Yes, I eat bread.
It’s time to address the many questions I get about one of most wonderful and satisfying foods on earth – Bread! I don’t want to live without it and you shouldn’t have to either.
Bread is a really hot topic and is targeted as the root of many health problems. Overall, bread gets a bad reputation because grains are not easy for your body to digest, can overwork your pancreatic enzymes, contain the anti-nutrient phytic acid and an abundance of dreaded gluten. Also, our wheat crops in this country have been through some serious genetic manipulation to make them profitable for the food industry and less healthy for us.
The main problem with wheat (unless you have a gluten sensitivity) is that we as a culture eat too much of it in general. Just take a look at the typical American diet – a bagel for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch and rolls or pasta for dinner. That’s a lot of grain in just one day. Even larger amounts would be consumed if we take into consideration common snacks like crackers and desserts like cookies. Additionally, commercially available grain-based products that line grocery store shelves and are served at restaurants are unhealthy. They are full of ingredients that are not food, like azodicarbonamide (the same chemical in yoga mats and shoe rubber), other chemical dough conditioners, added sugars, artificial flavorings or coloring and GMOs. Flour can be treated with any of the 60 different chemicals approved by the FDA before it ends up on store shelves – including chemical bleach! Also, the industrial processing destroys nutrients, such as Vitamin E and fiber. Remember, it only takes 4 ingredients to make bread – flour, yeast, water and salt, there’s really no need for all that other nonsense.
If you are like me, you probably want to enjoy the occasional piece of bread without subjecting yourself to of all these questionable ingredients. I’ve done a lot of research on bread brands, and have uncovered what can make grains really unhealthy and which ones make a nutritious addition to any diet because they are whole, unadulterated and real foods.
Examples of Store-Bought Breads To Stay Away From:
Please note: Nature’s Own Bread recently took out azodicarbonamide, but is still not recommended. The picture of ingredients was removed after this news release in WSJ on 2/28/2014.
The Health Wrecking Ingredients in Bread:
- Dough Conditioners – these are unnecessary in traditional bread making and only make the process faster and cheaper for the food industry to make bread in big machinery. Many dough conditioners like azodicarbonamide (which is banned all over the world), DATEM, monoglycerides, diglycerides, sodium stearoyl lactylate are linked to health issues. Many dough conditioners start with manipulating fat – like soybean oil or corn oil, which is also most likely GMO. Nature’s Own, Arnold, Wonderbread, Martin’s, Sara Lee, and many other popular brands are guilty of using dough conditioners.
- Preservatives – Bread is supposed to be fresh and eaten within a few days from baking unless frozen. If you see preservatives like calcium propionate, which is linked to ADHD, put the bread down and keep searching. Warning: Pepperidge Farm uses this ingredient to “retard spoilage.”
- GMOs – Most commercially available breads contain one or many genetically modified ingredients like soy lecithin, soybean oil, corn oil, corn starch or soy flour. GMOs have not been tested long term on humans, however we know that the pesticides sprayed on them are absolutely toxic and considered to be poisonous. Some GMOs are created by inserting a toxic pesticide into the seed itself to make an insect’s stomach explode when they try to eat it.
- Added sugar – This is where you really need to watch out. There’s nothing wrong with a little honey to bring out the sweetness in whole wheat bread, but most manufactures are using high fructose corn syrup, GMO sugar made from sugar beets, or some other artificial sweetener like “Sucralose” that are not the best forms of sugar and can pose health risks. Almost all commercially baked brands have some form of added sweetener – especially watch out for “light” breads, which often contain more added sugar like “Arnold Bakery Light.”
- Artificial flavors and coloring – These ingredients are made from petroleum and are linked to several health issues like hyperactivity in children, allergies and asthma. They are easy to spot on the label because the FDA requires it. However, ingredients like “caramel coloring” can fool you into thinking this ingredient is a real food. Most industrial caramel coloring is created by heating ammonia and is considered a carcinogen when created this way. Martin’s potato rolls have Yellow #5 and Yellow #6, and Thomas’s English Muffins have caramel coloring.
