Whole Grain Options
Whole wheat used to be the only whole grain pasta choice; nowadays there are pastas made of brown rice, barley, oats and even spelt — all great whole-grain picks. Some food manufacturers take it a step further and use egg whites, flaxseed and flours from legumes such as beans and lentils to tweak the texture and boost a pasta’s nutrient content.

For our test, we chose a variety of whole-grain pastas and scored them on a 5-point scale (5 being the highest). We focused on taste, texture and nutritional value. Prices varied significantly — unlike most white pastas that come in 16-ounce (1 pound) boxes, these brands ranged anywhere from an 8-ounce to a 16-ounce package. Costs were anywhere from $0.13 to $0.33 per ounce.

Prep Tip: Some whole-grain pastas (especially the whole-wheat kinds) have a nutty flavor that doesn’t jive with the acidity of tomato sauce. Think outside the jar of marinara and mix it up with olive oil and garlic, pesto or even a lightened-up alfredo sauce.

Barilla Plus
Rating: 5
Nutrition Info (per 1 cup of cooked pasta): 210 calories, 4 grams fiber, 10 grams protein
Our Take: Great chewy texture and a neutral flavor. Made with flax, barley, wheat, legume flours and some egg whites, this pasta is a little lower in fiber than some of the others but highest in protein — a great all-around pick.

Ronzoni Healthy Harvest
Rating: 3
Nutrition Info: 180 calories, 6 grams fiber, 7 grams protein
Our Take: Containing whole-grain wheat, flax and semolina, this pasta was our least favorite due to its gritty texture and slight aftertaste. The flavor was just okay at best.

Hodgson Mill
Rating: 4
Nutrition Info: 210 calories, 6 grams fiber, 9 grams protein
Our Take: Simple is best. Made with one ingredient (whole-wheat durum flour), this Hodgson Mill pasta was slightly nutty, and though it wasn’t as chewy as white pasta, it had a nice bite.

Tinkyada Brown Rice Pasta
Rating: 4.5
Nutrition Info: 200 calories, 1 gram fiber, 4 grams protein
Our Take: Another one-ingredient wonder, this brown rice pasta has a neutral flavor and chewy texture that is closest to regular pasta. Downside: lower fiber and protein count. Make sure to follow the package directions — this pasta requires a lengthy cooking time (16 to 17 minutes) and can be gummy if you don’t rinse it after cooking. If you haven’t seen this pasta before, you will — Tinkyada has been popping up in the natural food aisle of many grocery stores. (P.S. It’s also gluten-free.)

DeBoles
Rating: 4.5
Nutrition Info: 210 calories, 5 grams fiber, 7 grams protein
Our Take: DeBoles gets points for creativity — their pasta is made with whole-wheat flour and Jerusalem artichoke flour (Jerusalem artichokes are a starchy root veggie from the sunflower family). It was pleasantly chewy and downright tasty. The only hitch: It was the priciest!

Another Brand Worth Mentioning
When we spotted Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Pasta in the store, we just had to try it. Made by the same company as the sprouted grain bread from our whole-grain bread taste test, this pasta has 7 grams of fiber and 9 grams of protein, which is impressive. Thing is, this pasta is, well, weird. The flavor wasn’t horrible but the texture was sub-par — it basically fell apart into tiny shreds when we cooked it.

TELL US: Have you tried these pastas? What’s your whole-grain fave?

Check out our other taste tests:
• Snack Bars
• Frozen Cheese Pizzas
• Natural Peanut Butter
• Jarred Spaghetti Sauce
• Whole-Grain Cereal
• Frozen Vanilla Yogurt
• Whole-Grain Bread

For this taste test, we stuck to our usual 5-point scale (with 5 being the most yummy and nutritious). To keep things on an even playing field, we chose only nut and honey-flavored bars and paid closest attention to taste, calories, fat and added sugars. As for the cost, prices range from about $0.50 to $1.50 per bar. Some bars were sold in boxes of 6 or 8, and others were sold individually.

Kashi Honey Almond Flax Chewy Granola Bar
Rating: 4.5
Nutrition Info: 140 calories; 5 grams fat; 5 grams sugar
Our Take: A thumbs-up snack bar all around, this one is made with a variety of whole grains like brown rice, rye, wheat and barley and sweetened with brown rice syrup and evaporated cane juice. It’s a bit lacking in the “chewy” department, but that’s because it’s chock full of almonds.

