When we're looking for a healthy alternative, we've been trained to assume that whole wheat bread is a healthier option than white bread. However, "healthier" doesn't necessarily mean "healthy," and not all whole wheat breads are created equally. The nutritional content for different whole wheat breads can vary wildly, and the facts behind Pepperidge Farm's 100% Whole Wheat bread could raise an eyebrow.
"Healthy" means different things for different people, but a key factor is knowing what's in the food you eat so you can choose what's right for you. While most foods now have nutritional labels that make it easier to find the good stuff, some foods you might not think to check need a second look, especially when they might be sneaking in higher amounts of sodium and sugar than you might expect. One example is Pepperidge Farm's 100% Whole Wheat bread, which has 4 grams of added sugar per 49-gram slice.
With 8% of your daily recommended sugar in a single slice, that makes it one of the most sugar-dense whole wheat breads on the market. The 100% whole wheat flour used in Pepperidge Farm's bread offers a bitter flavor, and the extra sugar is added to counteract that bitterness while helping the bread to rise faster. Most whole wheat bread on the market has at least some added sugar, but Pepperidge Farm's 100% Whole Wheat beats most of them.
The upside of Pepperidge Farm's Whole Wheat bread It can be hard to compare brands without doing additional math as the nutritional informati.