This time I have used products from Valio's portfolio, which are available in Finland and the Baltics.

Let’s take Oddlygood oat snack raspberry. Officially this product is classified as a snack. Still, on the packaging there is written “oat gurt” as part of the design, suggesting that we mentally create an association as oat-based yoghurt. What’s inside this snack? As ingredients in fine print, we find:

water, gluten-free OAT flour (8%), sugar, raspberry purée, raspberry, rapeseed oil, modified starch, pea protein, black carrot juice concentrate, calcium, flavourings, salt, acidity regulator (citric acid), vitamins (riboflavin (B2), B12, D2), iodine, starter culture, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium sp. Contains raspberries 3,1% (purée 2,2% and berries 0,9%).

and on the nutritional label, it says:

Why would we consider it a snack? Because it is more like a watery cake: it contains flour, sugar, (highly processed) rapeseed oil, (highly processed) modified starch, (highly processed) pea protein, and unspecified flavourings.

On the positive side, there is a tiny bit (3.1%) of raspberries. Per 1kg package, this makes just 31 g of berries.

Comparing that carbs (mostly sugars) are at 150g per kg, if we deduct the berries, we get 119g, which makes 28 teaspoons of additional sugars (1 teaspoon of sugar is 4.2g). To counter this sweetness they have added a bit of salt. Is it oddly good or are you being just fooled? Let’s see what could be alternatives.

Among yoghurts from the same producer, a comparable alternative would be Alma yoghurt raspberry-rhubarb, which has the following ingredients in the fine print:

milk, sugar, raspberry 2,1%, rhubarb juice concentrate 1,4%, modified starch, colour (beetroot red), acidity regulator (sodium citrate), flavours, starter culture.

The nutritional label says the following:

In this yoghurt, we can see the source of fat is from milk, instead of (inflammatory) rapeseed oil. Baseline milk sugars have been boosted with additional sugar and (highly processed, most likely GMO corn) starch. Per 1kg package, 110g of sugars means 26 teaspoons (of which 10 are natural sugars found in milk and 16 additional ones added in production). Berry content is 2.1+1.4= 3.5%, which is higher than in Oddly Good. Still, 35g of berries per 1kg package is very little and most of the flavour is boosted with unspecified flavouring agents and “emotional flavour” is added by that beetroot red colour (source unspecified).

While the added starch and sugars are not good for you, the overall impact is healthier as you are getting more natural protein and fats, avoiding inflammatory rapeseed oil and overall carbs content is lower as well.

What if you would just eat/drink natural yoghurt?

Let’s see what is inside Alma unflavored yoghurt:

milk, yeast

This is as barebones as you can get. For nutrition details, it says:

Compared to previous flavoured yoghurt, we see that in unflavored yoghurt the calories are 30% less, also there are significantly fewer carbs. Here they are in the form of natural sugars found in milk. Both fat and protein levels are boosted.

From a fine print perspective, it makes a much healthier alternative to opt for this unflavored yoghurt and add some of your own flavours - may it be real fruits, fruit powders or perhaps some spices (I often add cinnamon and cardamom).

Besides yoghurt, what could be a better alternative? I like kefir. For example, non-flavoured and simple Alma Kefir, made just from:

milk and starter culture.

This kefir has the following nutritional values:

This is identical to unflavored yoghurt. If the macro nutritional aspects are the same, what is their difference? Probiotic content. Quoting Healthline:

“Kefir contains three times more probiotics than yoghurt. It has around 12 live and active cultures and 15 to 20 billion colony-forming units (CFUs). Yoghurt has one to five active cultures and six billion CFUs.”

While we do not have details on the probiotic content of Oddly Good products apart from the ingredient list (“starter culture, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium sp. “), considering that the macronutrient content on yoghurt was better than on oat-gurt, most likely you would much improve your odds for healthier diet by avoiding oat-gurt and yoghurt altogether and opt for kefir instead.

Considering that kefir is often priced the same, if not cheaper than yoghurt, there might be an extra win for your wallet as well.

Rye bread has been a staple in the diet for centuries. One would need just rye flour, yeast, salt and water to make it. The products sold as rye bread in 2023 might contain a much longer list of ingredients, potentially harming your health and well-being.

Why it matters:

New additional ingredients, such as sugars or syrups, elevate your blood sugar levels and increase various health risks. Using wheat instead of rye can also elevate blood sugar level spikes as it is absorbed faster.

Ultra-processed additives may seem like food, but they are not. I recommend reading the recent “Ultra-Processed People” book to discover how food engineering innovations can adversely impact your health.

What to watch:

You might see some of the following on the list of ingredients in bread:

• Sugar - No need to have it in bread. Contributes to increased risk for obesity and diabetes. Added sugar can raise blood pressure and increase chronic inflammation, both of which are pathological pathways to heart disease. It is tricking your body into turning off its appetite-control system.

• Sugar beet syrup - fancier name, but it is still sugar and just as likely to lead to blood glucose spikes or other damaging metabolic health effects.

