by Could this be the worst thing since sliced bread? According to more and more research, ultra-processed food is at the root of much of our ill health – with the highest consumers 24 percent more likely to suffer heart attacks and strokes, and 39 percent more likely to develop high blood pressure.
Britain and the United States are the world’s biggest consumers of ultra-processed food, with more than half our daily calories coming from plastic packaging inside.
In a disappointing twist, researchers are now labeling bread – the backbone of the British diet – as an ultra-processed food, or UPF. This means it has been industrially manipulated to be far from the original raw ingredients, and generally contains additives including preservatives, emulsifiers and stabilizers – which you might not buy in your local supermarket.
More than eight in ten loaves of bread we buy from the supermarket come sliced and in a plastic bag – packaging which is significant in itself according to Dr Chris van Tulleken, author Ultra-Processed People: The Science Behind Food not Food. Van Tulleken defines UPF as “plastic-wrapped products that contain at least one additive that you don’t find in a home kitchen” – including, on the surface, our little supermarket leaflet.
Not all bread counts as UPF. Only a loaf of flour, salt and yeast is “processed” and processed food is not a problem. Many of the expensive sourdoughs fall into this category.
The truth is, however, that most of us don’t want to cut out a fiver for our daily bread, and we can’t afford it. So what does this mean for the rest of us, who have spent years buying brown bread, assuming it’s the healthy choice?
Should we avoid sliced bread altogether? No, says dietitian Clare Thornton-Wood of the British Dietetic Association. While she agrees that fresh food is better, in the end, it’s all about balance. “Bread is good for you,” she says. “It is a source of fibre, calcium and B vitamins.
Casket surdos might be a great option, if possible, but otherwise try something with a variety of grains and maybe some seeds for extra nutrients and fiber.” So how does your regular supermarket loaf measure up?
Supermarket loaves rated for health and taste:
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Sainsbury’s Soft Multi-Seed Farmhouse Sanitary Bread
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Tesco Health Turf Bread
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Tesco’s Best Large Seeds and Grains
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Kingsmill Tasty Farewell
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Goodbye Tasty Hovis
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Sainsbury’s Integrity Average
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Sainsbury’s Stamford Street Co Middle More
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Vogel’s Soy and Seed Loaf
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Co-op Wholemeal Toastie
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Waitrose Organic Seed Semi Bloomer
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Safe Farmhouse Waitrose
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Super Seed Farmhouse Irregular Coop
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Marks and Spencer Whole Seed Farmhouse
1) Sainsbury’s Soft Multi-Seed Farmhouse Sanitary Bread
£1.20, 800g
Taste: This has a good bounce and a nutty flavor, as well as a crunch to the seeds.
Health: It contains palm oil, which is controversial but sustainable, and ascorbic acid (vitamin C). Otherwise, nothing bad, and excellent fiber 4.1g per slice. There are also a lot of seeds – 14 percent and four different varieties.
2) Tesco Health Turf Bread
75p, 800g
Taste: Not much bounce, and a faintly gritty texture. No taste at all.
Health: It finds tartaric acid mono- and diacetyl esters of mono- and di-glycerides of fatty acids, and a preservative, calcium propionate, in palm oil but it is not palm oil. Only 2.5g of fiber per chip.
3) Tesco’s Best Large Seeds and Grains
£1.30, 800g
Taste: Less bouncy than Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference loaf at the same price and delivers a smaller slice. A slightly pungent taste – like eating bran.
Health: Additives such as dihydroglycerides of fatty acids and calcium propionate are included, which at this price, I would hope not. Plus there’s only 2.8g of fiber per chip.
4) Kingsmill Tasty Farewell
£1.30, 800g
Taste: A pleasant aroma and a nice malty edge to the taste. I would like a little more texture, but it has a very good spring.
Health: It contains an emulsifier and preservative and provides just 2.5g of fiber per chip.
5) Goodbye Tasty Hovis
£1.39, 800g
Taste: A slightly rancid smell and the taste is also strange. He hasn’t had a great spring either.
Health: Contains preservatives and emulsifiers, as well as 2.7g of fiber – I’d like to see more, especially since the taste isn’t great.
6) Sainsbury’s Integrity Average
£75p, 800g
Taste: Very pappy, stodgy stuff, with a bit of caramel flavor.
Health: Tartaric acid contains mono- and diacetyl esters of mono- and di-glycerides of fatty acids, calcium propionate, and
Palm oil – so definitely a UPF loaf.
7) Sainsbury’s Stamford Street Co Middle More
45p, 800g
Taste: She is looking for a relatively dry texture. Very little taste, except for a faint nuttiness.
Health: Also contains mono- and diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono- and di-glycerides of fatty acids, calcium propionate and palm oil. It is slightly lower in fat and protein than the standard Sainsbury’s version.
8) Vogel’s Soy and Seed Loaf
£2.30, 800g
Taste: Really white bread, speckled with seeds, it’s got a decent bounce and it’s not dry. The taste is a bit seedy – I want more.
Health: It is 21 percent grains and seeds (wheat, soya, rye) so a relatively small range and 2.8g of fiber per slice. Nothing scary in the ingredient list though.
9) Co-op Wholemeal Toastie
85p, 800g
Taste: Good bounce and a nice deep brown colour. Sweet and malty taste.
Health: It contains emulsifiers, palm fat and calcium propionate, but the fiber content is high at 3.5g a slice, without even tasting it.
10) Waitrose Organic Seed Semi Bloomer
£2.20, 400g
Taste: Nice and bouncy with the most intense flavor on the slice – plus it’s not too hard or too chewy.
Health: Five types of seeds (19 percent) and no problematic ingredients at all.
11) Safe Farmhouse Waitrose
£1.45, 800g
Taste: Red gold color with a good springy texture and a slightly toasty taste. Not exceptional
Health: Contains emulsifiers, but no palm oil or preservatives. However, slightly lower in fiber than most at 2.5g per chip.
12) Super Seed Farmhouse Irregular Coop
£1.75, 800g
Taste: Interesting, and a good bounce. It might provide a little too much seed for some but I like it.
Health: There are five types of seeds, which have a wide range, and although they contain emulsifiers and palm fat, there is no preservative.
13) Marks and Spencer Whole Seed Farmhouse
£1.60, 800g
Taste: Very salty but a bit dusty taste, and a bit gritty in texture.
Health: Ten types of seeds and grains, which account for 13 percent of the ingredients. Contains palm oil and no preservatives. The emulsifier is rapeseed lecithin, although the jury is out on whether that is better. On the upside, it adds 3.75g of fiber per slice.
