This VS That: Sandwich Bread Edition

A good sandwich is a comfort food. I’d take a good sandwich over a tray of brownies any day! A toasted melted grilled cheese, italian combo, pesto anything and any kind of a turkey sammie make me do the happy food dance. If you are reading this then you too have a happy food dance.

If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen my Reel on “How To Make a Lettuce Wrap” where the video substitutes a tortilla for layers of iceberg lettuce rolled into a well packaged meal on-the-go. There are many times using lettuce or cabbage serve as an instant healthy veggie based holder of fillings. That is my go-to as I choose to limit gluten and refined carbs for my health yet at times it just doesn’t cut it.

For those times when avocado toast, french toast, grilled cheese or classic pb & j call your name here are a few alternates you can find at a local Target, Whole Foods or even order online.

Time to Swap

• Heartland Bread Co.
• Silver Hills
• Carbonaut (gluten free, keto friendly)
• Food for Life – Ezekiel bread (gluten free)

Go with THAT

Bread shouldn’t be too complex, if the list of ingredients is crazy crazy long move on to another bread option. Fad diets tend to yield new creations to keep up with Gluten Free, Paleo, Vegan, Keto, market sectors. They can get overloaded with excess starches which can cause bloat so be aware if you eat them on the daily. Some brands keep it very simple yet lack complete taste or fall apart (literally). I have personally tried many and some are a hard pass.

A good starting point is selecting a bread that is USDA Organic since they do NOT allow any pesticides whatsoever. Yet don’t assume just because it is organic it isn’t loaded with sugar, canola or soybean oil as that is not regulated. Many of these organic breads have different varieties which means their ingredients will vary and one maybe a better choice.

It takes a few minutes of initiative to compare products but will be worth it since you or your family will be eating approximately over 10 sandwiches from that one loaf.

Some breads aren’t going to be the cleanest yet will be a better option, you have to make that decision on what matter most to you- taste or ingredients or all of it. As an example, Carbonaut contains sunflower oil as well as a gum yet out all the Gluten free options I’ve had they have the least amount of ingredients and the taste is there. As an occasional sliced bread consumer I keep Carbonaut and Spring Hills loafs in my freezer.

Go Ahead, Flip it, Read it

Check the ingredients of the bread you have in your house and when you shop. In most common conventional breads there are long lists of preservatives, heavily processed flours (heat treated, farmed with pesticides-like the RoundUp Weed Killer that is a hot topic lately), high fructose corn syrup, soybean oil, dough conditioners (enzymes, bleaching agents, emulsifiers) all play in the shelf life, the texture and taste.

When the flour says “enriched” yes it has vitamins and minerals added yet they are synthetic due to the immense heat that destroyed any existing vitamins and minerals that naturally occur.

Even the breads with labels that state “whole wheat” and “whole grain” can still sabotage with the levels of sugars, highly inflammatory oils (ex. soybean oil) , shelf life preservatives and emulsifiers.

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