Nature Valley – Oats n’ Honey Bar
Rating: 4
Nutrition Info: 180 calories; 6 grams fat; 11 grams sugar
Our Take: This is the classic go-to bar that you can find in almost any vending machine, grocery store, airport or gas station. It’s made with whole grain rolled oats (which provide 2 grams of fiber) and heart-healthy nuts and canola oil. While it’s a smart choice in the snack machine, this one did rank second highest in sugar as it’s sweetened with sugar, honey and brown sugar.

Bear Naked Fruit + Nut Grain-ola Bar
Rating: 3.5
Nutrition Info: 240 calories; 9 grams fat; 15 grams sugar
Our Take: Tasty but overly moist and sticky, this bar provides 15% of your daily fiber thanks to the oats, fruit and ground flax seeds; it’s sweetened with a combo of dates, maple syrup, honey and tapioca syrup. The Bear Fruit Bar is a bit high in calories and fat but like granola, a lot of this comes from good-for-you-ingredients such as nuts, coconut and other dried fruits. (If you can’t find this in your average grocery store, check out your health food store instead.)

LARABAR – Cashew Cookie
Rating: 4
Nutrition Info: 230 calories; 13 grams fat; 18 grams sugar
Our Take: Any time we talk about snack bars people go gaga for LARA. You’ve got to love a bar with only two ingredients — cashews and dates (all their flavors have impressively simple ingredient lists). Eighteen grams of sugar may seem high but every bit of it is coming from natural fruit sugar. NOTE: The calories may be too much for a snack for some folks; you could always eat half and save the rest for later.

Special K – Honey Nut Cereal Bar
Rating: 3
Nutrition Info: 90 calories; 2 grams fat; 7 grams sugar
Our Take: You can’t miss Special K at the supermarket or in those TV ads, but this bar has a laundry list of processed ingredients. With virtually no fiber to speak of and sweetened with corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, sugar and a tiny smidge of honey, it may be tasty but it will most certainly leave you hungry.

BONUS BARS
Here are some more you might consider trying:
Thumbs up: Cascadian Farms Almond Butter Crunchy Granola Bar
Thumbs down: Quaker Chewy 90 Calories – Low Fat Oatmeal Raisin

TELL US: What bar do you snack on?

Peanuts and peanut butter contain healthy fats as well as protein, but some packaged butters have extra extra oils and sweeteners added to the mix. For our 1 to 5 rating (5 being the highest), we considered taste, texture (we tested only smooth varieties) and sugar content for a basic two-tablespoon serving. As for price, all the brands tested ranged from $2.79 to $3.19.

Skippy
Rating: 3
Nutrition Info: 190 calories, 16 grams of fat, 3 grams of sugar
Our Take: I was raised on this stuff, but that was before I learned about added sweeteners and hydrogenated oils! Though it does have a good flavor and creamy consistency, I’m turned off by the added sugar and unhealthy fats.

Teddie
Rating: 4
Nutrition Info: 180 calories, 16 grams of fat, 1 gram of sugar
Our Take: This natural peanut butter contains peanuts, flaxseeds and salt. It had a nice peanut flavor but a slightly gritty texture. Like most peanut butters made without extra oils, this brand needed to be mixed well initially to stir in some surface oil (if refrigerated after the first mix, it no longer separates). The flax adds some omega-3 fat but also affects the flavor. If you’re a peanut butter purist, it’s better to get your omega-3s elsewhere. (Here’s an article on better choices for omega 3-rich foods.)

Jif
Rating: 3
Nutrition Info: 190 calories, 16 grams of fat, 3 grams of sugar
Our Take: This one had almost exactly the same ingredients in Skippy — added sugar and hydrogenated oils — but it did have a more peanutty flavor (my guess is they use a different variety of peanuts).

Trader Joe’s
Rating: 5
Nutrition Info: 190 calories, 16 grams of fat, 1 gram of sugar
Our Take: This is the peanut butter we keep in my house. The only ingredients are peanuts and salt. It has great flavor, a silky smooth texture and won’t separate once refrigerated. I’ve been recommending it to clients for years and have been able to convert even the most loyal brand-name peanut butter lovers.

Smart Balance
Rating: 3
Nutrition Info: 200 calories, 18 grams of fat, 1 gram of sugar
Our Take: I was surprisingly disappointed by this jar. Made with peanuts, flaxseed and palm oil (for texture) it is sweetened with molasses, but has a stale flavor that was, honestly, kind of gross. We also tried the Smart Balance “naturally sweetened” with agave nectar instead of molasses but it had a bitter and unappealing after taste. My husband (a fellow PB lover) asked if we could throw these two jars out pronto).