Now before I share my top recommendations for the best (and healthiest) breads on the market – I should tell you the truth about how much bread I actually consume on a weekly basis. My diet consists of mostly plants like fruits, vegetables, seeds, beans and nuts along with the occasional meat, dairy or bread product. However, when I travel – I like to enjoy the local culture (think crossisants in France and pizza in Italy). I’m not about giving up whole food groups. My diet is about balance and choosing the most nutritious choices, but I do like to live a little and have my bread on occasion! At the grocery store, I buy the best of what’s available for my body and here are the choices I feel good about buying.
Thankfully, you don’t have to get out the bread maker or learn to make bread from scratch. There are many healthy bread options available – if you just know what to look for!
The Healthiest Breads On The Market
Sprouted Grains – I love sprouted grains because they are technically vegetables. To sprout a grain, you just soak it until it begins to sprout into a little plant. These sprouts are then ground up to make bread. When you eat a grain that has been refined into flour, your body quickly metabolizes it like a sugar, which causes your insulin to spike. This can make you gain weight and contributes to diabetes and inflammation. For all of these reasons, I don’t buy bread that is primarily made from flours, especially “wheat flour” which is really just white refined flour. The sprouts are much more easily digested than starchy flour, and contain more vitamins, minerals and antioxidants than whole grains. Phytic acid is destroyed when the grain sprouts, so your body is able to absorb the nutrients in these grains – which makes them that much better for you!
My favorite sprouted grain bread is the classic – Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread by Food for Life – it’s made up from six different organic sprouted grains and absolutely no flour! This combo of sprouted grains contains all 9 essential amino acids, which makes up a complete protein. I use their “Cinnamon Raisin” version to make this yummy breakfast casserole. There are no preservatives in these breads, so I keep them in my freezer and take out portions as I need them. I also love the sesame seed bread, whole grain tortillas, corn tortillas and english muffins by Food for Life. Hands down – they are the healthiest breads on the market. They are available in most health food stores and some conventional stores in the freezer section.
Other good sprouted breads are Manna’s Sunseed bread and Dave’s Killer Bread Sprouted Wheat, which are both a healthy combo of organic sprouted wheat and seeds.
Ancient Grains (spelt, quinoa, amaranth, millet, sorghum) & Gluten-Free – Unlike wheat, these grains are called ancient because they haven’t changed for thousands of years. They are packed with nutrients and many of these grains can be used to make gluten-free bread. Just make sure that the bread you are buying is labeled as “gluten-free” if you are trying to avoid gluten – because not all ancient grains are gluten-free and they may be blended with wheat. Manna makes a good gluten-free bread with brown rice, sorghum, millet, amaranth, quinoa and chia seeds. Please note, almost all gluten-free breads contain added sugar in the form of honey, molasses, agave nectar or evaporated cane juice.
Here’s A Quick List Of Healthier Breads:
Sprouted Grain Breads
- Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread – Food for Life (all varieties – 7 grains, sesame, genesis, flax, cinnamon raisin, tortillas, muffins)
- Sunseed Bread – Manna
- Banana Walnut Hemp Bread – Manna
- Sprouted Multi-Grain Bread – Rudi’s (contains added sugar)
- Sprouted Wheat Bread – Dave’s Killer Bread (contains added sugar)
- Sprouted Wheat Multi-Grain Bread – Alvarado St. Bakery (contains added sugar)
Gluten-Free Breads
- Buckwheat Bread – Happy Camper’s (contains added sugar)
- Gluten-Free Rice Almond Bread – Food for Life (contains added sugar)
- Gluten-Free Exotic Black Rice Bread – Food for Life (contains added sugar)
- Gluten-Free Super Chia Bread – Nature’s Path (contains added sugar)
- Good Morning Millet Toaster Cakes – Ancient Grains Bakery (contains added sugar)
- Gluten-Free Deli Rye Style Bread – Canyon Bakehouse (contains added sugar)
Ancient Grain Breads
- Gluten-Free Ancient Grains Bread – Manna (contains added sugar)
- Spelt Ancient Grain Bread – Rudi’s (contains added sugar)
- Good Seed Spelt Bread – Dave’s Killer Bread (contains added sugar)
See a PDF of the full list of ingredients here
Last – but NOT LEAST – Remember to always choose bread that is made with real certified organic ingredients. The wheat that is used to make most bread is heavily sprayed with pesticides and by choosing certified organic products you will avoid exposure to GMOs.
