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
I live in Canada and have not heard about all theies bread,
I am a insulin diabetic and used to be very healthy. Not any more I have Pneumonia
for over 4 weeks now on antibiotics.
Please tell me where to find Ezekel bread and bread that is good for my body. I would make it any recipies? and any other info would be so appreciative
thanks you BABE
Mary-Pat from B C Canada
You can find it in the health food frozen food section of your grocery store. It has no preservatives and therefore is not on the shelf. I live in a small rural Ontario town and my local store has it.
Hi Mary, you can find it in Superstore, in the organic section of the freezer. Good luck
I no longer buy whole grain large scale commercial breads IE McGavins, If the company says their bread natural or has the “Open Nature” logo avoid it, Seven Hills is one I buy as it has sprouted grains and no preservatives, A little pricey $ 4,60 a loaf at Walmart but well worth it when buying Whole Wheat or Grain bread without the additives.
I think you meant Silver Hills bread which is not actually mentioned in this article and there breads are just as good as the ones listed here,I also buy Little Stream buckwheat bread.
http://www.littlestream.com/glutenfree.html
http://www.silverhillsbakery.ca
Little Stream bread is amazing — but it’s 15 minutes away from me. Is it shipped to BC? For those who don’t know, it’s a wee bakery near Perth, Ontario, family (hippy type) run, fantastic products, mega healthy. The website shows you the outside oven that is used. No wheat products there.
Is there an Organic Garage or Whole Foods near you? Organic Garage is cheaper. There’s a store called Nutin Gluten as well. Hope this helps.
Actually, try not eating bread at all. There are so many other sources of nutrition: Sweat potatoes, squash, most fruit and vegetables… Of course breads without preservative chemicals are better than breads with, but there is little or no difference between a seed/grain that sprouted and one that didn’t. Don’t fall for the marketing effort of bread companies.
I get it at Tops market in Buffalo NY
To Mary pat w
Try using 1000 mg of vitamin C…. every 2 days for a week…
Get well soon…
Traders Joe’s
you can find Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread in freezer section at your local health food store. Store your bread in freezer. Take enough for the day or whatever and put in container or bag to thaw out in refrigerator. Wishing you love and light for your Highest Good! May the Blessings Be! –MaryPat (Nfld).
There is nothing wrong with eating lots of bread; so long as it is properly prepared. Weston Price foundation followers say that grain in healthy indigenous societies was always prepared in two of the following three ways: 1) sprouting, 2) soaking overnight, or 3) fermenting. This is to break down phytic acid; which apparently is part of what wrecks our health; with white flour being the other big thing. So, you should look for whole grain bread. The only bread I can find locally that meets these criteria is Alvarado St.’s Sprouted Sourdough bread. Foodbabe has one of their breads shown above, but seems unaware of the sourdough variety. It is certified organic, and made with honey, but no added sugar. If you can’t find bread up to this spec, you’ll have to bake it yourself; or quit eating it. Some preparations are able to reduce phytates markedly by only soaking overnight, but with rye grain added. It appears rye is higher in phytase.
I also live in Canada (Ontario) and Ezekiel bread are available in the frozen aisle of the health food section of Your Independent Grocer/Loblaws store. Killer Dave bread is available at Costco.
Jim dAvEs bread was bought out to monsanto. Dave sold it for 275 million. Just letting u know.
i found it in the freezer at no frills. i keep it in the freezer as it molds quickly . it’s fairly expensive, so i have been looking up copycat recipes to try (from pinterest). I discovered that I get lots of stomach cramping and gas and bloating from a diet with bread, sugar etc. This bread doesn’t seem to affect me.
Diane
Diane,
Try Einkorn flour, and there Pasta. It comes from Italy, and it is the real Ancient grain.
There bring it back..I buy it at my local market , health food department, and whole Foods carries it..
NO GMO..
Allot of people that are eating Einkorn flour, pasta, are not have any gluten problems…
There is a New book on Amazon called..
“The Einkorn Cookbook: Discover the World’s Purest and Most Ancient Form of Wheat:”
Delicious Flavor – Nutrient-Rich – Easy to Digest – Non-Hybridized. Paperback – December 1, 2014
by Shanna Mallon (Author), Tim Mallon (Author)
I have nothing to do with Amazon, or Einkorn..I love there flour and Pasta, the only type I will buy.
Btw, If I buy bread, I cannot find any that do NOT have Soy! Yuck.
I make a sourdough and a light rye using einkorn flour and a bread machine and they both come out amazing.. Just substitute the einkorn flour in any bread recipe you find.
If you have a Superstore they carry some Ezekel breads. You should find them in the freezer of the Organic section of the store.
I’m from Calgary, AB
Sorry Food Babe, but I do not agree with you about eating those nasty store bought breads..
Sorry but these store bought breads are Not healthy. Even those Wheats are causing Gluten problems, and gut problems..