Tell Us: What’s your favorite peanut butter?

For this taste test, we stuck with straight-up marinara sauces without any fancy add-ins. We sampled the sauces on their own and with a plain cracker. To determine our 1 to 5 rating (5 being the highest), we paid close attention to flavor, texture, and nutrition content. With jarred sauces, our biggest concerns are calories, sugar and sodium. We also looked at the average cost — these babies don’t come cheap!

And for you purists, we know nothing tops homemade. These ratings aren’t jarred sauces versus from-scratch sauces. We pitted jarred versus jarred.

Prego Marinara
Rating: 4
Price: $3.39 per 23-ounce jar ($0.14 per ounce)
Nutrition Info (per 1/2 cup): 80 calories, 480 milligrams sodium, 7 grams sugar
Our Take: Prego’s sauce has an overwhelming tomato flavor with a touch of sweetness. You can taste the tiny pieces of tomato in every bite. Though the label claims its “100% natural,” Prego uses citric acid to preserve its sauce (the term “natural” is loosely regulated by the FDA).

Rao’s Homemade Marinara Sauce
Rating: 5
Price: $8.99 per 32-ounce jar ($0.28 per ounce)
Nutrition Info (per 1/2 cup): 70 calories, 350 milligrams sodium, 4 grams sugar
Our Take: Our Facebook fans gushed about the delicious flavor of Rao’s. Once I tasted it, I understood why. Full of chunky pieces of tomatoes and flavorful basil, it was my favorite of the bunch. Even better: There are only eight simple, fresh ingredients listed on the jar. The only downfall: It was by far the priciest of them all (but worth it!).

Newman’s Own Marinara
Rating: 3.5
Price: $3.59 per 24-ounce jar ($0.14 per ounce)
Nutrition Info (per 1/2 cup): 70 calories, 510 milligrams sodium, 11 grams sugar
Our Take: Newman’s Own had a nice blend of tomatoes, basil and onions with a touch of sweetness. This one was the highest in sodium (22% of your daily recommended amount) and had the most sugar per serving — probably because the sugar is added and is listed as the third ingredient. The plus side: it also had the most vitamin A (30%) thanks to all the tomatoes and tomato products used.

Barilla Marinara
Rating: 4
Price: $3.39 per 24-ounce jar ($0.14 per ounce)
Nutrition Info (per 1/2 cup): 70 calories, 460 milligrams sodium, 6 grams sugar
Our Take: You can taste the basil, tomatoes, onions and pepper in every spoonful of Barilla’s sauce. A slightly sweet aftertaste lingered on my tongue — perhaps due to the small amount of sugar added. “Natural flavors” are listed in the ingredients, but who knows what that really means?

Trader Giotto’s Organic Tomato Basic Marinara (Trader Joe’s Brand)
Rating: 5
Price: $2.29 per 25-ounce jar ($0.09 per ounce)
Nutrition Info (per 1/2 cup): 60 calories, 440 milligrams sodium, 3 grams sugar
Our Take: Take a peek in the jar and you can see the chunks of tomatoes and pieces of basil. The sauce has a pleasant tomato flavor that’s not overwhelming or too acidic. This was the only organic brand of the bunch (and the cheapest per ounce!) with no additives or sugar added. It also contains 25% of your daily vitamin C, which tied with Rao’s for the highest in the group.

TELL US: What’s your favorite go-to jarred sauce?

For this taste test, we stuck to whole-grain cereals without dried fruit or nuts. Toby and I sampled them with nonfat (skim) milk and left them plain. On a typical morning, I’d add in some fresh seasonal fruit.

To determine our 1 to 5 rating (5 being the highest), we paid close attention to flavor, texture and nutrition content. When it comes to cereal, our biggest concerns are calories, fiber and sugar. We also looked at the average cost — boxes of cereal can get really pricey!

Special K
Rating: 3
Price: $3.29
Nutrition Info (per 1 cup): 120 calories, less than 1 gram of fiber, 4 grams of sugar
Our Take: With a nice crunch but cardboard-y flavor, this cereal didn’t rank very high with our tasters. The fact that it’s sweetened with both sugar and high-fructose corn syrup didn’t help it’s rating either.

