The Best Bread You Can Buy !

by Jishnudeep Kar

Which bread should you buy ?

Bread is one of the most common foods found in any household in India. Our bakery market generated a revenue of around USD $29.7 bn and a per capita consumption of 21.8kg in 2020 as per Statista. However, majority of us consume the simple "white" bread because it is cheap and tastes nice.

1. Contains Refined Flour (Maida)

Such bread are always are made from refined flour or maida which is very harmful for the human body (further read). Maida not only lacks essential nutrients but also scores high in glycemic index which spikes blood sugar levels and long term consumption may lead to diabetes. 

A marketing strategy that many companies use to sell bread made of maida is the term "brown bread". Most buyers think brown bread is healthy and is not made of maida. 

However, we can see from the ingredient list that even a premium brown bread has its prime ingredient as maida. Most manufacturers just use the term "brown" to fool customers into thinking that it is made of whole wheat and healthy. Another thing to note is that these bread contain palm oil as edible oil which is both unhealthy and environmentally unsustainable as I had pointed out in my previous post.

2. Preservatives

One thing common in the ingredients is the presence of preservatives. These preservatives help in increasing the shelf life of the bread. Such preservatives may cause health problems such as allergies and intolerances in the long run. However, the tradeoff is that without these preservatives, the shelf life of bread is very small, and it is still safer to eat mold-free bread that eating moldy bread. Later in this article, I will tell how one can get bread without preservatives.

3. What you should buy?

(a) Whole Wheat Bread

Buy bread which contains only whole wheat flour or atta and sunflower oil or canola oil as the vegetable oil. Avoid bread with palm oil. However, such bread will still contain the preservatives to make them shelf stable and possible to sell in stores for longer time. 

(b) Multi-grain Whole Wheat Bread

Multigrain whole wheat bread essentially are the same as whole wheat bread but with added nutrients by introducing healthy seeds and grains into the bread. 

If you find bread with such ingredients, then even if it costs a few extra bucks, get it. These added ingredients are high in Omega-3 fatty acids which reduce inflammation in the body and also help keep a check on your body weight. Sesame seeds are also believed to lower bad cholesterol levels in your body and also bring in a nice crunch to the bread.

(c) Sprouted Bread

Sprouted bread is the best kind of packaged bread you will find. It is rich in zinc, vitamin B6, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, iron, and more. Its low glycemic index and low carb content make it more favorable than the regular bread for consumption (further read). However, the problem is that sprouted bread is almost impossible to find in India. The brand "EZEKIEL" shown in the figure is imported from USA and can be ordered online from DeserCart. It can cost anywhere between Rs. 350-600 to buy this bread. So if you only care about the quality and not the price, this may be your best buy. 

(d) Freshly Baked Bread (preservative free)

If you want to buy bread without preservatives, one thing to keep in mind is that you should be able to consume the bread within a couple of days of purchase. This is because bread stats molding very quickly and consuming moldy bread is bad for your gut. For example, in Mumbai there are several fresh bakeries like "The Bakers Dozen" and "Daily Bread" who sell freshly baked bread. These kind of bread are no filler-all thriller. They may be costlier than the supermarket bread, but the ingredients are best in class you can find if you are a bread lover.

So, if you want to buy bread, buy it wisely. Spend a few extra rupees and avoid the evil ingredients like maida and palm oil in a food that you eat daily.

(e) Whole Grain Brown Rice Cakes

After reading the article till here, if you think you just want to give up eating bread, but still want to eat yummy sandwiches, then you will absolutely 💓 this. 

You can buy these brown rice cakes which are made of best of class ingredients and very filling for your tummy. This particular brand retails for Rs. 180 on Amazon and is the best certified organic rice cake you can find in the market. The "USDA Organic" logo bears a real authentic meaning that all ingredients are completely organic and NON-GMO.

It is always important that you read the ingredients before buying any bread, or for that matter any packaged food. Companies slide in ingredients in their products which may be delicious and not harm you immediately but may become the cause of many of your health problems in the future. So, spend a few extra rupees, and always get bread with decent quality ingredients, if not the best.

Thank You & Eat Healthy!

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Disclaimer : This article is NOT to favour or insult any brand and its products. It is solely to provide information to the reader about the different ingredients, their impacts on the health and environment, and what they should look for when buying "bread". 

About Me : I am a young chap pursuing my PhD in Electrical Engineering in US. After graduating from IIT Delhi and coming to US to do my PhD, I realized how in India we carelessly put in some foods in our body without really thinking of the consequences it may have on us and our surroundings. All my blog posts will aim to bring out the evils present in the ingredients of our favourite foods and teach you what you should look for in ingredients when buying food from the supermarket.