Make the jump to whole-grain bread

Bread is a delicious and versatile mealtime staple, but you can make it much more nutritious by switching to whole grains. We'll show you what to look for so that you can choose the tastiest, most wholesome bread possible.

• Look for whole-wheat flour as the first ingredient, then check the fibre content on the nutrition facts label. Your goal: buy a loaf with at least three grams of fibre per slice.
• Look for products that display this health claim: "Diets rich in whole-grain foods and other plant foods and low in total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol may reduce the risk for heart disease and certain cancers." Products displaying this health claim must contain at least 51 percent whole grain by weight.
• If the fibre's high but the bread isn't made from whole grain, put it back and keep looking. Many high-fibre "light" breads contain mostly refined white flour to which manufacturers have added highly processed cottonseed, oat, or soy fibre. While the fibre can help with digestion, the loaf won't have the phytochemicals and nutrients of real whole-grain versions.
• Even if you love crusty French loaves or baguettes, there are whole-grain alternatives available.
• Looking for an even healthier option? Try double-fibre bread: two slices can net you a whopping 10 grams of fibre.

You and your family deserve locally-made, freshly baked bread. So why settle for a loaf made on an assembly line at a distant bread factory? Make it a cycle: stop at a good-quality bakery, say hello to the proprietor, and pick up healthy, whole-grain bread. Eat it over the next two days, then head back for a fresh loaf.

• Replace the white flour in bread, muffin, and quick-bread recipes with whole wheat flour. Use 7/8 of a cup of whole wheat for every 1 cup of white you remove, since wheat flour has a heavier texture.
• In bread recipes, use a spoon to transfer the whole-wheat flour to the measuring cup instead of scooping or dumping. This introduces extra air into the flour, which makes loaves lighter.
• You can replace some of the liquid in baking recipes with orange juice to temper the sharper, tannic-acid taste of wheat flour. Or try "white whole-wheat flour," which is milled from hard, white, winter-wheat berries rather than the hard, red, spring-wheat berries of traditional whole-wheat flours. It has a fibre and nutrient profile similar to that of standard whole-wheat flour.

Look for whole-grain crackers that supply at least three grams of fibre per serving. Choose a lower-fat, low-sodium variety, such as Scandinavian-style flatbreads that taste great with bean dip or nut butter or as a bread substitute for open-faced sandwiches. Five or six crackers count as one grain serving.

You don't need to give up bread entirely to live a healthier life: just make the switch to whole grain and start enjoying the added nutrients and fibre. It's easy (and delicious!) to make a positive change in your diet.