Healthy Bread Brands: How to Navigate the Bread Aisle with Confidence
Feb 05, 2025, Updated Feb 17, 2025
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Today we’re talking about a favorite of toddlers and kids everywhere. A carb-y, reliable, satisfying, pantry staple.
You guessed it: BREAD!

Now, bread gets a bad rap because carbs often get a bad rap. Come to think of it, pretty much all processed food and anything with additives gets a bad rap these days.
I’m here to sort through the confusion about store bought bread (and why certain processed foods and additives are not to be feared).
Let’s talk about healthy bread brands!
Table of Contents
- Healthy Bread Brands: How to Navigate the Bread Aisle with Confidence
- But first, let’s understand carbs
- Making sense of the bread aisle
- Kacie, what if my kid won’t eat whole grain bread?
- Healthy bread brands for babies
- How to serve bread to kids
- How not to serve bread to kids
- What if my kid only wants bread?
- How to boost nutrition when they only want bread
- What about sourdough bread?
- Additives in store bought bread
- Healthy bread brands at the store
Healthy Bread Brands: How to Navigate the Bread Aisle with Confidence
But first, let’s understand carbs
Carbohydrates actually are the body’s number one preferred source of energy. That means that our body has a pathway that breaks down carbohydrates most efficiently into the most amount of energy (as compared to the other macronutrients).
This is probably opposite of what your keto cousin told you.
But the scientific truth is that the body likes carbs. Our brains like carbs. Our bodies and brains NEED carbs! Should I keep going? I think I’ve made my point.
But not all carbs are created equal. And there is such a thing as too much.
That doesn’t mean I’m saying some are “good” and some are “bad” (remember, I don’t do the good/bad dichotomy around food and bodies!). But they are different in the way that our bodies use them and turn them to energy, and how much sustained energy they provide.
Because of that, there are certain carb choices– and healthy bread choices– that I like better than others for eating on a daily basis.
Making sense of the bread aisle
What am I looking for in a healthy bread brand?
There are a few main things to look for.
- Whole grains
- Protein
- Low (or no) added sugar
- Moderate sodium levels
Let’s go over the details for each of these!
Whole grains
Breads labeled “whole wheat” or “whole grain” are generally the healthiest choices at the store. Whole wheat is simply a type of whole grain. Bread that is “whole grain” may also contain other grains in addition to wheat, like oats.
Whole grain means the bread is made with the entire wheat grain. Grains have three parts. In white or simple wheat bread, some parts are removed during processing. This takes away some nutrients. I choose whole grain or whole wheat bread because there is more nutrition.
Whole grain bread has more fiber than white, wheat, or multigrain bread. Fiber is super important. It helps prevent constipation and keeps kids’ digestion healthy!
See Related: Struggling with constipation in your child? Check out the common causes of constipation in toddlers and kids and my favorite constipation-fighting foods tips!
A confusing point: Don’t be duped by breads that are just wheat, not whole wheat. Wheat bread is just another way of saying they used refined white flour. Multigrain bread also does not mean that it has whole grains, just that it has more than one type of flour.
Protein
You probably don’t think of bread as a protein food. And it’s not, really. However, you might be surprised to find out that many healthy bread brands actually do have a good amount of protein per slice! Protein is an added bonus in some of my favorite breads.
Bread may not have a ton of protein, but it can contribute to overall protein intake pretty significantly. I’ve seen some as high as 3-5 grams per slice (so a sandwich could be 6-10 grams). That amount could be especially significant for little kids with lower protein needs or picky eaters– even if they eat half a sandwich!
Low or no added sugar
Also surprisingly, bread can be hiding a ton of sugar. You wouldn’t necessarily think so, but it’s one of the ways hidden sugar can kind of add up in the diet.
Check the label of your go-to bread. I like to see very little (a few grams or less) or ideally none.
Moderate sodium
Bread can also be a sneaky source of sodium in the diet. Bread makers often add sugar and sodium to help preserve the product, and make it more palatable.