Now, let’s go break some bread with our loved ones and share this article with them. Everyone deserves good bread without chemical additives that can wreck their health.
Xo,
Vani
Very informative article on bread. I read a news report that human hair and goose feather from China is processed and used in making bread. Would appreciate if disclosure of this can be enforced on bread makers.
Also big Warehouses like Costco should certify that the bread they sell is free of human hair and goose feather
Thank you
the US FDA allows for certain amounts of rodent hair in various products, something they call an “unavoidable defects”: one rodent hair for every 100g chocolate, 22 rodent hairs for every 100g cinnamon and five rodent hairs for every 18oz jar of peanut butter.
Well, I am never eating again in my life. Thank you. lol
Ack! I’m with Amanda. That is just nasty!
oh please, the hair is sterilized when it’s baked in a 400 degree oven..
Thanks Mike – I just found a way to lose these last 30 pounds of baby weight….NEVER EAT AGAIN! 🙂 You may never read this but your comment just pushed me all the way off processed / packaged foods. I am giving myself 30 days to come up with another place & way to buy everything that my family eats. Yuck. That did it.
I live in the Netherlands and a little while ago I discovered the same thing. In all regular bread in all its variations, they use a substance called “broodverbeteraar”, which I don’t know the english name for, but flat out translated it means “bread improver” It is added to allmost all flour usable for normal (not “ancient” like Foodbabe discribes) bread. The stuff is supposed to make the bread more even, fluffier and stay “fresh” longer.
It is indeed made out of mostly human hair, collected from the floors of barber shops in China. The hair is than manually and roughly checked for other stuff, like cigarette butts and other trash, after which it is “washed” in ammonia. I don’t recall exactly what comes after, just that it also passes through a “leach” substance (base, the opposite of acid) and finally it is dried and ground to a fine powder. This powder is then shipped to large flour “mills” (factories is the better word probably) and added to most flour.
This was featured in a television report and they had a baker (!) test and taste bread with and without the stuff and even he chose (not knowhing which was which) the bread WITHOUT the “bread improver”.
Funny is, that it is nearly impossible to get bread or even flour without the stuff. Supermarkets are a no-brainer, but even bakers hardly know about it and none in my area had bread without it. The only possibility is to go directly to a miller and specifically order “clean” flour…
I have tried some non-grain breads but they are so different from “regular” bread that they really arent a substitution. More of a different option alltogether. I guess it is a “mind-thing”, we are better off to de-program ourselves that bread is “normal” and learn to eat different, like we should with sugar and other modern but very unhealthy foods and food-components.
It’s labeled as L-Cysteine in the states. Made from feathers or hair and in most of the bread products in my grocery store. Disgusting.
That is beyond gross. I gag if I come across a hair in my food!
So basically this stuff is ground up hair. I don’t know how that would improve any food product. Ugh.
L-Cysteine is an amino acid – all proteins are made from amino acids. Hair, nails, featers are made mainly from proteins – and thus contains amino acids. Its actually essential to get proteins – just because they are made from amno acids. Some our body can make some it cant. Cystin can be synthesized (or we get it from food). When applied on an idustrial basis its of course not used a “ground up hair”. Grow up – be concerned about the real issue – not hair! I dont think that amino acids are considered the least dangerous (and you would die if they wernt there). Some of these post in the comments are like trolling. They will scare you of di-hydrogen-oxide (is a very dangerous compounds – millions of people have died from exposure) then laughing of you because its just water – and yes millions of people have died from exposure (drowning).
Out of curiosity…Why should we stay away from Xanthan Gum? It is in most gluten free bakery options. What can replace xanthan gum?