If you want a Healthy bread, make your own using ,
Jovial Foods”Einkorn Flour” This flour is coming from Italy.
Its Organic, Non GMO, No additives, No sprays, No crap in it.
This wheat is not your normal, hybridized wheat consisting of 42 chromosomes per grain. It is reminiscent of the ancient wheat of biblical times, 16 chromosomes per grain .
Its a Ancient flour from 1000’s of years ago, that is just coming back.
Most People that can not eat Gluten , can eat this bread, with minerals & vitamins in it. Not added to it.
This does not turn to Sugar right away like the store bought wheat breads.
They also make different Pasta’s
To make a easy bread etc. just go there website and make Soda bread..its easy.
Dr. Davis in his , “Wheat Belly” Book recommends this Einkorn wheat, the only one he said is OK.
I have nothing to do with Einkorn wheat, I just love, and do Not gain weight, or get bloated eating this..No nasty side effects, and most diabetics can eat it.
Put Organic grass fed butter on this..Omg so good
Enjoy..
You can check out this article I found it very helpful.
Please research and drink Pau D Arco Tea.
http://www.amazon.com/Frontier-Darco-Bark-Ounce-Bags/dp/B001VNGO4G/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1427766023&sr=8-2&keywords=pau+d%27arco+frontier
Hi Mary, I’m in BC, Canada as well. You can get Dave’s Killer bread at Costco. Another similar product to Ezekiel bread is Silver Hills. Its a BC company in Abbotsford. You can get this almost anywhere but I get it at Costco as well. 🙂
Trader Joe´s got it
You can get these bread at Choices Markets in Vancouver, South Surrey if you live around that area
Just to let you all know there is an ONE INGREDIENT ALL VEGATABLE SPREAD CONTAINING ONLY PALM OIL BY SPECTRUM BRAND!! :)It comes in a tub just like margarine or spread has the same soft consistency doesn’t even have to be refrigerated and when you sprinkle sea salt on it it tastes like the real thing but the healthiest!! It melts just like butter or margarine can be used on veggies noodles whatever and can be used for baking and is the best for allergy sufferers like me from my systemic mastocytosis and can be found in most natural or organic stores on the shelf or ordered online:)
I live in Canada as well, but Ezekel bread you can get it in almost all stores. Or go to the Health food store, and for sure they all sell it or order it thru the store. Go to the frozen section …
Go to “Know The Cause”Doug Kaufmann’s Site on the Internet for good help,God bless you…
Also Walmart sells it…
I wanted to make some bread at home to avoid the added sugar & preservatives ect. I have a bread machine but I don’t know what to use where flour is concerned. I bought some king arthours whole wheat knowing in the back of my mind it probably wasn’t a much better choice. But on the premis that it would not over the other additives. I like Ezekiel bread but have no idea where to even start to make that kind of bread. I have polycysitic ovarian syndrome, Insulin resistance, infertility (I have taken metformin and had two children) my cycles have stopped again and as soon as they stopped I started mysteriously putting on weight again! Although with both pregnancies I lost weight & not due to any sickness. I lost my very first pregnancy early on and I’m now beginning to suspect low progesterone is a key issue in my life. I could avoid bread for the most part but I worry about my husband and two little girls 2 & 4. They would like a little bread but I’m scared to damage them : (
i have made bread in my maker also. only a few ingredients. .but i have the same ? you do. better options, recipes for the bread maker. the one i was using was yeast. flour, water, salt, oil and sugar. not good i know but better than eating shoe rubber .. let me know if you find any good recipes. i will do the same. i did note some flour that said it was sprouted and organic, but it will be trial with my old recipe and subbing honey for the sugar
Nicholle, please seek out a Naturopathic nutritionist to help with your symptoms and diet. They are experts in healing the body with food.
I’ve been grinding my own wheat berries and making my bread for 10 years. It’s delicious and healthy. The only ingredients are: fresh ground whole wheat, water, oil, honey, salt and yeast.
Great stuff!
Could you kindly give us a written recipe for your bread,if you do not mind sharing,so would appreciate it…God bless you…
Hi!
I am so proud of you, Vani!!! We are all so fortunate to have someone help us with all of the untruths. I am still trying to figure out why fluoride (used in atomic bombs) is good for us…I just saw your website today and wondered why additives that are banned all over the world are used in our bread. In a nutshell, should we just eat organic and eliminate white flour products, sugar, canola and corn? Why can’t we get the gov’t. to change FDA standards? Gina
The FDA is being paid off by many people to let a lot of stuff slide
What is the issue with canola and corn oil?
Great article! Was wondering if you looked into the Franz gluten-free products, and how they rate with the products on your Healthier Breads list?
What do you think about organic alpine valley bread? I eat there’s all the time..please let me know if you approve of it or not and why…
Hi
I live in the UK United Kingdom, do you know where I can buy sprouted grain or similar bread?