Ideally, I like to see under 200 mg per slice for kids.
Kacie, what if my kid won’t eat whole grain bread?
I get it. This is the most common bread hang-up with pickier eaters. Some kids don’t like the texture of whole grain bread (it can be seedy). Some kids won’t eat grains in the slice or on the crust of it.
Don’t worry! There are still some good healthy bread brand options!
My favorite alternative is Dave’s Killer Bread White Done Right. It doesn’t have the seedy texture, but still contains whole grains. It has a couple grams of fiber, 3 grams of protein, 180 mg of sodium, and only 2 g of added sugar. It tastes mild like white bread and has a soft texture, so picky kids won’t be deterred!
Healthy bread brands for babies
A quick note on bread for babies.
Bread can be a great early food for babies. I used it as a vehicle to introduce my kids to many foods from mashed avocado to hummus to nut butter!
BUT there are a few extra considerations when introducing bread to babies.
Most importantly, you need to make sure that if your baby is under 1 year old, there is no honey in the bread. Babies under 1 shouldn’t have honey because honey can have botulism spores in it that their systems are too young to handle. Certain breads use honey as a sweetener, so it’s good to keep an eye on ingredients for this age!
For babies starting solids, it’s best to choose a crusty bread that won’t get soggy in their mouths and become a choking hazard. You want to offer this sturdy, crusty bread cut into strips, and top with whatever you want to introduce them to at that meal.
If you need some ideas for starting solids with your baby, I’ve got what you need!
How to serve bread to kids
There are a ton of great ways to serve bread to kids. I recommend trying to serve it as part of a meal as opposed to just as a side on its own. I find that we can make the nutrition a little more complex when bread is an ingredient rather than its own thing.
Here are some of my favorite ways to serve bread:
- Toast with toppings
Some of my favorites are smashed avocado, nut butter (any kind!) and berries, ricotta cheese, or just plain old fashioned butter!
- Egg in a hole
This is essentially pan-frying an egg into a hole you cut out of a piece of whole grain bread! My kids find this a really fun way to eat an egg and I like that they get all the macronutrients in one simple breakfast.
- Sandwich
This one is self-explanatory. You know the drill! Load up your favorite whole grain bread however your kid likes it! Peanut butter and jelly, turkey and cheese, cream cheese and cucumber, chicken/tuna salad- the possibilities are pretty endless!
- Grilled cheese
Also pretty self-explanatory! This may not be *the* hardest hitting nutritional option of the bunch, but if they’re getting carbs and fiber from the bread, and fat and a little protein from the cheese, you’re not doing too shabby!
French toast is such a sleeper when it comes to nutritionally sound breakfasts! You get all the benefits of eggs and the energizing carbs and filling fiber from the bread. I also love French toast because even kids who are skeptical of eggs will probably like French toast. It’s not real eggy, you know? Serve with just a drizzle of maple syrup to not go overboard with sugar in the morning!
How not to serve bread to kids
When you are serving bread at or with the meal, try to make it so that bread is the sole carbohydrate choice at that meal.
What I mean by that is if you serve pasta AND bread, you’re getting two pretty densely carbohydrate-heavy items, and you’re missing fats and protein.
So while it may be common to serve spaghetti with garlic bread, they’re probably missing out on some nutrition. Picking one carb choice or the other at a meal like that will open up space on their plate and in their tummy to make sure they’re getting a balanced meal and not too many carb options.
What if my kid only wants bread?
If your kid only wants bread, you’re not alone. Bread is a safe food for many picky eaters (and also just a favorite of kids in general).
There are a few good ways to branch out from your picky eater’s preferred bread item. If you’re stuck on sandwich bread or plain rolls, start trying to offer other bread items like pita bread, tortillas, English muffins, bagels, croissants, etc! There are so many amazing varieties of bread. And trying these different variations is really important for picky eaters to increase their acceptance of variety.