Don’t worry about human hair but worry about GMO grains in your food as well as radiated grains (that Monsanto trying to sell to us as organic) with destroyed DNA that our bodies immune sells don’t recognize and attack creating inflation. Rodents and human hair is a diversion of your attention from the real problems that are posed by biotech industry and should be stopped. Eziekel bread contains soy – there no such thing as organic soy on this planet anymore thanks to years of pollution from Monsanto GMO grains on this planet.
This is so true!!! Dr. Oz last week had someone on to verify that feathers and human hair is in fact added to some breads to make them fuller when baked. Check his show between the dated of 9/8/14 – 9/12/14.
At least those rodent hairs have a bit of protein in them!
but Costco is the only seller of “Dave’s killer bread” that I know of..
I’ve also found Daves at Walmart and Safeway here in WA.
I eat trader joes sprouted rye bread
they also have several other sprouted and flourless breads to choose from
I have fatty liver disease and was advised to stay away from wheat, but to eat whole grains. Would Ezekiel 4:9 ® Sprouted Whole Grain Bread fit into that? Would the Organic Sprouted Wheat be as bad as the wheat I was told to stay away from?
Hi Jarron,
You have to be very careful with what you eat of course, you really need to find out the root cause of where the disease has come from. Usually due to poor food choices, you should be aware of the types of ingredients that have a biochemical processes within your body.
Fats are not the enemies, read an excellent book called Fats that Heal Fats that Kill – Udo Erasmus.
And have a read of A Gerson Therapy by Charlotte Gerson. It is most important to ensure what exactly is happening in your body before diving into a treatment.
Hope these help, it looks as if you are already seeking out natural alternatives so, I admire you for that, this is the path to enlightenment. After all, your 6th sense, is located in your gut. Good luck my friend.
Alex
Jarrod, I have had fatty liver disease too. It is totally diet related. Surprising for me, because I thought I was eating healthy when I found out my liver was fatty. Low fat, processed food diets lead to this disease. The good news-it is reversible. Books that have greatly helped me are “Fatty Liver-you can reverse it” and “Unlock the secrets that keep you fat” both by Sandra Cabot. She also has a website. She focus on diet, but also sells her own brand of supplements as well. I have healed my liver, and lost weight in the process, and have a lot more energy. Food is Medicine!!
I usually buy the Ancient Grains Kirkland Brand(Costco) ones and they are great.
Our Costco stopped carrying the Kirkland Ancient Grains – very unhappy! I guess the $6.79 price tag for 2 loaves scared too many people???
Our Costco just quit selling this a month ago too. I’m pretty bummed. I was told to drop them a comment in their box by the front door. I loved this bread!
I normally buy Rudi’s Gluten Free Bread which so far is the best tasting bread I have found but I am sure there are GMOs in this too. I have tried Udi’s before and not bad but I love their 3 cheese Gluten Free Pizza. I wish I read your website before I just purchased 2 of the pizzas…..bummer. I guess I will have to start making my own crust from now on. It is really hard to find a good tasting gluten free bread that doesn’t have any GMOs. Many of them taste like sawdust. Love all the information you provide for us on your website. Thank you for doing the research.
Rudi’s is a factory bread. We are individuals who make bread for other individuals.
We make our breads with wheat, water and salt. No added gluten. No yeast. No flour. Not. One. Speck. We sprout (prepare) our grains and have developed our own sprouted starter. In other words, we make a bread that is second to none. Flavorful. Nutritious and entirely digestible.
Please explain who is “we”
Yes; who are the “we ” you keep referring to?
I just came across this website and thoroughly enjoy it. I have been looking for a GMO-free bread and have been eating Ezekiel 4:9, which the Food Babe recommends, and which the wife and I enjoy. A book I suggest reading — and which points out the perils of eating GMO grains — is “Wheat Belly” by William Davis, MD.
Another good book is Grain Brain.
Thanks, Carole. I’ve placed a hold on it at our library….Jim
The problem I have with Ezekiel bread is that it has gluten added to it.