• Flax seeds - can benefit health, but they are helpful only when ground. Added whole seeds are less valuable because your intestines cannot break down the tough outer shell of whole seeds.

• Wheat flour - you don’t need that in rye bread as wheat flour is nutritionally inferior to rye. Rye flour affects blood sugar levels to a lesser extent than wheat. Also rye is typically higher in fiber and provides more micronutrients, especially B vitamins.

• E412 - Guar gum. a polysaccharide, produced from the guar shrub (Cyamopsis tetragonolobus) found in Pakistan and India.

• E415 - Xanthan gum, a polysaccharide, produced by the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris from sugar and molasses.

• E471 - Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (glycerol monostearate, glycerol distearate). Synthetic fats, produced from glycerol and natural fatty acids, mainly from plant origin, but also fats of animal origin may be used. The product generally is a mixture of different products.

• E472 - Esters of mono- and diglycerides. Esters of synthetic fats, produced from glycerol, natural fatty acids and another organic acid (acetic, lactic, tartaric, citric). The fatty acids are mainly from plant origin, but also fats of animal origin may be used.

• E472e - Diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides. Part of the synthetic E472 family.

• E482 - Calcium stearoyl-2-lactylate. Combination of calcium, stearic acid and lactic acid, resulting in a mixture of several components. Although mainly vegetable oils are used, the use of animal fat (incl. pork) can not be excluded. Several groups, such as vegans, Muslims and Jews thus avoid these products. Only the producer can give detailed information on the origin of the fatty acids.

• E920 - L-Cysteine. Derived from proteins, including animal protein and hair. E920 can be obtained from animal sources, including pork. It should thus be avoided by Muslims, Jews, Hindus and vegans.

• Rapeseed oil (also known as canola oil) is most likely genetically modified (GM) to be pest-resistant. Usually highly processed, which may lead to lower nutritional quality and adverse health effects.

• Barley malt extract is a sweetener and browning agent. Similar to sugar with some extra additives in small quantities.

• Dextrose (wheat, corn) - The risks associated with eating dextrose are the same as those of any sugars (weight gain, heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease, liver disease, insulin resistance, can also worsen depression, acne and other skin conditions. It can also cause symptoms such as frequent urination, thirst, nausea and vomiting, shortness of breath, and stomach pain when eaten in excess.

• Maltodextrin - the highest in the glycemic index, which means it creates a massive spike in your blood sugar when you consume it, and it also changes the gut bacteria, suppresses the probiotics with the good friendly bacteria, and increases E. coli.

• Apple fibre - as it is industrially processed, you’d get more benefits by eating whole apples.

Deeper dive: Modern rye breads, Estonian case study

I looked at the ingredients of different rye breads available at major Estonian groceries. This can help you to distinguish what to eat or not should you visit Estonia in the future.

I have sorted out the bread products by producers and translated the product names to English while also giving the original Estonian version. You can click on the title links for the sources of the producer’s website for pictures and complete nutritional information. In bold, I highlighted the ingredients you’d better avoid in breads.

Breads by Eesti Leivatööstus

“Healthbread with Seeds” (“Terviseleib seemnetega”)

Rye flour 43.6% (rye bran, rye groats), water, seeds 12% (sunflower and flax seeds, millet), sugar beet syrup, white malt flour, oat flakes, salt, potato-apple fibers, red malt flour, yeast.

While by name it is supposed to be healthy, by ingredients, we can see that they have added hidden sugars in the form of beet syrup and ultra-processed potato-apple fibres. I’d avoid this.

“Our Estonia 100 New Bread” (“Meie Eesti 100 Uudseleib”)

Rye flour 37.3% (rye bran, rye bran, whole grain rye flour), water, seeds 19% (sunflower and flax seeds, unshelled hemp seeds), sugar, wheat gluten, red rye malt flour, salt, flour improver (thickener: guar gum, emulsifiers: E482, E472e, enzymes (wheat)), barley malt extract, sugar beet syrup, white rye malt flour, yeast.

New and modern, it is indeed. Full of ultra-processed ingredients and sugars that are better to be avoided.

“Our Estonian Fine Bread” (“Meie Eesti peenleib”)

Rye flour (rye meal, rye bran, white rye malt flour), water, wheat flour, sugar, salt, yeast, cumin, thickener: guar gum, emulsifiers: E482, E472, enzymes (wheat).

This one contains, besides ultra-processed ingredients, sugar and wheat flour. Better to be avoided.

“Our Estonian Rye Bread” (“Meie Eesti rukkileib”)

Rye flour 63% (rye bran, rye bran, white and red rye malt flour), water, sugar, sugar beet syrup, flour improver (wheat gluten, barley malt flour, yeast (rye, wheat), dextrose (wheat, corn), thickener: guar gum, emulsifiers: E472, E482; rapeseed oil, flour improver: ascorbic acid, E920; enzymes (wheat)), wheat gluten, salt, barley malt extract, yeast.

This bread looks like quite a masterpiece of ultra-processed engineering. There are even corn-sourced ingredients inside! And sugar and syrup. I’d not eat this.