Thanks
Deb
I am told that Fortnum and Mason’s stocks Ezekiel bread and I believe that there is at least one branch of Wholefoods Market in the UK. Wholefoods in the USA stocks Ezeliel and Alvorado breads in their freezer sections. You may find that they have these breads in the UK store.
Hi,
I also live in the UK.
Please let me know if you found this bread.
Thanks
Buy bread fresh from your local baker, tastes far better than any mass produced packaged and branded stuff from a supermarket.
I don’t think it’s healthier, just tastier.
I love the brand Three Bakers – they make a bread called “7 Ancient Grains,” that is the best gluten-free bread I’ve found. It has amaranth, hemp, quinoa, teff, sourgum, flax, and millet, and I get it in our local natural food co-op. Although the pieces are small compared to the over-processed grocery store brands, it toasts well and tastes amazing.
I also use Three Bakers 7 Ancient Grains bread. It’s the best I’ve ever found. Their website says they use non-GMO ingredients, too.
Just eat meat and veggies. SKip the stuff that isn’t edible like grains as well as most fruit. Keeps my blood sugar low and my weight down (hard to do on a SAD diet, easy on a LCHF).
I live in MICHIGAN, U.S.A. and I’ve never seen any of the “GOOD” breads…
And I’m NOT going to a Health Store and pay Big $$$ for bread…
Maybe I’ll go to an old Fashion Jewish, Polish, Italian BAKERY..?
Peace with Prayers and carry a BIG STICK,
JIMBO aka REAGANITE INDEPENDENT
Go to your Meijer stores, they sell it in their freezer section, lots of Meijer stores all thur Michigan..
James, Ezekiel and other sprouted breads do not cost much more than the whole wheat breads which we are told are “good” for us. Please read the ingredients of both the sprouted breads and the breads made with flour. I hope you come to the conclusion that, in the long run, the real cost here will be your health if you decide to stay with the garbage (sorry) on the supermarket shelves.
The Ezekiel breads are like $30 a loaf. How is that not more than the wheat breads??
$30 A LOAF!! Good grief!
Calvin, where did you see it selling for $30 a loaf?!?! Wow! I got Ezekiel bread yesterday from trader joes and it was $4 and some change !!
I have been making a simple pizza dough recipe in my Food Processor with the bread blade that comes with it. All it has in it is organic flour, water, organic olive oil, Himalian sea salt, yeast and a teaspoon of organic sugar for starting yeast.
After rising the dough for an hour I put it in a Baggie and put in the refrigerator so that I can tear off small pieces whenever I want to make an individual pizza. I also use organic sauce, organic olives, organic onions, and whatever else organic. This is the only bread I will eat now and know that I can tolerate without chocking on it, because I figured out I was allergic to GMO’s in grains. I also figured out I was just as allergic to gluten free things because I also choke on rice, sometimes even when it is labeled organic. I am starting to think that some people might think they have a gluten intolerance when they might be reacting to GMO’s.
hi dee,
would you mind posting the recipe that you use here? that sounds great!
my problem is, when i eat grains, i blow up… i look bloated all over, i can gain 7 lbs in three days, and i feel “swollen.” my conclusion was that it must be inflammation from a gluten intolerance, but i ate gluten free for two months and found no difference. then i cut out all gluten alternatives, too (rice, corn) and quickly returned to my natural weight.
but sometimes, you just want a bread as part of a meal. ; )
thanks!
I’d love to have your pizza dough recipe! Would you mind posting it? OR maybe you did and I missed it. Thanks!
Just use any recipe for making bread in a processor but substitute Dee’s ingredients. It should work.
beware of olive oil….it oxidizes as soon as it is made…who knows how long it sits in store before you use it and that inch of air is oxidizing olive oil – so you get oxidized fat when you ingest olive oil period. It is a misunderstood “health food”. Raw butter,lard,coconut all organic is best…or if you cannot get raw butter available only in California and Georgia….buy best organic you can afford. Organic fat is essential as all the junk lives and loves fat…you want to insure any fat you ingest does not have a home for junk to live in….and raw butter has 500 X more nutrition than regular. Factor X is key ingredient via Dr. Price and Dr. Pottenger – Price- Pottenger Nutrtiion Foundation.
Also,do not cook with honey,as once heated it destroys the life force and becomes a toxic “food”….regular sugar. Cooked honey sprayed on bees kills them in minutes. Raw honey does not. Bee Smart!
Always eat raw for health benefits it does have. It will not raise blood sugar when eaten raw in reasonable amount.
I hope this helps you.
It is now evidently clear the Supermarket is now nothing but a Death Dealer.
