Is the popular whole-wheat bread "overturned"? Test 11 types and tell you which one is healthier

Just a while ago, a popular whole-wheat bread "turned ugly", and the actual measured values ​​of carbohydrates and energy were far higher than the values ​​labeled on the product packaging.

As soon as this news came out, people who were trying to lose weight were shocked. They originally bought whole wheat bread to help lose fat, but in the end they might get fatter and fatter. It's really too difficult!

After this incident, everyone was worried about whether the nutritional value indicated on the whole wheat bread packaging was consistent with the actual nutritional value. What was the actual quality of whole wheat bread on the market? So we bought 11 popular whole wheat breads on the market and sent them to the laboratory for testing.

1. False labeling does exist. The national standard requires that the actual measured values ​​of energy and fat cannot exceed 120% of the labeled value (the actual measured value divided by the labeled value ≤ 120%), and the actual measured values ​​of protein, carbohydrates and dietary fiber must not be lower than 80% of the labeled value (the actual measured value divided by the labeled value ≥ 80%).

Among the 11 types of whole wheat bread sent for inspection this time, it was found that 4 types of whole wheat bread had non-compliant labeling, mainly with problems of high dietary fiber and low energy and fat.

1. Tian Y Zhu Y (classic original flavor)

What’s more interesting is that this bread actually has a lower protein content. I guess it’s probably because the recipe of the previous bread that failed was upgraded by adding gluten, a type of wheat protein powder that can increase the protein content, and thus the measured energy value.

H Flavor D (whole wheat cereal)

3. 7N5J (classic whole wheat)

4. Low K Bo S (Sandwich version)

In fact, to be honest, the energy values ​​of several whole wheat breads with low energy labels are not much different from other types, so it doesn’t matter if they are labeled honestly. The ingredient lists of several types are actually quite good, which I will talk about later.

We will not comment on or ferment such false labeling incidents here, and we hope that if manufacturers see this, they can conduct corresponding inspections on their own products and label them truthfully. After all, formula changes, process changes, raw material fluctuations, etc. may affect the final value.

The following content is the focus of our popular science today.

2. What kind of bread is considered whole-wheat bread? The Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2016) states that whole grains refer to grains that have not been refined or have been processed by milling/crushing/flaking, but still retain the endosperm, germ, bran and their natural nutrients of the whole grain.

There are many types of whole grains, including wheat, barley, rye, corn, sorghum, buckwheat, oats, etc., as well as products made from these grains after grinding or crushing, such as oatmeal, rye flakes and whole wheat flour.

Therefore, whole wheat bread, as the name implies, should refer to bread made from whole wheat flour, and the higher the whole wheat flour content, the better. However, my country currently has no mandatory or recommended national standards for whole wheat bread, only two relevant group standards:

T/CABCI 02-2015 Whole grain baked goods, requiring the whole grain content to be no less than 27%

T/CNSS 008-2021 General Rules for the Identification and Labeling of Whole Grains and Whole Grain Foods, requiring the whole grain content to be no less than 51%

Because it is a group standard, not many people in the industry implement it. Therefore, many breads on the market dare to be called whole wheat bread even if they only add 1% whole wheat flour or even no whole wheat flour. So we must be careful when choosing:

1. Check whether whole wheat flour is listed first in the ingredient list

According to the labeling requirements for pre-packaged foods, if whole wheat flour ranks first, it at least means that the whole wheat flour content is not very low.

Manton's "whole wheat flour" is made of wheat + gluten, which cannot be considered whole wheat flour in the true sense. Ros**lba's is also quite strange. The ingredient list is neither complete nor has a nutritional composition table. It is more like a "privately customized product" bought from an offline cake shop.

2. Check whether the whole wheat flour content is high

Whole wheat breads of better quality generally contain a higher content of whole wheat flour. Among the whole wheat breads tested this time, only two actually indicated the amount of whole wheat flour added, and the content was more than 50%. Most whole wheat breads contain wheat flour in addition to whole wheat flour, and only three did not add wheat flour.

In many cases, it is difficult for consumers to know how much whole wheat flour is added to the whole wheat bread they buy, so when we buy, we should try to choose those with whole wheat flour first, and those with the whole wheat flour content marked are better (generally speaking, as long as the manufacturer is willing to indicate the content, it will not be low).

3. Can whole wheat bread help you lose weight? As a whole grain product, whole wheat bread still has many health benefits. For example, whole grains can provide more B vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber and other nutrients, which can make up for the nutritional loss of refined flour.

In addition to paying attention to calories, you also need to pay attention to satiety and blood sugar response when losing weight. Foods rich in dietary fiber can bring a sense of fullness and help you eat less. In addition, the GI value of whole wheat bread is lower than that of white rice and white bread. After eating, blood sugar rises more slowly, which can help reduce insulin secretion and inhibit fat synthesis.

From this perspective, whole wheat bread is very helpful for weight loss, so most whole wheat breads are promoted as "low sugar", "low fat" and "high dietary fiber". Is this actually the case?

So we sent all 11 types of whole wheat bread to the laboratory to test their sugar content, fat content, and dietary fiber content.

Sugar content measurement

The national standard for "low sugar" is: the sugar content in every 100g of the food shall not exceed 5g.

According to the test results, all 11 whole wheat breads meet the low sugar claim. However, the sugar content of Xin Hwei D, Tao L, and Man K Dun is close to 5g/100g. Tao L and Man K Dun also have added white sugar in the ingredient list, so people who strictly control sugar need to pay attention.

Fat content measurement

Food without sugar will taste worse. In order to make up for the taste, some businesses will add a lot of fat.

According to the test results, the fat content of the 11 whole wheat breads is generally not high, basically around 1-4%, with Xin Hwei D, Tao L, and Man K Dun being slightly higher.

Dietary fiber content measurement

According to national standards, food can be declared high in dietary fiber if its dietary fiber content is ≥6g/100g.

According to the test results, the dietary fiber content of 6 breads exceeded 6g/100g. The dietary fiber content of the remaining breads was also close to 6g/100g, which is also good.

After a comprehensive review, the test results of the 11 whole wheat breads were all acceptable, and basically met the requirements of "low sugar", "low fat" and "high dietary fiber".

4. Whole wheat bread = unpalatable? Many people who value taste above all else said they don’t want to eat bread that is hard to swallow. So our tasting team tasted all 11 types of whole wheat bread. In the end, we found that some people like soft ones, while others like firm ones. It’s really a matter of taste.

So we classified them into two categories according to the taste: firm and soft, and made the following recommendations for your reference only.

In conclusion, real whole wheat bread can actually help control weight. You can use it to appropriately replace some refined rice and flour as a staple food, rather than as a picky snack.

Since it is a staple food, it still needs to provide a certain amount of calories and carbohydrates. We calculated the calories of 11 types of whole wheat bread and found that the calories of a 50g slice of whole wheat bread are really comparable to a bowl of rice (116 kcal/100g).

So in essence, the calories in whole wheat bread are not very low. Many people eat whole wheat bread to choose a staple food that is relatively rich in dietary fiber, minerals and vitamins to replace refined rice and flour for balanced nutrition.

But whether it is for health or weight loss purposes, we must first have the right mindset: what ultimately determines our body shape and health is not a single food, but whether your overall diet is nutritionally balanced. After all, white bread and white rice can also be made more nutritious and healthier through reasonable combinations.

Finally, let’s review this whole wheat bread review and review how to choose good whole wheat bread~