Thanks, Carole. I’ve placed a hold on it at our library….Jim
Berlin Bakery is a good choice, too! Their Sourdough Spelt bread has only 3 ingredients: spelt flour, water, salt. I am not connected with them in any way, I just buy their products sometimes. 🙂
Yes, I love their bread too. Just wish it wasnt so expensive, as all the healthy options are. I wonder how hard it would be to make my own with spelt?
What about Sami’s Bakery Millet & Flax Bread? We eat this all the time!! Also Canyon Bakehouse Gluten Free Bread. Both come frozen and can be ordered online. 🙂
Thank you bunches,
Sue Muncy
We get our bread from Great Harvest Bread Company – 5 simple ingredients.
I have been buying the Sara Lee 100% Whole Wheat Bread for some time now. I know it’s not perfect, but the ingredients on the package are NOT the same as what you showed. The current ingredients are: Whole Wheat Flour, water, wheat gluten, yeast, sugar, molasses, salt, soybean oil. wheat bran, datem, calcium propionate (preservative), monoglycerides, calcium sulfate, monocalcium phosphate, cornstarch, soy lecithin, citric acid, grain vinegar, potassium iodate, soy flour. A lot of these are not good, of course, but it no longer has high fructose corn syrup or azodicarbonimide or sodium steryol lactylate. I purchase Rudi’s gluten free bread for myself. It is hard finding a good tasting gluten free bread, too.
What is your opinion on Franz Gluten Free 7 Grains bread? Ingredients are water, brown rice flour, tapioca starch, agave syrup, whole grain sorghum flour, xanthan gum, whole grain millet seed, rice flour, cultured brown rice flour, red quinoa seed, dried whole egg solids, whole grain teff seed, extra virgin olive oil, sugarcane molasses, whole grain amaranth seed, sea salt, whole grain millet flour, instant dry yeast, calcium sulfate and enzymes. I am all new to allergies of wheat, soy and dairy. Opinion on this one?
The only ingredient i would worry about there with a soy allergy is the yeast! Many ingredients that are in uniform little balls like yeast and “pourable ” spices , are processed with soy. Technically not an ingredient….so not listed as such. So depending on how sensitive you are to it, you could react. It is a tough allergy to control because of all the names given to it…so far i have found 60!! Be careful!!!
Here in Canada we have a great bread company out of BC called Silver Hills. They make GREAT sprouted grain breads.
I love that bread! All sprouted grains, organic and non-gmo. They even use bags that decompose after awhile. I suggested to Food Babe to put that on the list of approved breads as it’s not only available in Canada – it’s available in the U.S. too but it’s not on the list as of yet.
Thanks for the article! My husband can’t tolerate floury stuff very well (bagels, breads, tortillas, and the like); he gets terrible heartburn after eating the stuff. 🙁 But I’ve been giving him the Ezekiel Bread at breakfast and he doesn’t have any problems digesting it. I explained to him how the bread was made so we’re sure his heartburn stems from either some additive that is put in a lot of these bread/flour products or something to do with the processing of the flour itself.
Now I’m craving some Manna Bread- my local stores don’t sell it so I haven’t eaten it in ages. 🙂
I would also recommend any of the Vermont Bread Company products. All-natural. No preservatives. No high-fructose corn syrup. Amazingly, they hold longer than preserved breads.
I was surprised that Powerseed Bread (Daves Killer Bread) was not listed. It’s my favorite. Instead of added sugar it has organic fruit juices (Pear, Pineapple, Peach).
Since we are GF there are only 4 breads we eat. Our own blend, Pamela’s Bread mix, Eleanor’s Bake shop in Sandy, UT and Canyon Bakehouse in CO that we can buy at Target. They are the only ones that DO NOT contain potato starch as my wife has severe arthritis and cannot have any night shades. Stay away from all gluten if you can. There are over 183 ailments that can be linked to gluten and almost all doctors want to give you pills for what you have. Try being GF for a month and see it it helps. If it does great, if it doesn’t well at least you tried and you know.
