Trade It Tuesday

I caused a bit of a ruckus last week with my post about the well preserved Oroweat Bread.  So this week's Trade It Tuesday is dedicated to bread.  But first, I must clarify that I do not know if Oroweat Bread contains preservatives or not.  The label reads clean.  I do know that Oroweat is NOT Feingold approved, which means they have not responded to the Feingold Association's request for information about things like pan spray or preservatives in the packaging, or else they have responded and their products contain ingredients that Feingold families cannot eat.  Also, the package in that post was UNOPENED. 

But still. . . seven months old and it looked like it just came off the shelf?!

On to this week's agenda:  BREAD!!  There is a reason that I have not discussed bread until now.  Bread is one of the few items that I actually have had a hard time finding easily.  There are many approved brands on the Feingold program, but I have had a heck of a time finding them at the stores I go to on a regular basis.  For those of you that aren't on Feingold but just looking for healthier choices, you will have an easier time. 

First of all, you have to get yourself label savvy.  Falling for the "No High Fructose Corn Syrup" trick will cause you to buy the wrong product again and again. You want to find a bread that advertises itself on its packaging as "All Natural" and "No artificial colors, flavors or preservatives" along WITH the "No High Fructose Corn Syrup".  Then, verify by reading the ingredients.  Usually the offensive ingredients are obvious and can be spotted right away. 

For this week, I did a little research by going to Safeway.com and just looking at the different choices available.  From the ingredients and descriptions offered, you could tell very easily which were better options. 

For example, this loaf of Safeway Brand Buttermilk Bread contains the following ingredients:

Unbleached Enriched Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Water, Sugar, Contains 2% or Less of the Following: Soybean Oil and/or Canola Oil, Buttermilk, Potato Flakes, Sea Salt, Calcium Sulfate (Source of Calcium), Yeast, Dough Conditioners (May Contain One or More of the Following: Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Ethoxylated Mono- and Diglycerides, Soy Flour, Ascorbic Acid), Sucralose, Acesulfame Potassium, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Mono- and Diglycerides, Wheat Starch, Vegetable Color (Extracted from Annatto, Paprika and Turmeric), Calcium Propionate (Added to Retard Spoilage), Soy Lecithin.

By the way, a good rule of thumb:  the less ingredients the better. 



Now, compare it to Nature's Pride Buttermilk Bread which has this description on the website:

Wheat Flour, Water, Sugar, Buttermilk, Yeast, Soybean Oil. Contains 2% or Less of: Wheat Gluten, Honey, Barley Malt, Cultured Wheat Flour, Salt, Vinegar, Soy Flour, Whey, Soy Lecithin, Cultured Corn Solids.

100% natural. No artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. No trans fat. No high fructose corn syrup. Our Promise: Nothing less than 100%. The Nature's Pride Promise. Every single slice of Nature's Pride bread is baked the way nature intended.

The Oroweat 100% Whole Wheat Bread I discussed in my last post has the following ingredients - which all look okay (from what I can tell - I have no idea what some of those 15 letter words are), but read between the lines for what is missing in the description:

Whole Wheat Flour, Water, Sugar, Cracked Wheat, Honey, Wheat Gluten, Salt, Yeast, Soybean Oil, Molasses, Wheat Bran, Raisin Juice Concentrate, Calcium Propionate (Preservative), Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Monoglycerides, Calcium Sulfate, Ascorbic Acid (Dough Conditioner), Soy Lecithin, Azodicarbonamide.

Whole grain. Whole wheat with a touch of pure molasses. 21 grams whole grain. 0 grams trans fat. Heart healthy. No high fructose corn syrup. Diets rich in whole grain foods and other plant foods and low in total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol, may help reduce the risk of heart disease and certain cancers.

Oh yeah, they talk all about the healthy grains and lack of HFCS, but not one mention of 100% natural or no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives. 

Trust me, if they were 100% natural it would be ALL OVER the label. 

Now, check out the SaraLee 100% Whole Wheat Bakery Bread With Honey with its ingredients and description:

Stone Ground Whole Wheat Flour, Water, Bulgur Wheat, Wheat Gluten, Brown Sugar, Honey, Yeast. Contains 2% or Less of Each of the Following: Vegetable Oil (Soybean and/or Cottonseed Oils), Cultured Wheat Flour, Salt, Raisin Juice Concentrate, Distilled Vinegar, White Wheat Flakes, Guar Gum, Enzymes, Enzyme-Modified Soy Lecithin, Soy Flour.

No trans fat. No artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. Good Source of fiber. 100% Natural. Heart healthy. Sara Lee Hearty & Delicious Bakery Breads are made in an authentic home-style tradition, using only the finest ingredients to create the ultimate sandwich bread experience. Each slice is thick and richly textured to hold up to your robust sandwich ingredients.

As I mentioned before, the reason that I can't buy these breads for my family is because they are not listed in my Feingold Food List - which means they haven't responded to the surveys, or they have ingredients in them that aren't approved.  This happens A LOT with breads because preservatives can be sprayed inside the packaging, and yet not claimed as ingredients in the bread.  You have no way of knowing whether they are in there or not without someone (like the Feingold Association) doing the detective work. 

The easiest Feingold approved brand that I've found is the Rudi's line of all natural breads.  They offer gluten free versions, which are usually what you might find in the grocery store.  But they have a full line of regular bread as well.  I like to use their hamburger and hot dog buns even though I make our sandwich bread.  The best selection of Rudi's breads are at Whole Foods, and they actually freeze well too. 

 

I also buy bagels at Whole Foods - Western Bagel Baking brand.  Although just now, looking in my foodlist, I see they contain corn sweeteners.  Funny how those things will creep in on you.  Corn sweeteners (like corn syrup) are all natural but bad news for Ben's anger management! 

Now you can see why I make my own bread, where I can control all the ingredients (there are seven - butter, milk, egg, salt, flour, sugar and yeast).   With my Cuisinart Bread Maker, it is easy work to have a loaf of bread with only five minutes of preparation.  Plus it is significantly cheaper than the bread I can buy at the store.  And now I am learning to make rustic Italian and French bread as well, thanks to my good friend Jeff! 

In short, to make good decisions about bread - learn to read labels and marketing.  If it doesn't claim 100% natural, then it isn't!