4 healthy breads to feel good about

Good bread can brighten any meal or snack – and if it’s really good, it can even brighten our day! But scanning the bread aisle can be overwhelming. Should we grab the hearty-looking grain loaf, reach for a grain-free or keto slice or something else altogether?

We’re spotlighting four brands of bread to try, ranging from sprouted-grain classics to grain-free, lower-carb options, plus a sourdough reminder that fermentation is our friend.

Four Better Breads to Try

Base Culture – 7 Nut & Seed Bread (low carb; grain- and gluten-free)

Made with almond butter, flaxseed, chia, hemp hearts, pumpkin and sunflower seeds
Per slice: 100 calories, 8 grams carbohydrate, 4 grams fiber, 0 sugar, 3 grams protein
Molly’s preference is to toast it to accompany a meal, it’s a little too small to make a proper sandwich. Look for it in the freezer section.

Nature’s Own Keto Multigrain Bread (low carb)

Both ‘keto multigrain’ and ‘keto soft white’ use modified wheat starch & wheat protein isolate in place of flour.
Per slice: 40 calories, 10 grams carbohydrate, 9 grams fiber, 0 sugar, 6 grams protein
It’s a decent low-carb option for everyday sandwiches, though Molly prefers the quality of ingredients in the Base Culture brand for a lower-carb bread.

Curd your enthusiasm: DIY cottage cheese + three top store-bought picks

Dave’s Killer Bread – Powerseed

Organic whole wheat bread with flax, quinoa and pumpkin seeds
Per slice: 90 calories, 18 grams carbohydrate, 4 grams fiber, 1 gram sugar, 5 grams protein
Nice seedy crunch

Food for Life Ezekiel 4:9 Low-Sodium Sprouted Bread (flourless)

Flourless and vegan, this bread is made from sprouted wheat, barley, millet, lentils, soybeans and spelt
Per slice: 80 calories, 15 grams carbohydrate, 3 grams fiber, 0 sugar, 5 grams protein
The label notes ‘low’ sodium, but there’s actually zero sodium per slice (most brands of bread have about 140 to 190 mg sodium per slice). Look for it in the freezer section.

Healthy baking: These shortbread fingers are gluten-free, low carb and zero sugar

Plus: Whole Grain Sourdough Bread | whole grain flour, water, salt

No yeast added: Instead, traditional sourdough draws upon the yeast from the environment to leaven the flour and water into that beautiful, crusty deliciousness.
Fermentation time matters: Most commercial baking practices in the US only partially ferment the dough, adding commercial yeasts to speed up the process. Shorter fermentation time typically means a higher glycemic index, along with a greater amount of undigested gluten. Traditional bread-making processes, like homemade sourdough, ferment the dough for an extended time, allowing the yeast and bacteria to activate enzymes that help to “digest” the gluten for us.

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Molly Kimball, RD, CSSD is a registered dietitian and nutrition journalist in New Orleans, and founder of the Eat Fit nonprofit restaurant initiative. Tune in to her podcast, FUELED | Wellness + Nutrition, and follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at @MollyKimballRD. See more of Molly’s articles and TV segments at mollykimball.com, and download the Eat Fit mobile app to stay in the know about Eat Fit partners, new dishes, festivals, and more. To schedule a nutrition consult with Molly’s Lifestyle Nutrition team, email nutrition@ochsner.org.

The views, opinions, and recommendations expressed by Molly Kimball, RD, CSSD, are her own and do not necessarily reflect the positions or policies of Ochsner Health.