Multigrain Cheerios
Rating: 3.5
Price: $4.39
Nutrition Info (per 1 cup): 110 calories, 3 grams of fiber, 6 grams of sugar
Our Take: This was the sweetest tasting cereal of the bunch, which makes sense because it was among the highest in sugar. Despite the healthy sound of the word “multigrain,” these don’t offer any nutritional advantage. Stick to regular Cheerios — they have the same amount of fiber and only one gram of sugar per serving. You can add your own sweetness with fresh fruit.

Total
Rating: 3
Price: $4.49
Nutrition Info (per 3/4 cup): 100 calories, 3 grams of fiber, 5 grams of sugar
Our Take: Total has a great crunch at first (it gets soggy fast) and decent flavor but disappointed us most. The cereal promises “total” nutrition, but it’s basically made from three ingredients (in order): whole grain wheat, sugar and corn syrup. The “total” nutrients come from adding fortified vitamins and minerals (four of the five cereals have these added nutrients). While not “unhealthy,” fortified vitamins and minerals are just like adding a crushed-up multivitamin to your cereal. We prefer that the majority of our nutrients come naturally from wholesome foods.

Kashi Go Lean
Rating: 4.5
Price: $3.39
Nutrition Info (per 1 cup): 140 calories, 10 grams of fiber, 6 grams of sugar
Our Take: This cereal has a great crunch and sweetness from honey and evaporated cane juice. That matched with nutrition facts made it the big winner. Though higher in calories, a serving has 10 grams of fiber and a whopping 13 grams of protein (more than double the others). Most of the other cereals are made with rice, oats, wheat and corn; Go Lean mixes in different grains such as triticale, buckwheat, barley and rye.

PS: This was also the only cereal that didn’t have a bunch of extra vitamins added — the nutrients here come straight from the whole-grain ingredients.

Grapenuts
Rating: 4
Price: $3.79
Nutrition Info (per 1/2 cup): 200 calories, 7 grams of fiber, 4 grams of sugar
Our Take: I have a soft spot for Grapenuts, a childhood favorite. It does have a healthy whole-grain flavor and is VERY crunchy (too crunchy by some standards). Instead of sweeteners such as corn syrup, sugar or even honey, its slight sweetness comes from malted barley flour. Its whole-grain wheat provides the second highest amount of fiber.

Caution: This was the smallest portion but highest in calories — so stick to 1/2 cup portions (Grapenuts are very filling). Supplement it with fruit or mix it with another lower-calorie cereal.

NOTE: Below we list the brand, share nutrition info (per 1/2-cup servings) and give it a rating based on taste, creaminess and the healthier aspects.

Edy’s Slow Churned Yogurt Blends: Vanilla
Rating: 4.5
Nutrition Info (per 1/2 cup): 100 calories; 3 grams of total fat; 1.5 grams of saturated fat
Our Take: My dad got in on the action and tasted some of the Edy’s. Although he’s a chocolate fanatic, he agreed that it had a nice, creamy consistency. This yogurt is also labeled “gluten-free.” While yogurt is gluten-free naturally, many manufacturers may package their yogurts in facilities that also handle products containing wheat.

Sweet Scoops Frozen Yogurt: Madagascar Vanilla
Rating: 3
Nutrition Info: 140 calories; 6 grams of total fat; 3.5 grams of saturated fat
Our Take: This brand had a nice, sweet vanilla flavor, but it was a little too sweet for my taste buds. The consistency was icy and felt grainy in my mouth. Dana’s suggestion: Try it in a milkshake with some fresh fruit and skim milk.
*Note: The nutrition label on product says it contains 150 calories while the website states 140 per 1/2 cup. Ingredients listed in both places are the same.

Stonyfield Farm Nonfat Frozen Yogurt: Gotta Have Vanilla
Rating: 5
Nutrition Info: 100 calories; 0 grams of total fat; 0 grams of saturated fat
Our Take: In terms of creaminess and calories, this yogurt was awesome. Both Dana and I were shocked that it tasted so good. Stonyfield is known for using organic and all-natural ingredients that don’t have added antibiotics or synthetic hormones. They also use rice syrup for sweetness (maybe that’s the secret?).

Häagen-Dazs Low Fat Frozen Yogurt: Vanilla
Rating: 4
Nutrition Info: 200 calories; 4.5 grams of total fat; 2.5 gram of saturated fat
Our Take: Although it had a very creamy texture, this baby was way too sweet. They get props for using all natural ingredients with no preservatives or thickeners, but if you’re trying to watch those calories, this probably shouldn’t be your first choice — it was the highest of them all.
*Note: The product’s label says it contains 180 calories, 2.5 grams of total fat and 1 gram of saturated fat per serving; we list the website information above.

