The catch? Many standard seeded and wholegrain loaves without any protein marketing already contain about 8-9g per serve, because wholegrain bread naturally retains the nutrient-rich bran and germ of the grain. <\/p>\n
\u201cBread is rarely the main source of protein in the diet,\u201d says Henderson. \u201cWhole foods like eggs, dairy, legumes, fish and lean meat contribute much more.\u201d<\/p>\n
There are much higher natural sources of protein readily available than that found in protein-enriched bread. Photo \/ DepositPhotos<\/p>\n
If toast and sandwiches are a cornerstone of your day, a higher-protein loaf might offer a small but genuine boost. But Sekula is pragmatic: adding eggs, beans or yoghurt to your meal will do far more than swapping your loaf. Some of the keto-style options, she notes, are simply expensive for what they deliver.<\/p>\n
High-fibre breads: here the claims earn their keep<\/p>\n
Fibre is the one area where the marketing tends to reflect a real nutritional gap. Most New Zealanders don\u2019t get enough of it, and it matters \u2013 for digestive health, heart health and how satisfied you feel after eating. The Food Standards Code requires a bread to contain at least 4g of fibre per serve to be a \u201cgood source\u201d and at least 7g to be called \u201chigh fibre\u201d. <\/p>\n
That said, plenty of standard wholegrain and seed loaves are already good sources of fibre without making a song and dance about it. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s less about the claim on the front of the pack and more about choosing breads made from whole grains and minimally refined ingredients,\u201d says Sekula. Flip the loaf over and check the nutrition panel \u2013 that\u2019s where the real story is.<\/p>\n
Low-carb breads: probably not for most people<\/p>\n
Lower-carb loaves are increasingly visible, but Henderson is straightforward about who actually needs them: not most of us. New Zealand\u2019s eating guidelines recommend including grain foods, particularly wholegrains, as part of a healthy diet. Some lower-carb breads are made with seeds, soy and added fibre, which can make them genuinely filling, but they can also contain extra additives and sweeteners, and some cost more than $10 a loaf. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s better to focus on the quality of the bread instead of trying to reduce carbs,\u201d says Henderson.<\/p>\n
The case for a good old seed loaf<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s what\u2019s easy to miss in all this: a well-made seed or wholegrain loaf is often already doing everything you need. Linseeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and the like deliver fibre, healthy fats and a broad spread of nutrients in one go \u2013 exactly the kind of whole-food approach that both dietitians advocate. Wholegrain intake is associated with better heart health and a reduced risk of chronic disease, and bread can be an easy, everyday way to get more of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cRather than trying to find a perfect loaf,\u201d says Sekula, \u201cthink about how bread fits into the bigger picture. What matters most is variety: whole foods, fibre-rich choices, and a mix of protein sources across the day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Our picks: breads worth buying<\/p>\n
Based on the nutrition panels \u2013 not the front-of-pack claims \u2013 these are some of the strongest performers currently on New Zealand supermarket shelves.<\/p>\n
If you’re looking for higher fibre loaves, these two supermarket brands are worth considering.<\/p>\n
High in fibre<\/p>\n
7g or more per serve<\/p>\n
Ploughmans 45% Lower Carb (7.9g fibre)<\/p>\n
Freya\u2019s Lower Carb 5 Seed (7.4g fibre, also 11.8g protein)<\/p>\n
These supermarket loaves are good sources of fibre.<\/p>\n
Good sources of fibre<\/p>\n
4\u20136.9g per serve<\/p>\n
Freya\u2019s Swiss Soya Linseed (4.2g fibre, 13.3g protein \u2013 one of the few doing both well)<\/p>\n
Ploughmans High Protein Wholemeal & Pumpkin Seed (6.7g fibre, 11.1g protein)<\/p>\n
Freya\u2019s Dutch Wholemeal Grain (6.6g)<\/p>\n
Ploughmans Farmhouse Wholemeal (6.2g)<\/p>\n
Vogel\u2019s Sunflower & Barley (5.5g)<\/p>\n
Ploughmans Soy & Canterbury Linseed (5.1g, 11.0g protein)<\/p>\n
Vogel\u2019s Sprouted Whole Grains (4.8g)<\/p>\n
Vogel\u2019s Dark Rye (4.1g)<\/p>\n
Burgen Mixed Grain (4.2g)<\/p>\n
The most important things to look for<\/p>\n
The bottom line is simple: aim for at least 4g of fibre per serve, go lower in sodium where you can, and don\u2019t overlook a classic grain loaf just because it isn\u2019t loudly marketing itself. Chances are, it\u2019s already working hard for you.<\/p>\n
Herald contributor Nikki Birrell has worked in food and travel publishing for nearly 20 years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"What\u2019s easy to overlook, though, is that most commercially produced bread in New Zealand is already fortified. Iodine…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":383053,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[308,27309,3384,95,192,13916,17094,9218,3390,68881,198954,7054,138,24506,2562,4731,34844,5821,27308,5085,9058,1866,2082,71,84122,37823,5838,47836,302,8156,65016,198955,2513,32934,111,139,556,69,17096,15483,2859,15265,198956,97,223,24359,210,61,34890,6923,14605,19985,15411],"class_list":{"0":"post-383052","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business","8":"tag-actually","9":"tag-added","10":"tag-aisle","11":"tag-and","12":"tag-are","13":"tag-asked","14":"tag-avoid","15":"tag-before","16":"tag-best","17":"tag-bread","18":"tag-breads","19":"tag-breakfast","20":"tag-business","21":"tag-carbs","22":"tag-claims","23":"tag-days","24":"tag-dietitians","25":"tag-everything","26":"tag-extra","27":"tag-fibre","28":"tag-figure","29":"tag-find","30":"tag-for","31":"tag-from","32":"tag-functional","33":"tag-grains","34":"tag-help","35":"tag-henderson","36":"tag-its","37":"tag-julia","38":"tag-lily","39":"tag-loaves","40":"tag-lower","41":"tag-navigate","42":"tag-new-zealand","43":"tag-newzealand","44":"tag-nutrition","45":"tag-nz","46":"tag-paying","47":"tag-promising","48":"tag-protein","49":"tag-registered","50":"tag-sekula","51":"tag-supermarket","52":"tag-the","53":"tag-these","54":"tag-through","55":"tag-to","56":"tag-walk","57":"tag-what","58":"tag-whats","59":"tag-worth","60":"tag-youll"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/383052","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=383052"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/383052\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/383053"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=383052"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=383052"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=383052"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}