I think it is time to become a Paleo Hunter – Gatherer and eat only a fresh non GMO vegetables, fruits, grains, seeds, and fresh slaughtered meats and wild caught fish. Time to buy right from the farms who grow Heritage crops. I also think it is time to revisit the idea of making you’re own home made – condiments, sauces, jams, jellies, candies, peanut butter, and start grinding your non GMO grain meal-flours and making home baked goods. Grow your own herbs! Home grown fresh Peppermint is a delight. Plant a Sassafras tree – make tea.
Time to start making your own home brews, wines and cordials too! Screw the Fed’s. Home made wines and cordials are wonderful. Real home cooked Mulled Cider with Rum and butter is a treat. Mulled Wine too is good if it is done correctly.
There are plenty of places who sell all natural ORGANIC dairy as well. I love Organic, non homogenized whole milk that still has butter in it. The white water they sell in the stores as Milk is nothing but toxic piss in a plastic bottle. I won’t touch it. For a real treat, find fresh Goose eggs. There is nothing else like them.
DO NOT EAT PORK! Vie for wild meats. Plains -grass fed only Buffalo is the Best. Avoid any fish or sea food caught in the Pacific Ocean.
I stopped eating ALL fast food and and haven’t been to a Restaurant in 2 1/2 years now. My intent is to never eat their garbage again. Not even their coffee!
Well said!
Unfortunately, those of us who are on a strict budget, or
retired on same do not have the ability to drive
long distances to farms. We have to deal with what is in the stores
and Sprouts or Trader Joes are the best….I will say that King Soopers (Krogers)
in our area are stepping up~ a little. Or appearing to, with their Simple Truth foods,
and I am even seeing more organic foods in Walmart.
I should have added those with limited mobility. I just had hip surgery, and
sometimes have felt grateful to get anything to eat, having to have my groceries delivered.
I sometimes look at the city as a death camp…..
and am appalled at what my grandkids eat…..
Still working on that.
I need to do research on making wine.
I try to eat semi-vegan if I can, since free-range meat is hard to come by,
I have given up on grass-fed buffalo. I know there is a couple who was trying
to make it, near Colorado Springs, and they said they were the only grass-fed
non-feed lot bison in CO, but have never seen their meats here in Aurora, although I contacted Vitamin Cottage and Sprouts about them.
@LindainCo,
+ 1 on Sprouts. I have recently discovered Sprouts and love their store. Like it better than Whole Foods….way better prices too, their produce is the best you can find.
I love Sprouts too!! They have a lot of the same products that a Whole Foods does!!
It is now evidently clear the Supermarket is now nothing but a Death Dealer.
I think it is time to become a Paleo -Hunter – Gatherer and eat only a fresh non GMO vegetables, fruits, grains, seeds, and fresh slaughtered meats and wild caught fish. Time to buy right from the farms who grow Heritage crops. I also think it is time to revisit the idea of making you’re own home made – condiments, sauces, jams, jellies, candies, peanut butter, and start grinding your non GMO grain meal-flours and making home baked goods. Grow your own herbs! Home grown fresh Peppermint is a delight. Plant a Sassafras tree – make tea.
Time to start making your own home brews, wines and cordials too! Screw the Fed’s. Home made wines and cordials are wonderful. Real home cooked Mulled Cider with Rum and butter is a treat. Mulled Wine too is good if it is done correctly.
There are plenty of places who sell all natural ORGANIC dairy as well. I love Organic, non homogenized whole milk that still has butter in it. The white water they sell in the stores as Milk is nothing but toxic piss in a plastic bottle. I won’t touch it. For a real treat, find fresh Goose eggs. There is nothing else like them.
DO NOT EAT PORK! Vie for wild meats. Plains -grass fed only Buffalo is the Best. Avoid any fish or sea food caught in the Pacific Ocean.
I stopped eating ALL fast food and and haven’t been to a Restaurant in 2 1/2 years now. My intent is to never eat their garbage again. Not even their coffee!
Ezekiel 4:9 raisin bread has changed my life! ! I can now eat bread.
System never could tolerate it before, tried cheese toast for the first time I’m hooked:-)
No just to find a milk I can tolerate 🙁
Any ideas out there? !
Try Almond or Soy Milk
Men should not drink soy milk unless they want man-boobs. It’s estrogenic.
NO Body should drink or eat Soy..Its a Hormone..
It was suppose to fatten up Cows, Pigs, Chickens etc. as its Cheap..Not meant for Humans .
People in Asian countries eat small amounts of soy as sauces, that are organic.
Silk almond milk does not have carageenan.
Where can you find either Almond or Soy Milks without all the crap they add in PLEASE?Thanks…
Use a whey protein or egg protein powder such as Jay Robb or a quality whey product is key. Some are flavored vanilla etc…if you use almond milk or coconut milk/water better-insure it is just the organic nuts and water…if sweetened,with what? Even stevia is questionable if not made properly. Sweetleaf stevia is best I can find and does not raise blood sugar. Some stevias have maltodextrin or some sugar(ose) on label. Sweetleaf is very accessable. Also sweetleaf brand had many flavors…chocolate,coconut,regular etc….delicious.
