Whole wheat bread may not be

Just a quick tidbit of information to help you out during your next trip to the supermarket ...

You're just about done with your shopping; you've picked up your healthy fruits and vegetables, did your best to stay in the perimeter of the store (because you've learned that most of the healthy food is located there, whereas much of the junk food can be found shelved in the middle area of the store), and now you're looking for some healthy, whole wheat bread.

"Oh, look at that one," you say to yourself. "It's a nice, rich, brown color. That must be very healthy." Is it? Maybe, but maybe not. The trick that many food manufacturers are playing these days when it comes to bread is that they will label their product as being Whole Wheat, when in fact it only contains a small amount of whole wheat flour. Instead, it is made from enriched flour (the same kind found in white bread) and is colored with a caramelized dye -- hence the rich, brown color.

The key to finding healthy bread is to scrutinize the nutritional label. Under the ingredients, Whole Wheat should be the first thing that is listed. As you probably already know, these nutritional items are listed in order of abundance -- so, if whole wheat is the fifth or sixth thing listed, be advised that the bread your holding isn't whole wheat. Using that same approach, if Whole Wheat is the first item listed in the ingredients, then you have found yourself some honest-to-goodness whole wheat bread.

You can also look for packaging that lists their bread as being "100% Whole Wheat" or "100% Whole Grain," which also signifies that the product is legit. But, I would still err on the side of caution and check the ingredients.

Oh yeah, and on a separate note -- there unfortunately is no such thing as a "Healthier Twinkie," regardless of what the label may say.