I'm really picky about bread as I like it to have good flavor and feel substantial. But I'd like to lower the calories on my whole grain toast in the morning. I've been eating Rudi's Organic Honey Whole Wheat but one small slice has 110 calories.

Any recommendations?

Thanks!

Charlene

I like Trader Joe's Soft Whole Wheat bread. It's whole grain, with 70 calories per slice.

We don't have Trader Joe's in Colorado! I so wish we did. I just moved to Colorado in 2005 from Calif. and used to do all of my shopping at TJ's. The grocery store where I live now has a pretty good selection of organic and "health foods" though.

I've been eating Sara Lee Delightful 100% Multi-grain bread. It does have ingredients in it a whole food purist would object to, but I'm not a purist, it is available in my local grocery store (no special trips), it is good, and it doesn't go stale, soggy or moldy after a couple days. 45 calories a slice, 1 g sugar, 1 g fat (no trans fats or hydrogenated anything), and 3 g fiber. A good compromise for me.

Anne

Natural Ovens' Brand Right Wheat bread and Hunger Filler bread are natural, whole wheat breads with 90 calories a slice. They're both very good, very satisfying breads. The bakery is based in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and they're dedicated to making healthy baked goods. For example, pretty much every bread they make has flaxseed in it to one extent or another—they're certain that flax has beneficial properties and want to make sure it's incorporated in their breads as much as possible.

90 calories a slice might not seem such a savings, but they aren't kidding when they call it "Hunger Filler."

Used to buy it in Chicago; probably can be found through most of the midwest.

You can actually order Nature's Oven bread online. They want to ship it FedEx (or at least they did when I lived in Seattle) but I didn't want to pay that, and it was fine when it came. I've heard a lot about the Sarah Lee bread, but none of our local groceries carry it. I end up with "regular" whole wheat (80 cal/slice) and I stock up when it's on sale - even then it's $2/loaf. On occasion I haul out my bread maker and make my own whole wheat - much nicer!

I never saw it in Colorado but you might want to look for it at your local grocery store. I buy "The Baker" whole grain breads. They use organic ingredients as well as don't add sugar to their bread. The bread is very substantial and has 50 calories per slice. Personally, I don't care for the breads that say they are 35-55 calories but are really nothing but air.

I enjoy Orowheat Country 100% whole wheat bread (it's different than the regular Orowheat wheat bread). It's soft so it makes great sandwiches (and the kids like it, too), and it stays fresh in the breadbox for over a week. I checked the ingredients and it has honey instead of corn syrup. One slice is 100 calories.

Whole grain bread and whole wheat bread are not necessarily the same. If it says whole wheat flour it is not whole grain. You should be able to see specks of the grain in the bread. Read labels carefully if you are looking for whole grain and they won't be low calorie (like the light breads).

Well, no...whole wheat flour is whole grain. Whole grain isn't always whole wheat (since whole grain can include grains other than just wheat), but whole wheat is a whole grain. Whole wheat flour included the entire wheat grain, which is why it is "whole." If it just says "wheat flour" or "enriched wheat flour," then it is NOT a whole grain, but if it says "whole wheat flour," then you're good to go. That's the whole point of checking labels for "whole wheat flour" instead of just "wheat flour."

The bread I have is 100% whole grain and is not marketed as being a "light" bread, but it's only 50 calories a slice.

Susan, If the flour is whole wheat flour, it is a whole grain bread. Just wheat flour as an ingredient isn't a whole grain bread, but whole wheat flour is.

It is a good point to make that if you are looking for whole grain bread then your label will most likely say 100% whole grain or 100% whole wheat. I just looked and my bread doesn't say 100% whole grain but the ingredients are as follows:

Organic stone-ground whole wheat, water, wheat gluten, organic whole rye, wheat bran, sea salt, oat fiber, olive oil, yeast, organic apple cider and vinegar.

It took me many months of reading labels of breads before I found one I liked though. I tend to scrutinize them even if they do say 100% whole wheat.

You would think but no! I remember taking 30 minutes to pick out a loaf of bread at the grocery store but I can zip through the fresh fruit/veggie section fairly quickly picking up what I need.

I think really what ruined us was the whole low fat crazy of the 80s where lots of junk foods were created in the guise of being health foods.