It is better to invest in a high quality product that works that a cheap ineffective one that will harm your body more than help.
You can also soak and blend your own almond milk or hemp seed milk or any nut milk you like. I do not recommend soy milk…only fermented soy in minute amounts has potential health benefits. Soy is sold to humans because animals won’t eat it! So clever marketing makes soy milk look like a great alternative to milk. Buyer beware! Our health depends on it. You must decide for yourself.
I do hope no mother gives her child soy milk. It is too experimential and the results of soy fed children is another topic to discuss. And I hope she does not use it especially during pregnancy. Fermented soy is key of how to benefit from soy products. Even edamame is questionable to ingest but if you do treat yourself,only a few pods is recommended. It is not the health food it is advertised to be…hard to digest too. A few once in a while if you are an adamame fan and no digestive conflicts going on with you.
I just started making almond milk and it’s so utterly simple I’m doing it 2 or 3x a week…
http://www.longevitywarehouse.com/ourblog/nutmilk-in-30-seconds
• Soak almonds 8-12 hrs
• Drain and rinse
• Combine 1 C almonds w/3 C water (optional: add two pitted dates for subtle sweetness)
• Additional options: goji, honey, vanilla, chocolate, cinnamon…
Blend ~ 1 min
Strain/squeeze through nut milk bag
Why bother to strain the almond mill out at all? I know the almond bits can be kind of itchy on the throat but you’re just creating more work and missing out on the live enzymes that are still activated and trapped in the yummy almond fiber after soaking. If you want the full benefits, soak-em, blend-em in water, and drink it raw-unfiltered. I used to strain out the flour but realized that it’s a ton more work and a waste of time.
For those of you who think store bought almond milk is a healthy choice, just look at all the added ingredients. I’m no food nut, but aren’t the active ingredients just soaked filtered/strained almonds and water? The rest of the added filler, is for taste and texture. This just leaves the question, how much of the real active ingredients are actually present? It’s not like there’s an agency actually monitoring the manufacturers contents to contain the vitamins they make claim to. Make it yourself and drink it raw-unfiltered, it’s simple and they’ll be no question that you’re getting something truly nutritious.
I love Rice Dream and Almond Milk, but watch the calories in Almond Milk. They do tell you how many calories are in it right on the front of the box. I have used these for many years now as I am Lactose Intolerant. Costco’s sells these by the case. Fry’s (Krogers and others sell them on the shelf.)
Try silver hills bakery from Canada
we eat fresh made local bread, if you don’t eat it in a couple days, it gets bad. Flour water and yeast, a little salt and thats it
Could you give the entire recipe PLEASE… Thank you so very much…
Great article. I could never give up bread either and I feel this whole anti-gluten/anti-wheat/anti-grains is a little extreme. I agree that sprouted grains are good. I’d also say sourdough is a healthier option for bread. What are your thoughts on sourdough?
One minor note about Rudi’s sprouted bread is that it also contains safflower oil.
Hello Vani, thank you for your useful articles! I started searching for store bought a juice that’s made all of vegetables, and I never realized that they are so incredibly messed up into simply straw with some spoke water!!! I’ll try to follow your advice.
I have no problem with fresh fruits which I always have handy and love to eat them whole! But I don’t have the time to make salads often so I thought I’d supplement it with a good vegetable juice.
Then I went to your Bread analysis! Another shock! I’ve been using for the last few years a grain bread called The Baker. In checking Michael Greger, M.D.’s site analyzing breads, they found this bread “Wheat and Flax Seeds” got 1.2 which is excellent.
However, what most worries me is…..the olive oil! I read extensively about the ignominious fraud and now I’m at a loss as to which one to use. I’ve been using for the last years “La Squisita” brand and now…..what???
So I anticipate my thanks for anyone’s ideas on the above?
Sorry, meant to say “spiked” not spoke. I didn’t see any “Edit” button…..
Have you ever tried grinding nonGMO organic wheat? Holy moly it’s the best thing ever. They pay for themselves. And it only takes 15 mins to grind it up in an electric grinder. Nutrimill makes a wonderful grinder. Making homemade whole wheat bread is the best this way. We grind the wheat then follow a super easy bread machine recipe. Every Sunday you can do this for the weekly loaf. You will never go back to store-bought again.
Thank you all so much, i am new to this again. Needed all of these reminders of how important eating healthy can be. Sharing these great ideas mean so much to all of us.
While this article gets a lot right, it omits quite a bit and gets a few things wrong and neglects to tell readers how to identify bread, and which ones are truly best to eat. It’s pretty short on science.