Nice. I have 4 of the breads from the picture you posted in my fridge or freezer as we speak!
P28 Protein Bread All Day!
Oh wow1 I have eaten Udi’s bread and did not particularly like it. I t was so dry in taste and texture. I was eating the gluten free bread from Whole Foods. Can you check that one out? I like that one better in taste. It is costly at 4.99 or 5.49.Thank you for the better gluten free breads to eat. I hope I can find them where I shop.
How about Costco’s Organic ancient grains bread?
Dear Sir,
How come no one talks about the fact that some bread company’s put psyllium in their bread products? I quit eating bread products years ago because I am allergic to
psyllium. In small amounts it clogs up my head and I have a hard time breathing at night. It causes me to snore like a freight train. In large amounts it is like I have asthma. Bread products do not list it as a ingredient. Why not? Some gluten free breads put a lot of psyllium in their products.
I use psyllium for my fiber shakes. It does tend be very glue like which is what gluten does. It binds the bread together like gluten I imagine. That would be my guess.
Do you do product reviews on natural supplements? I have diabetic clients looking for electrolyte replacements. I found a great article at that explains some of the wide range of foods you need to eat to ensure you are getting the right mix of electrolytes at http://www.e21.com.au/electrolyte-replacement/ but am keen to expand my knowledge – Thanks
i want to eat healthy, but can’t buy bread at whole foods its too expensive. what kind of bread can i buy that regular stores such as food lion and walmart carry?
hmmmm, just looked at the ingredients for sara lee 100% whole wheat, and the information they provided is false. Im looking at it right now and does not have all the ingredients they listed! NOT ACURATE INFORMATION
This is very interesting, but it doesn’t address one of the most important issues I have with choosing a bread. Sodium. I have a very limited allowance of sodium per day, and it really becomes an issue when two slices of bread to make a sandwich add up to more than a third of it.
Ezekiel 4:9 has a low sodium version. http://m.foodforlife.com/product/breads/ezekiel-49-low-sodium-sprouted-whole-grain-bread
Hey Food Babe,
Simply outstanding, in depth life saving information! Your are truly saving lives! I’ve been at the grocery store lately wondering how many of the whole grain breads I was looking at were really healthy. Man, you really need a chemistry degree to decipher everything because of all the chemicals. It’s extremely upsetting to me that all these horrible, unnatural, unhealthy ingredients are allowed in our food. They shouldn’t call all the natural food organic. They should just call it real food they don’t mess with. I feel like many of us health conscious people should team up and get congress the pass laws to ban all this junk in our food that is harming people and wrecking their health. Any suggestions are welcomed.
Your Natural Health Buddy,
Jimbo
Jimbo,
I so agree with everything you said. You need a chemistry degree to decipher the ingredients in our foods. Grocery shopping turns into a 2 hour process because I’m standing there reading labels not knowing what half the ingredients are so I have to google there in the store. It is difficult to find a list on a product that you can actually read. And again, things we would never put in our mouth (like human hair) gets called by something else so it is rarely transparent as to what the things on the label truly are. I am so so sick of the food industry inconspicuously and deceptively killing us. They are probably in cahoots with the pharm co. so that eventually we are all on some kind of medication to lower cholesterol, asthma, etc. (That may sound conspiracy theory but look at the health of gen. pop.) People need to come together and change things that protect those who fill their pockets at our expense. Whether it be laws or bans, something needs to be done. And lastly organic and healthy should not only be accessible to those with money. I love my boys more than I ever thought was imaginable and I want to feed them foods that will prolong and preserve their health and life. (I really buy as healthy as possible) but being on a limited budget makes it difficult to buy organic, Trader Joe, Whole Foods. We should all be able to buy healthy and without chemicals.
I’m ready to fight!
Where do I sign up?
What you say is not some false sense of reality. It’s a fact and it is a conspiracy because these mega food companies and the drug industry DO conspire to make money off us, influencing Congress and the legislation they pass. So good luck with getting Congress to do the right thing on behalf of the public’s health. Ain’t gonna happen. Most are opportunists and bagmen for those who are really in charge of this country: Corporations.
