Skip the marketing hype: What dietitians really want you to know about supermarket bread

The bread aisle at your local supermarket is a maze of promises. Wholegrain, multigrain, high-protein, low-carb, artisan, organic, sourdough—each loaf seems to whisper a different claim about what your body needs. Most of us stand there, eyes glazing over, and grab whatever we grabbed last week. But there's been a quiet revolution happening in the bread section that almost nobody has noticed, and it points toward a simpler way to think about choosing what goes in your trolley.

Since 2007, bread manufacturers have been working with the Heart Foundation to gradually reduce the salt in their loaves. The result: a standard white sliced loaf today contains roughly 25 percent less sodium than it did two decades ago. The shift happened so gradually that consumers never tasted the difference. Dave Monro, the Heart Foundation's chief advisor on food and nutrition, explains that when sodium is cut by 10 to 20 percent in small increments, people don't detect any change in flavour and acceptance remains strong. This matters because New Zealanders are eating 70 percent more salt than recommended daily, and bread is the leading source of that excess in many diets. Lower salt intake is one of the most effective ways to reduce high blood pressure, a major risk factor for heart disease.

But salt reduction is only part of the story. To cut through the marketing noise, the Herald spoke with two registered dietitians—Julia Sekula and Lily Henderson from Dietitians New Zealand—about what actually matters when you're standing in front of those shelves. Their advice is refreshingly straightforward: ignore the buzzwords and read the nutrition information panel. Aim for at least 5 grams of fibre per 100 grams of bread, though 7 grams or more is excellent. Choose options lower in sodium per 100 grams. And look at the ingredients list: wholegrain ingredients should appear first or near the top, which tells you the bread is mostly made from wholegrains rather than refined white flour.

The distinction between wholegrain and multigrain is crucial, and it's where marketing often misleads. Under the Food Standards Code, wholegrain bread must contain the entire grain—bran, germ, and endosperm—in their original proportions. Wholemeal bread is a type of wholegrain bread made from milled wholegrains. Multigrain, however, isn't defined in the Code. A manufacturer can add a small amount of grains to white bread and still call it multigrain. In short: multigrain may look healthy, but the fibre numbers tell the real story. Similarly, terms like artisan, stone-ground, organic, sourdough, and light don't automatically mean the bread is healthier or higher in wholegrains. Darker breads can turn brown from malt extract or molasses rather than extra wholegrains. Seed toppings can add nutrients, but they don't guarantee that the bread underneath is wholegrain—it might still be made from refined white flour.

Trendy bread categories often disappoint when you look at the nutrition facts. Sourdough can be easier to digest for some people because longer fermentation breaks down parts of gluten and some FODMAPs, but nutritionally it's not automatically higher in fibre or nutrients unless it's made with wholegrains. Freshly baked or homemade sourdough is best for gut health; most supermarket pre-packaged versions are processed like any other loaf. High-protein bread is rarely worth the premium price tag. Bread is primarily a carbohydrate food, and these loaves often provide only a modest protein boost—around 4 to 5 grams per serve. You'll get far better-quality protein from what you eat with the bread: eggs, peanut butter, lean meat, or salad. Low-carb options are similarly overpriced. If you want fewer carbs, choose smaller slices or open sandwiches instead of paying more for a label.

Gluten-free bread isn't automatically healthier unless you have coeliac disease or a diagnosed gluten intolerance. Many gluten-free breads aren't as nutritious as regular wholegrain options, though the selection has improved over the past decade. If you do need to eat gluten-free, apply the same rules: look for wholegrains in the ingredients, more fibre, and less sodium per 100 grams. For families with children, the perfect loaf is often the one that actually gets eaten. There's no point buying the healthiest bread on the shelf if it comes home uneaten. A softer wholemeal or mixed-grain bread, where the grains are more finely milled or broken down, provides good fibre without the heavy texture of a dense wholegrain loaf. Variety helps too—wholegrain wraps, wholemeal rolls, and pita bread all count. The old rule that white is bad and brown is good doesn't hold up anymore. Some modern white-looking breads are made with clever food science: they look and taste like white bread but still provide fibre. Check the label rather than judging by colour.

Both dietitians agree on one takeaway: choose a wholegrain bread your family enjoys and that fits your budget. The best bread is one you'll actually eat, ideally with good fibre content, lower sodium, and real grains you can see. Four breads stand out for higher fibre and wholegrain focus: Ploughmans Southern Seeds Lower Carb (12.2 grams fibre, 336 milligrams sodium), Tip Top Supersoft High Fibre Toast (7.3 grams fibre, 378 milligrams sodium), Ploughmans Farmhouse Wholemeal (7.1 grams fibre, 375 milligrams sodium), and Vogel's Sunflower & Barley Toast (6.5 grams fibre, 350 milligrams sodium). Four others worth scrutinizing: Nature's Fresh Multigrain Toast (4.2 grams fibre, grains make up only 13 percent), Vogel's Original Mixed Grain (4.5 grams fibre), Ploughmans Harvest Rye (4.7 grams fibre, dark colour partly from roasted barley malt), and Tip Top Oatilicious Toast (4.0 grams fibre). The next time you're in the aisle, skip the marketing hype and let the numbers guide you.