I don’t eat bread, but have studied grains carefully. Grains are the sources of many diseases and can even induce mental illness in a small number of people. Abram Hoffer said wheat/carb/sugar addiction was harder for him to break in his patients than heroin addiction. Hoffer not only found how to cure Schizophrenics without harmful drugs, he found out the cause of addiction and how to break it, including food addiction and wheat addiction. Foodbabe is likely a wheat addict and does not know why.
If people want to learn how to eat properly , I suggest they read the greatest physician since Jesus Christ, Dr. Abram Hoffer, PHD Biochemistry, MS Ag Chemistry/Nutrition, BS Ag Engineering, MD, and psychiatrist and start by reading his science of natural nutrition. Start with his book” Natural Nutrition”, then the science of diet he founded for staying healthy and reversing degenerative and terminal diseases, called Orthomolecular Nutrition (“The New Orthomolecular Nutrition: putting it all together”). I also highly recommend reading his book, ‘Orthomolecular Medicine for Everyone”, it’s written for lay people. With these books you will know more about treating diseases and healing and nutrition than 98 % of all MDs and RDs and for sure you will know far more about the science of nutrition and health than foodbabe.
Hoffer , 50 years ago advocated the perfect diet for a human as limited or no intake of Red meat, no sugar, no grains, wheat especially, and no dairy, no food coloring or processed food, no alcohol, no coffee and a diet with limited carbs, and based upon whole foods, and rich in vegetables with some fruits and nuts.
He reversed many diseases including alzheimers, arthritis, cancer, mental illness, by Orthomolecular Nutrition , Orthomolecular Medicine and Orthomolecular Psychiatry, the later two sciences he founded with Dr. Linus Pauling, double Nobel Prize winner. The powerful science of Orthomolecular Nutrition and Medicine can even reverse Down’s Syndrome in young children.
Hoffer and Pauling said 75 % of all diseases in the world could be treated effectively with Orthomolecular Medicine and Nutrition, and in my estimation if you combine that with Materia Medica (evidenced based Chinese herbal medicine), this number might be 90 % of all diseases in the world.
Foodbabe should get with it and read Hoffer, or remain hopefully lost on the science of nutrition and health. Hoffer worked as a food engineer early in his career, so he knew how evil big ag could become and what food was all about. He was the first to correctly identify sugar as a poison and a drug and to coin the term, ‘sugar addict’. Wheat is sugar in disguised form. It will spike your blood sugar as high as white sugar and higher than even white bread. Wheat is not even food fit for pigs.
Gluten can be remembered by the mnenomic, BROWS-barely , rye, oat, wheat, and spelt. Spelt is not gluten free, and this article should be corrected. I would stay away from all breads labeled Gluten Free. They most always contain way too much sugar, starch and oils.
If you must eat bread, I suggest as a minimum you avoid wheat, and always eat bread made from a true sourdough process (this bread will not contain bakers yeast on the ingredient list but only sourdough yeast). Sourdough greatly increases the digestibility of the gluten and throws off a lot of acetic acid, which is proven to inhibit the growth of cancer cells. Of all the common grains, only rye has demonstrated strong anticancer properties, a protein content similar to wheat, higher mineral content than wheat, and is lower in starch and fat and the grain has not been hybridized to contain an opiate and herbicide like wheat. Of the major grains rye is probably the best and is very powerful at healing when combined with a true sourdough process.
An ideal bread should only contain a true NON- GMO grain that is not wheat, that is superior such as rye or spelt, or an ancient grain, sea salt ,and a pure water source free from chlorine, etc, and a sourdough yeast. If you see more than these four ingredients in bread simply don’t buy it , make your own or find a good organic artisan who bakes sourdough spelt, or rye bread and uses non-GMO sources.
I suggest readers follow the custom of the Roman legions, who conquered the world and ate mainly sourdough bread made from sea or rock salt salt and ancient grains and a sourdough yeast.
USA/Canadian wheat contains an opiate that will cause you to consume 500 more cals per day. That’s why they put wheat into soup these days and everything else, and while not ‘technically’ dejure GMO , wheat is defacto GMO in the USA and Canada. Modern wheat strains from Canada and the USA contain a herbicide, that has been engineered into the seed stock by a process called mutagenesis. They basically put a radioactive source next to some wheat seed and the herbicide and when the radiation conveys randomly the herbicide to the wheat seed genome, they can then say it is non-GMO from a legal point of view as the gene was not spliced in.
Be cautions about taking the advise of ‘good looking and sexy’ as often these people be they men or women don’t have to study much.
Wheat is poison. Sugar is poison. Dairy is Poison. Processed food is poison.
I am going to read each one of those books.I agree with you 100% Thank You
Alpine Valley bread- how is that?
thanks
Sugar in bread must be an American thing ,, no wonder your kids are fat
How does cracked wheat sourdough or other sourdough bread stack up?