Julie’s Organic Lowfat Frozen Yogurt: Vanilla Bean
Rating: 4
Nutrition Info: 140 calories; 3 grams of total fat; 2 grams of saturated fat
Our Take: Don’t you love when you can see those vanilla specs? The texture was creamy and the flavor was decent. Cane juice and tapioca syrup were two listed sweeteners.
*Note: Julie’s is a smaller brand and may not be carried in all supermarkets.

How Does It Compare to Regular Yogurt?
All the yogurts we tasted contained 10 to 20% of your daily calcium needs in their 1/2-cup serving. That made these a decent alternative to the regular yogurts you might already be eating. When checking labels further, I noticed that all the frozen yogurt brands had different live cultures in them. I wondered: don’t the live cultures die when frozen? Why would all the companies list them?

I found the answer to that on Stonyfield Farm’s Q&A section of their website. It seems that, once frozen, the yogurt’s cultures become dormant (and some die), but they’ll become active again when thawed. Since there are billions of live cultures in the yogurt (billions!), the handful that don’t make it past your freezer aren’t a big deal. Why do the cultures matter? This Tufts Journal article has a good synopsis of frozen yogurt’s cultures and any benefits they have.

TELL US: Agree? Disagree? Do you have a favorite frozen yogurt?

Note: For an even-steven comparison, we stuck to plain flavors to get the best sense of the big three: crust, sauce and cheese.

Kashi Thin Crust Margherita Pizza
Rating: 4
Nutrition Info: 260 calories; 9 grams of fat (per 1/3 pizza)
Kashi’s frozen line boasts some tricked-out pies (The Caribbean Carnival, for instance, has mango and plantain chunks). This classic version, with a simple cheese-and-tomato topping, hits the spot just fine. Tracy and I both gave a thumbs-up on the sauce’s pronounced herb flavor, an improvement on the blandness of most frozen options. The thin crust gets nice and crispy and even retains its crunch after reheating leftovers. As a meal, the serving is a little light, so we added a salad to round things out.
The Dietitian Says: “This one is the highest in fiber at 4 grams and comes with numerous whole grains, including ones you may have never heard of like triticale.” -Toby

Lean Cuisine Margherita Pizza Wood Fire Style
Rating: 3
Nutrition Info: 340 calories; 7 grams of fat (per 1 single-serving pizza)
Microwave pizza can often be a little, well, soggy. Lean Cuisine’s “wood fire style” pizzas try to make up for that. This one did score points for a crust that got crispy on the bottom, yet remained pleasantly chewy around the outside. The sauce, however, had a packaged taste. The dough also lacked flavor — a sprinkle of fresh herbs would have helped. It was a good-sized portion; with a sliced apple, the pizza made a super-quick lunch.
The Dietitian Says: “This was the highest calorie option, but it was also the lowest in sodium — about 35% lower! Overall, the quality of ingredients aren’t impressive — no whole grains and some sweeteners and additives.” – Dana

Amy’s Cheese Pizza
Rating: 4.5
Nutrition Info: 290 calories; 12 grams of fat (per 1/3 pizza)
This one tasted the most like homemade. The crust was chewy, and the sauce had a fresh tomato flavor. When we pulled it out the box, we worried about the sparse cheese covering. As it cooked, however, the flecks melted and spread into an even, toasty layer. Bonus: no I-ate-too-much-grease feeling when finished.
The Dietitian Says: “This is the organic choice from the bunch. A cool fact about the cheese: it’s made without animal renins (a cheese-making enzyme from the intestines), so this a good choice for dairy-eating vegetarians.” – Toby

Newman’s Own Four Cheese Thin & Crispy Pizza
Rating: 3.5
Nutrition Info: 300 calories; 13 grams of fat (per 1/3 pizza)
When a frozen pizza calls itself “four cheese,” it sets some high expectations. This one delivered. It had a dense layer of grated cheese across the top, but there was so much melty goodness that we could hardly taste the tomato sauce.
The Dietitian Says: “Similar to the Amy’s brand, I could pronounce all this pizza’s ingredients, which is always a good sign. But don’t be fooled by that ‘multigrain’ crust. That’s not the same as whole grain.” – Dana
* This pizza is shown above.

