Though some believe that man shall not live by bread alone, others believe that bread is life, and despite the recent “carbo-phobia” bread is still an integral and nutritious part of our diet.

Can you believe it that up to a few decades ago, brown bread was considered inferior to the white variety. However, if you are keeping up, you’ll notice that the roles have been reversed and brown bread rich in nutrients, is the preferred staple on the tables.

Of course the most naturally nutritious bread is made from wholewheat grain, which makes many brown breads. White bread on the other hand is made from the inner part of the grain only as the husk is removed. This causes the white bread to be much lower in fibre, protein and vitamins. Don’t be fooled by brown breads as they are not all created equal. Some brown breads are not made with wholewheat and thus have the same nutritional value as white bread.

Here’s how to select healthy breads:

Check out the ingredients list. If the first ingredient is “whole grain” or “stone ground” rather than “enriched” you are on the right track. In fact looking for 100% wholewheat or 100% whole grain is even better.

Select breads with natural sweeteners like molasses or honey over high fructose corn syrup. Salt should be one of the last ingredients on the list.

If you watch your caloric intake then it’s important to check out the number of calories for each slice of bread you consume.

And don’t think that brown or wholewheat means that they are not tasty. There are a variety of tasty breads out there that are chockfull of nutrition and are quite tasty. Some of these are from brands such as cobblestone which has excellent 9 and 12 grain variety.