I make our own bread at least once a week. We store it in the fridge because it will go moldy very fast. It would be helpful if you could pass along ideas for making more healthy home-cooked breads. Buying bread at the store will not work for our family…besides, we are too far away to make it worth-while. I would be interested in learning to make sprouted wheat bread. At the present time, I make whole wheat bread–often with fresh ground spelt berries, when I can find it. Thanks!
There is a new gluten-free bread on the market that I recently tried and my whole family is addicted. It is truly THE BEST BREAD I’VE EVER EATEN because it is HEALTHY gluten free and there are no added sugars or preservatives of any kind. It is organic and non-GMO. The company, In Joy Baking Co., freshly mills the flour and uses chia seed and psyllium husk as binders. AND, the bread is egg free, xanthan gum free and yeast free, too. This bread comes in a mix but it is also the EASIEST bread I’ve ever made. There is almost no rise time and I had freshly baked bread from mix to table in less than 45 minutes. As a gluten free family, it has been years since we’ve had fresh bread in the house. Now our house smells wonderful when baking this bread and our friends (who are not gluten free) come over just to share this bread with us. I think their website is http://www.injoyglutenfree.com. I’m local so I just pick up the bread mix but the owner said that they are starting the online store soon.
link goes somewhere else…when they get online store up, will you post the link?
I am trying to do grain free which include no gluten free products. Is there a grain free bread that is healthy to eat? Please email me back and let me know. thank you for your information and the email.
Very hard to purchase bread that does not contain canola oil. When I do find a baker that does not have it in the bread, it is used to grease or oil the tins so the loaves fall out of the tin easily after baking. I used to bake my own bread long before bread machines were invented. I am planing to re-start my home bread baking again so that I have simple healthy well cooked loaves without the additives, chemicals and colours and whatever. Bread is not hard to make from scratch and there is a lot of information online or in old cook books.
How can you say Americans eat too much bread and that bread is bad for you. Europeans eat bread all day every day. I live in Germany and you have bread at every meal. Bread is made daily with wholesome ingredients.
Hi There,
What does the food babe think about the wheat gluten added to the Ezekiel bread, one of the last ingredients but organic. Any thoughts considering the hype about gluten?
Thank you
Dina
Sayer Ji has a major critique of Ezekiel bread.
“Why To Ditch Ezekiel Bread And Glucosamine”
Oct 27, 2014 … Sayer Ji delves ‘an inch wide and a mile deep’ into the topic of the dark side of wheat, focusing on wheat lectin and how this ‘invisible thorn’ …
tv.greenmedinfo.com/ditch-glucosamine-and-erzekiel/
How come my Thomas English Muffin (100% whole wheat) doesn’t contain the azodicarbonimide on the package’s ingredient list?
Yeast HAS to have sugar to work.
I’ve been into health & fitness life style for 20yrs. I live it/love it.
When I do have pasta (for a cheat meal, even though I use multigrain pasta, low sodium & sugar sauce, lean turkey or chicken for meat) what could you recommend for a non GMO pasta? Because I’m sure these companies are using the same methods as in the breads. The seeds are lab enhanced but grown “organically”, so they can label it as such.
Thx
Whole grains, cereal fiber, sprouting and sourdough—those four forms of bread and wheat pretty much sum up the good news I came away with after researching my new book, Grain of Truth for over a year. Food Babe gets it right—conventionally processed breads and related products aren’t your digestive system’s best friends. A new study finds that you live longer, with fewer diseases, eating whole fiber grains. The other part of the story concerns long fermentation and sourdough’s benefits in chopping up unwieldy gluten molecules, and in creating healthy bacteria in your gut. I go into that in depth in my book, inspired by what I learned to now bake my own sourdoughs at home. I’m on a campaign to urge large commercial bread makers to offer true sourdough to the public at a reasonable cost.
Make your own! You can bypass virtually all of the bad ingredients. Don’t become obsessive over gluten. Only 1 out of every 130 people are allergic to gluten (celiac disease). Most of the people that buy gluten free don’t even know why they are buying it. Gluten has been in bread for thousands of years. If the 1 out of 130, bummer.
Ancient grains also have a certain beauty in that they are not popular enough for the big corps to mess around with them. I guess that is likely to change as the corps will now see an exploitation they over looked. There will be value in adding the words “Now made with Ancient Grains” on the package. They’ll probably put “artisanal” on the package somewhere. It’s always good to say something is artisanal, even if it isn’t. More profits.
I make mostly sourdough (my culture is approaching 10 years old), NY deli rye and a white bread for toast along with pizza dough. My bread will last a month in the fridge if I keep it tightly wrapped. That’s with no preservatives. Just flour, yeast, water and salt mostly. I may add some potato water or flour. I will also add some whole wheat from time to time but I generally only add about 1 part whole wheat to 2 parts white unbleached bread flour. 3 cups of flour is good for 1 loaf. You also need some form of sugar to catapult the yeast into action, 1 tblsp. If can be white sugar, honey, molasses, etc.