In the 1970s when this country adopted the low fat, high carb diet, it was based on a government panel. The scientists and nutritionists that sat on that panel and came up with those guidelines were those who also worked for the drug and food industry. Conflict of interest, ya think? The scientific and nutritional community were emphatically opposed to these new guidelines and wanted more research done to prove that fat was the culprit, because the only studies done that inspired the connection to fat and heart disease was based on “bad science”, also known as observational studies, that’s where you will often hear the media say words like “associated” or “linked” to. But when traits are linked to, or associated to, you can prove some of the most outlandish things, like you can prove that there is a link to bald men and heart disease, if you wanted, even though male patterned baldness does not cause heart disease. An observational study can say it does. When good science wants something they’re willing to consider proof, they’ll conduct the other kind of study – a clinical study. Clinical studies are the gold standard. They’re the only kind that really matter. And there has never been that kind of study done independent of the food industry or drug companies. However, the Swedes recently concluded a 16 yr study and discovered that those early scientists and nutritionists from the 1970s that opposed the new low fat guidelines were right. Fat does not cause heart disease and the guidelines we have for high cholesterol are too low in order to keep most every elderly person on medication. Anything below 331 is acceptable. But it would take an act of God to reverse the falsehoods that the pharmaceutical companies and the food industry, that have so much to lose in profits, will never, ever allow. Your health is far better off in another country, where adults are running the government, not some corporate gangsters who are only interested in fleecing the American public. And our Congress is complicit in this because they’re one in the same.
Hi Food Babe — I’m with Jimbo & everyone else that feels as he does. We all need to continue the fight & continue to spread the word about what they are doing to our food, us, our children & grandchildren, our land, our country. Thank you for all you do, I stand with you. Cindy
Hey Food Babe,
Simply outstanding, in depth life saving information! You are truly saving lives! I’ve been at the grocery store lately wondering how many of the whole grain breads I was looking at were really healthy. Man, you really need a chemistry degree to decipher everything because of all the chemicals. It’s extremely upsetting to me that all these horrible, unnatural, unhealthy ingredients are allowed in our food. They shouldn’t call all the natural food organic. They should just call it real food they don’t mess with. I feel like many of us health conscious people should team up and get congress the pass laws to ban all this junk in our food that is harming people and wrecking their health. Any suggestions are welcomed.
Your Natural Health Buddy,
Jimbo
During a recent two week trip away from home I neglected to refrigerate the remains of my loaf of Dave’s Killer Bread, 21 Whole Grains and Seeds. I then noticed upon my return that it was not suffering from any mold I could see and was similar to how I left it, like I had only been gone a few days. I wonder what is really in this bread to allow it to go so long during the hot summer time in California w/o any signs of spoilage? I doubt that most breads with listed preservatives would have lasted so long.
Thus, I think a Food Babe investigation is needed to find out what is really in this recommended bread. Hey, it tastes really good but it lasts way too long!
In reference to hair & feathers as l-cystine in bread…Can anyone say Soylent Green? This is a start. ( SG
is a scifi book made into a movie, with the earths gov.t. using humans recently deceased, cooked & formed into a green cracker & served to an overburdened world & underfed population in the near future.) I know gross. A little levity. Can you imagine the food label on that?
To those who are in the bread comment line. Make your own. It’s nice to see you’re concerned, but you all grew up with convenience. ie. grocery mega stores. Look up a recipe online. Go buy some flour, yeast & salt. I spent summers as a child with an elderly woman who was self-sustaining out of necessity. She put in nuts, dried fruit, homemade applesauce. She taught me how to can, as she grew her food for the year. Dried beans, nuts, fruit, canned fruit & froze veggies. This was not that long ago. So, instead of trying to out do each other, on who can find the grossest ingredients, share your best bread making stories. You don’t need a bread making machine, or even pans, depending
on your style. Fresh hot bread, drizzled with star thistle honey. Yum!
