Wonder bread.  “The best thing since sliced bread.”

Is this a blast from the past, or what?  Yes, indeed.

For the first time in over 50 years I purchased a loaf of Wonder bread this week in my local supermarket.  And, to be totally transparent, I was really excited about doing so.  Think about this.  How often do you get excited about something in a supermarket?

When I was a kid I loved Wonder bread.  I particularly liked it with peanut butter and jelly, which to this day, is my favorite sandwich.   How can you beat a PB&J on Wonder bread?  If I was stranded on a deserted island in the Pacific Ocean and could only have one wish fulfilled – it would be to have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on Wonder bread.

You might ask the question of where has Wonder bread been?  And you are right.  For a period of time in 2012 Wonder bread was not on the shelves of supermarkets.  Only after the brand was purchased by Flower Foods did Wonder bread reemerge in 2013.

But Wonder bread is not without controversy.  Some of you may be thinking – how could Neil be buying Wonder bread when it has no redeeming nutritional value?   In this day and age, when we are all more conscious of our healthy nutritional choices, why would anyone purchase bread that is not 100% wheat or 100% multi grain?

Many people dismiss Wonder bread as being just fluff.  “Soft like a pillow.”  When we were kids we would play by sticking our fingers through the slice of WB.

But hold on.  There is more to the story.  The Wonder bread of 2020 has some good points to it, over and above being unbelievably delicious.

It is a good source of Vitamin D.  It has 0 trans fats.  Every two slices provides the same amount of calcium as 8 ounces of milk.  Wonder’s owners claim it is a good source of folate, a B vitamin that’s important for cell growth and metabolism.

But these claims are disputed vigorously by websites like Everyday Health, which outlines the harmful effects of white bread in general.  Their argument is that refined flour removes the fiber and the protein from the grain.  In addition they claim that significant consumption of white bread can lead to erratic blood sugar levels, increased risk of type-2 diabetes, weight gain and even depression.

140 calories for every two slices of Wonder bread.  Two slices has 29 grams of carbos and 5 grams of sugar, each approximating 10% of our daily quota.

Maybe I am getting cynical as I get older, but I am not sure that I believe every study that comes out about what is good for us and what is not.

So, I am willing to listen to Wonder bread’s marketing claims.  They say there are 101 reasons to like Wonder bread. for example, there are more slices of bread in Wonder bread loaf than in a normal wheat or multi grain loaf.  some of the reasons are pretty compelling.  for example, reason #12 is their colors — red, white, blue and yellow.  reason #1 is that it is “yumi”.  reason #84 is that it was born in Indianapolis, and therefore thoroughly American.

how can you beat these reasons?

bottom line, i love Wonder bread!!