Making bread is also great exercise and it’s therapeutic.
The best recipes are the ones you have in your head and you don’t need a book for.
Thanks for the brand names! That’s really of great help. I’ve recently realized that I’m totally confused with all there bakery terms, types of flour and the rest, so I’ve started searching for the info. I’ve found an article at http://buymeapie.com/blog/grocery-shopping-tips-select-buy-bread-2/ that explains what parts of gain the “whole grain” bread is supposed to contain and why it is the best choice, but your post with the exact product names will save me much time in stores!
When I first started eating vegetarian food, in our area was a wonderful trading company market that had a café in the back. I noticed that the type of bread they served was quite different from the variety that you find in the conventional local food market. I came to like 7 grain, whole wheat pita, roti, and injera type breads. I especially liked 7 grain bread and ate that whenever I could find it. These days I still eat vegetarian but I don’t consume as much bread as in the past. One of my brothers will not eat bread because he thinks it makes you fat. He doesn’t eat bread and he’s fat anyway. I keep trying to tell my stupid brother that if you eat the right kind of bread in moderation not only will it not make you fat, you will also get more fiber and that’s not a bad thing.
Vani-have you heard of or have tried bread from Sami’s Bakery out of Florida? The breads have traces of gluten, wheat, yeast, but otherwise the ingredients sound healthy. They ship to natural food stores here in Virginia. Thanks!
The problem is that those breads just taste nasty. I couldn’t make myself eat them so I do without it.
I’m wondering if Vani has ever made bread dough with yeast. The yeast need something to eat, sugar, to produce carbon dioxide. It has nothing to do with making the bread taste better. The CO2 is what makes the dough rise. If you do not use yeast, you get flat breads, like pita.
Can’t believe nothing was said in this forum about the use of human hair from China in commercial breads. That right there is reason enough to start baking your own bread. Of course, no one will tell you they use human hair; they just give it another name. If making your own bread from scratch is too much, get a bread machine—it couldn’t be easier.
Dear Food Babe
does the baking process ruin the Ezekiel sprouted grain bread
What about Silverhills bread?
I make my own bread and use the recipe for King Arthur Basic Bread Machine bread but I substitute the ingredients with all non-GMO and organic ingredients. I also substitute honey for the sugar and it comes out fabulous.
You realise that if you don’t put sugar in bread, then the yeast doesn’t have any energy so it doesn’t work and the bread doesn’t rise, right?
Hi everybody – The only bread I could really recommend as a healthy one is fresh baked from KOLATEK BAKERY in Chicago. If you live in Chicagoland you MUST go there and try Adam & Eva [contains: spelt flour, rye flour, flax seeds, sesame, sunflower, yoghurt, honey, sourdough]. Believe me – I am Polish and bread is the most important part of my everyday diet. I live on suburbs and go there ones a month to buy 15 of them and freeze it so can have everyday delicious sandwich for my whole familly. In my opinion American bread should not be called BREAD…. I am sorry to say that but Europeans knows how to bake best bread on the planet Earth!!! 🙂
This is all well and good and I agree with all of it but what happens when you can’t get your family to even touch this type of bread. My husband won’t eat anything but white bread and white English muffins and white bagels. I eat the wheat bread and obviously I’ve been eating the wrong kind and will certainly try to switch but he won’t touch the stuff. It doesn’t matter what I say, he won’t try it. I guess I’ll just learn to live with that. You make so many good points but when someone won’t listen what can you do. I’ve enjoyed reading a lot of your articles and they make so much sense. Thanks for sharing what you know.
My hubby is fine with whole wheat, etc. but he will only buy the cheapest brand.
I’m going to have to show him the difference in my health from eating the alternatives and maybe then he will recognize the indirect costs.
I am getting ready to start the GOLO diet, but am modifying all the meal plans and recipes to accommodate my allergies, need for low FODMAP, and restrictions due to GERD.
We love Rudis! I remember thinking that Sara Lee was so healthy because it said “100% whole grain” on the front. I’m so glad I discovered this blog and got educated!!
There is a bread company out of Cudahy, Wisconsin 53110, The company is called “Angelic Bakehouse” I’m sure you will be impressed. They sprout their own grains NonGMO. Made fresh ground fresh and mixed fresh into every dough. Never dried or milled into flour. I has a superior taste And they have quite a volume of different products. I have purchased these several times but I have to drive 15 miles to buy them because nobody wants to buy things that are healthy for them. It’s such a shame when there is food out there “ good food “ but the bar is set so high that people just can’t afford it and the grocery stores don’t carry them because their distributor won’t handle it. I’m 71 years young & I am on the healthy side of life, But unfortunately we have to fight for that healthiness every day
That Ezekiel bread has soy sprouts in it. Soy is poison unless fermented. You know they don’t ferment their soy sprouts. Soy is one of the primary reasons Americans have the worst health in the western world.