Cynthia,
I would love to hear some of your recipes!
I am GF and have tried making my own GF breads without much success. Spent lots of $$ for naught. Does anyone have any info on Against the Grain bread products (out of Vermont)? Pretty expensive but very satisfying.
I buy Koepplinger’s Whole Wheat bread for the family all the time at Whole Foods. I recently forgot about some leftover in the fridge that expired more than a month ago. It did not have any mold on it even though some parts were wet because of the condensation inside the bag. All the other natural bread I purchase get moldy after 10 days or so. Does anyone know if they include harmful preservative surreptitiously? It just doesn’t sound very natural to me.
Does anyone have a good healthy bread machine recipe? I think I’m just going to start making my own, slice it up and freeze it and take it out as needed.
I Love Alvarado Street Bakery products! Delicious and healthy and no GMO….they also DO NOT add all that crap that sara lee adds to their breads.
Ezekiel bread still contains Spelt which is still wheat. Gluten is not the only evil in bread for Celiac sufferers, diabetics or those with auto immune diseases, etc… Gliadin, amylopectin, lectins and more are all issues. Being a type 2 high sensitive to all whole grains (teff, millet and amaranth are also grass seeds/grains) I cannot consume them because they spike my blood glucose. Before you assume that they are “okay” for you, do your research and test them using a glucose meter! Do not assume that articles like this one know everything; they do not.
what about making your own with whokemeal, whiteflour and buttermilk
I just read “Wheat Belly” by Dr. Davis who was also on Dr. Oz a couple weeks ago.
Bottom line, Don’t Eat Wheat!
The best way to go is to make your own bread. I bought a bread maker for $7 at a thrift store. I use it to make my dough and then bake in the oven. It’s delicious. I buy my flour through Azure Standard and sometimes grind my own whole wheat berries. Also, Einkorn wheat is great and very healthy.
Keeping a sourdough starter to bake bread is a great and healthy option as well.
Question. I went to the store to try Ezekiel 4:9 bread. It had an organic section, and their breads like Ezekiel are frozen. Is that normal?
Yes, they don’t have preservatives so they keep longer that way. I store mine in my freezer at home too and just take out the slices as I need them. They defrost at room temp pretty quickly, and sometimes I just pop them frozen directly into the toaster.
Have you ever checked out Vermont Bread Company? You probably can’t find them down where you live but you should check them out anyway….for your sake and mine! I don’t live in Vermont and they sell them in my supermarket, so maybe they can sell it in yours! Wondering what you think of them because I think their bread, and Mathews (which is also made by them), doesn’t have anything “bad” in them and they taste so so good! http://www.vermontbread.com/products/
Thank you for the intense informative research. I enjoy reading your site. Great information toward the quality of life.
Can you please explain your statement in article that reads ” wheat flour is just white refined flour” ? Thank you
What ever happened to Shiloh Farms 5 grain and 7 grain bread? I buy Ezekiel now.
I am a sourdough bread lover, what can you tell me about that bread? I am preparing for the worst:/
I was surprised to see no presence of bromine in the form of either bromate or bromide as a preservative in the non-organic breads. It’s been reported that sometime in around the late 60’s or so, iodine was replaced by bromine as an additive to flower.
someine else asked about Canyon Bakehouse 7 grain gluten free, non GMO, vegan-any info? I love the way it tastes…much better than Ezekiel- I threw that out…yucky
You should have an app we can use in stores that we scan the bar code to get information. Use Zemoga
Have been making my own bread, rolls, english muffins and pizza and do not look back.
Could you please email me a recipe for your home made bread. I want to start making my bread rather than purchasing. Thanks so much!
Can you share your recipes? please?? [email protected]
should read [email protected]
Trader Joe’s has great sprouted grain breads. One of the employees who has diabetes says he can eat it with no ill effects.
What about Alvarado Street Bakery!!!?? Sprouted Whole Grain Organic and Non-GMO.
What about Zingerman’s bread company out of Ann Arbor Michigan. I love their sourdough bread. How does it rate as far as GMO’S and other added junk?