s, look for whole wheat pitas from local brands like The Perfect Pita and Middle East Bakery. Just keep in mind that some companies list Nutrition Facts for just half a pita.
As for naans, the Indian flatbreads are starting to show up in supermarkets nationwide. Unfortunately, Trader Joe’s Whole Wheat Tandoori Naan is the only 100% whole-grain version we found.
Because naans are large (typically 3 oz.), you’re unlikely to find any with less sodium than Trader Joe’s 310 mg. Solution: eat just half.
It’s a Wrap
Wraps, tortillas, flatbreads. The names are different, but they’re all designed to cradle your chicken tuna beans or salad, and salsa, grilled or marinated vegetables, you name it. Some even make a good pizza crust.
Virtually every company offers a whole wheat version, though the only way to be sure it’s really whole wheat is to check the ingredients, not the name. Mission Life Balance Whole Wheat Tortillas, for example, are mostly white flour.
Many “low-carb” varieties contain more added oat fiber or other isolated fibers than whole wheat flour. The added fiber cuts the calories roughly in half (and seems to keep the wraps moist). A La Tortilla Factory Smart & Delicious Low Carb High Fiber Large Tortilla made with Whole Wheat, for instance, has just 80 calories.
The extra isolated fiber won’t hurt you, but it may not have the same impact on regularity or your risk of heart disease or diabetes as the intact fiber in whole grain. Our advice: ignore the “high fiber” claims that many low-carb tortillas slap on their labels. Buy them for their lower calories, not their artificially inflated fiber.
Unfortunately, companies are better at cutting calories and carbs than salt. Many medium and large tortillas and wraps hover around 300 milligrams of sodium. Only a handful of medium tortillas–like Trader Jose’s Whole Grain Flour Tortillas and Tumaro’s Low in Carbs Tortillas–manage to fall below our 200 mg sodium cut-off for a Best Bite.