For Special Diets
I have an aunt in Chicago who has a gluten intolerance, which can be a real bummer when you want some authentic, Chicago-style pie. When we go out, she orders an individual pizza with a gluten-free crust for herself. Lucky for her, there are also some gluten-free frozen pizzas in supermarkets. Tracy and I sampled Amy’s Rice Crust Cheese Pizza and were pleasantly surprised. No cardboard here! The crust did get pretty burnt (next time, we won’t cook it as long as the package says) and wasn’t quite the same as regular wheat crust. The sauce’s fresh tomato taste came through, however, and made this a solid choice.

As for vegan pizzas, you’ve got two options: soy “cheeze” or no cheese. I sometimes purchase a cheese-less pizza — one that comes with just the crust and sauce — and add my own cheese. Then, I can control the quantity or drizzle on my faves.

Doctoring Up Your Packaged Pies
Just because we opted for plain cheese pizzas doesn’t mean you can’t experiment. I often add extra sliced veggies — peppers, onions, artichoke hearts, whatever — before the pizza goes in the oven. They add color and freshness, and the extra toppings give the pizza a fiber boost (making it more filling!) without too many extra calories or fat. Fruit is another fun add-on, as are lean meats such as diced chicken breast. Feeling adventurous? Try canned tuna on a roasted veggie pie.

Karen Ostergren is Healthy Eats’ intern and a recent graduate of the University of Missouri. She recently relocated to New York to pursue her journalism career and continue her quest for foods that are healthy, quick and tasty.

TELL US: Do you ever turn to frozen pizza? What’s your favorite?

The results are in…

NOTE: Below we list the brand, give the bread a rating (5 being the highest) and share the total calorie and fiber per slice (two biggies for breads).

Martins Whole Wheat Potato Bread
Rating: 3.5
Nutrition Info (Per Slice): 70 calories; 4 grams of fiber
Our Take: Made with a combo of whole-wheat and potato flour, this was a soft-style bread with decent flavor and texture (it was even better toasted); some of us noticed a slight bitter aftertaste. Sugar is low on the ingredient list, and we’re impressed with the fiber content (the highest of the bunch!). There are some preservatives and thickeners like calcium propionate and guar gum, but that happens with packaged breads sometimes. I served this toasted with salmon burgers instead of hamburger buns, and they were a big hit with my husband and me.

Pepperidge Farm 12 Grain Farmhouse Bread
Rating: 3
Nutrition Info: 120 calories; 3 grams of fiber
Our Take: This bread was very soft (almost too soft), and the flavor reminded us of plain ol’ white sandwich bread with a slight crunch from some nuts and seeds. Despite the “12 Grain” in the name, this bread isn’t made with whole grains (many multi-grain breads aren’t). Tell-tale sign: Ingredients like “wheat flour” instead of “whole-wheat flour” mean a bread is made with refined, more processed grains. This bread is also sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup.

Food For Life Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Whole Grain Bread
Rating: 4
Nutrition Info: 80 calories; 3 grams of fiber
Our Take: This was the biggest surprise to our testers. Even folks that aren’t fans of grainier, dryer sprouted grain breads may like this one. Toasted with a bit of jam made it even better. Instead of grinding dried grains into flour, sprouted grain breads are made from the germinated sprouts of grains like wheat, barley and millet; many believe these sprouts provide more vitamins and nutrients (learn more at the Food For Life website). Overall, this was a tasty, flourless bread with no preservatives or sweeteners.

Arnold 100% Whole Wheat Bread
Rating: 4.5
Nutrition Info: 110 calories; 3 grams of fiber
Our Take: This loaf was the overall favorite — a good, standard whole-wheat bread for toast, sandwiches and even French toast. Toby’s kids were asking for seconds. Like most store-bought breads, it contained some sugar and the preservative calcium propionate. Oh and it made some finger licking-good grilled cheese and tomato.

Alvarado Street Bakery Sprouted Soy Crunch Bread
Rating: 4
Nutrition Info: 90 calories; 2 grams of fiber
Our Take: Another good sprouted grain option. Like Ezekiel, this bread was grainy and tasted better when toasted. The soy ingredients (toasted soy nuts, soy beans and soy flour) and touch of molasses for sweetness gave it a unique flavor. A word of warning about these sprouted breads: They tend to get moldy faster because they don’t have preservatives. Store them in the refrigerator or freezer to keep them fresher, longer.

TELL US: Agree? Disagree? What do you think?