Your Daily Bread, Ltd.

Light Bread

Light bread is half the calories of regular bread. Most are 40 or 45 calories per slice; regular bread tends to have 70 to 100 calories per slice. Light breads are filled out with extra air and sometimes extra fiber. This replaces the fattening fat and flour: the bread is “full-size” but spongy. Yet, it gives the appearance of a “regular” portion. The multigrain bread at the right, Arnold Bakery Light*, also comes in oatmeal, white, whole wheat and other flavors.

*Fresh-baked bread brands tend to be regional rather than national.

Thin-Sliced Bread

Thin-sliced bread has the density of regular bread, but it’s sliced to be half as thin (you can see in the photo at the right that it’s half the height of the Light bread above). You get all of the “chew” with half the calories. Because it’s dense and thin, it has the added benefit of toasting up to be nice and crisp. This Very Thin whole wheat bread from Pepperidge Farm is just 40 calories a slice (Very Thin is also made in white).

Baguette

Baguettes are also much narrower than other loaves, and you have control over how thick or thin to cut the pieces. So you can have thinner slices of bread and enjoy the flavor and texture of a fine bread with relatively few calories—a half ounce (four thin slices) is 35 calories. You can’t make a sandwich with them, but they do make excellent toasts to go with eggs, jumbo “croutons” for salads and soups, or general crunchy-crusted accompaniments. We enjoy ours with cottage cheese, plain yogurt, sugar-free jam and diet spreads.

Crispbreads & Flatbreads

A thick slice of Wasa Crispbread in Fiber Rye or Light Rye, approximately 3-½ inches by 4-½ inches, can be had for 30 and 35 calories, respectively. They’re also full of fiber and taste great with soups, salads and cottage cheese; and make a nice base for hors d’oeuvres (sliced eggs and caviar, dilled yogurt...click here for more Wasa crispbread recipes). The thinner Kavali Whole Grain Crispy Thin Flatbreads, shown in the photo, are just 20 calories a slice (for the original flavor—other flavors are 30 calories a slice). Click here for our review.

Melba Toast & Melba Rounds

Originally not a diet food but a delicacy named after the 19th-century opera singer Nellie Melba, manufacturers discovered how to take the petite slices of bread and market them as reduced-calorie bread. The two main brands, Devonsheer and London, have a range of flavors. Devonsheer’s melba rounds include plain, garlic, onion, sesame and vegetable; five melba rounds are 50 or 60 calories, depending on the flavor. The rectangular melba toasts are generally 20 calories apiece. They’re very crunchy—we especially like the garlic.

Popcorn Cakes or Rice Cakes

If you haven't experimented with rice or popcorn cakes, or not in a while, try them (again). And try different brands—the  quality of flavor and calorie contents vary widely. Orville Redenbacker’s “Butter Popcorn Cakes” are especially good-tasting, with or without toppings. Plain popcorn and cheddar flavors can be had for 30 or 35 calories per cake.

Enjoy the Crusts

If you want to eat regular bread, buy the best bread from the best bakeries; discard most the center dough and enjoy the delicious crusts. You’ll reduce the calories by two-thirds.

Buy A Good Bagel Slicer

An expensive bagel slicer will enable you to cut that high-calorie but incredibly delicious bagel into three or four slices instead of two. If your bagel shop sells them pre-sliced fresh in thin pieces or as dried “bagel chips,” buy those instead.