If you find that when you serve bread, they ignore their fruit and veggies, I would consider putting out a fruit/veggie plate before the meal while you’re still getting food ready. That way those foods aren’t in direct competition with the bread!
How to boost nutrition when they only want bread
In my “favorite ways to serve bread” list above, you’ll notice I mentioned some loaded toast options. Using toppings on your child’s favorite bread can go a long way in boosting their nutrient intake.
I love toppings like avocado, hummus, nut butter, and ricotta, but those may not be in your picky eater’s wheelhouse yet.
If your child is obsessed with Nutella (mine love it), I love swapping in this Justin’s chocolate hazelnut butter. It’s a lower sugar, better nutrition alternative and my kids really like it!
I also used the Banza plain chickpea pizza crusts for my kids before my son liked pizza. I would just brush the plain crusts with olive oil and bake them so they turned out kind of like a big breadstick. We moved from plain crusts to topped crusts (he actually loved these with avocado), and eventually to pizza toppings!
Muffins are also a fun way to play around with adding nutrient density into your child’s diet while still sticking to the bread category. There are so many ways you can add fruits and even veggies into muffins. You can make them with almond flour for added protein and fat, you can use full fat Greek yogurt for a protein boost, you can customize them however you like!
My favorites are these healthy toddler muffins and these picky-eater friendly zucchini banana bread muffins.
What about sourdough bread?
Sourdough bread has a reputation for being healthier than other bread. And while I love sourdough myself, it’s not something magical.
There may be a few functional food benefits of sourdough associated with the fact that it’s fermented, but nothing hugely significant.
That being said, if you’re on a sourdough baking kick, go for it! Some foods are too delicious to skip out on.
Eat it if you like it or love to make it! But you may decide to experiment using a whole grain flour (or at least partially whole grain flour). I used to do half white whole wheat flour and half regular flour when I was on my own bread baking kick.
Additives in store bought bread
Additives…dun, dun, dun.
This word scares a lot of people, because it makes it seem like “they” are adding stuff to our food just for the heck of it! And while I don’t love everything that’s in our foods these days (looking at you, added sugars, unnecessary food dyes, etc.), most additives are helpful for preserving foods and their texture.
“Preservatives” is often used as a dirty word, but think for a minute about the food supply and how many people we need to feed. Think about how many people depend on shelf stable items to be able to feed themselves and their families. Think about food deserts (where access to fresh food is lacking) and food insecurity. There are so many important reasons why we need to have widespread access to shelf-stable items WITH additives, WITH preservatives. That’s what makes these foods safe and long-lasting.
If you buy fresh baked bread, that’s great too! But it’s not reasonable to expect that all of us would be able to get to the grocery store multiple times a week. Sometimes relying on more convenient products (like store bought bread) might be better for our family. I’m here to tell you that’s okay!
Of course I like items with simple ingredients and that check all my nutritional boxes, but most of the products we have out there aren’t “perfect.”
And if you’re a parent of a picky eater, you know how hard it can be to get your child to eat ANY one food, so sometimes less-than-perfect is more-than-good-enough.
So if your picky eater has a bread they love (even if it has- gasp!- additives), that can be a great starting place to get a lot of nutrition into them with that bread product!
Healthy bread brands at the store
That being said, there are healthy bread brands out there! There are certain ones I like more and less ingredient-wise.
Overall, one of my favorite brands is Dave’s Killer Bread. There are several Dave’s varieties that I love and buy often- like the White Done Right and the Thin Sliced Whole Grain varieties. I also like Nature’s Own 100% Whole Grain Bread and Target’s Silver Hills Bakery Organic Soft Wheat Sprouted Wheat Bread.
Hopefully this breakdown helps give you a clearer picture of the store bought bread options out there! I want to help you make the choices that best support your family’s needs and nutrition.
I’m cheers-ing you with my grilled cheese sandwich (and bowl of tomato soup) through the screen.