“Our Estonian Seed Bread” (“Meie Eesti teraleib”)

Rye flour (rye groats, rye bran, rye malt flour), wheat flour, water, seeds 13% (sunflower seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds), soaked sprouted rye grains 10%, sugar, wheat gluten, salt, barley malt starch, barley and wheat malt flour, emulsifiers: E472e, E482; dextrose (wheat, corn), yeast, rapeseed oil.

While they try to appear healthy by containing seeds and sprouted rye grains, those benefits are overshadowed by sugar and ultra-processed ingredients, which you should not eat.

“Whole grain Röstik with Seeds and Bran” (“Täistera Röstik seemnete ja kliidega”)

Whole grain wheat flour 34%, water, wheat gluten, yeast, sunflower seeds 3.1%, oat bran 2.6%, sugar, roasted buckwheat kernels 2%, millet, brown sugar, wheat sourdough, apple fiber, thickener: guar gum, ginger, barley malt flour, wheat flour, Cayenne pepper, rye flakes, rapeseed oil, wheat starch, dextrose, flour improver: ascorbic acid, enzymes (wheat), flax seeds 1.2%, salt, sesame seeds 0.4%.

It's surprising why they have listed this under their rye bread products. While it contains rye in small amounts, ultra-processed ingredients make up the bulk of the product.

“Black Raven” (“Must Ronk”)

RYE BAR, water, RYE BAR, sugar, red and white RYE MALT FLOUR, BARLEY MALT EXTRACT, bread mixture (WHEAT GLUTEN, food colouring: caramel III, maltodextrin, roasted WHEAT FLOUR, emulsifier: E482, sugar, enzymes, antioxidant: ascorbic acid), salt, sugar beet syrup, flour improver (thickener: guar gum, emulsifiers: E482, E472; enzymes (WHEAT)), yeast.

Rye bread should be black, and they have made it black, thanks to food colourings, but the contents should not fool you. Besides additional sugar and syrup, there are plenty of ultra-processed ingredients. You better skip this.

“Rye Bread” (“Rukkileib”)

Rye flour 69% (rye flour, rye groats, rye malt flour), water, sugar, salt, yeast, barley malt flour, thickener: guar gum; emulsifier: E472e.

Compared to some other breads of this company, this has a shorter list of ingredients, but we still have extra sugar and emulsifiers. I am not eager to try this.

“Rye Bread” (“Rukkileib”)

RYE FLOUR 63% (RYE BAR, RYE BAR, white and red RYE MALT FLOUR) water, sugar, beet syrup, salt, RYE MALT EXTRACT, BARLEY MALT EXTRACT, flour improver (thickener: E412, emulsifiers: E482, E472e, enzymes (WHEAT)), yeast.

While the name is the same as the previous product, the packaging, size, and ingredients differ. Besides sugar, we can find syrup and ultra-processed ingredients. Worse than the last product.

“Fine Bread” (“Peenleib”)

RYE FLOURS (RYE BILLS, RYE BURNS, white RYE MALT FLOUR), water, WHEAT FLOUR, sugar beet syrup, sugar, salt, yeast, cumin, thickener: guar gum, emulsifiers: E482, E472; enzymes (WHEAT).

Sugar, syrup and ultra-processed additives. No, thank you, I’ll skip this.

“Little Brother's Bread” (“Väikevenna leib”)

Wheat flour, rye flour (rye flour, rye groats and rye malt flour), sugar, salt, yeast, barley malt flour, dextrose, emulsifiers: E472e, E482; rapeseed oil, wheat gluten.

While the bread looks natural, the contents are not. The leading ingredient in this rye bread is wheat. Plus you can find sugar and ultra-processed additives. Thank you, but I’m not interested in eating this.

“Pärnu Rye Bread” (“Pärnu rukkileib”)

Rye flour 65.8% (rye bran, rye bran), water, white and red malt flour, salt, flour improver (thickener: guar gum, emulsifiers: E482, E472e, enzymes (wheat)).

While this bread does not contain added sugar or syrup, it still includes thickeners and emulsifiers, which you don’t need.

“Corn Crake” (“Rukkirääk”)

RYE FLOUR 59% (RYE BRUSH FLOUR, RYE BRAIN FLOUR), water, sugar, red RYE MALLET FLOUR, white RYE MALLET FLOUR, flour improver (thickener: guar gum, emulsifiers: E482, E472; enzymes (WHEAT)), salt, BARLEY MALLET EXTRACT, yeast, coriander.

This is the only bread from this producer that contains coriander, but sadly, they have also added sugar and a bunch of ultra-processed additives as well.

Breads by Leibur

“Leiburi Ruks whole grain rye bread” (“Leiburi Ruks täisterarukkileib”)

RYE FLOUR 52% (whole grain rye flour, rye bran flour, rye malt flour), water, WHEAT FLOUR, sugar, WHEAT GLUTEN, salt, yeast, thickener guar gum, emulsifier E471, WHOLE WHEAT BRAN, cumin.

Their product website claims that this is TOP2 popular rye bread in Estonia. Besides rye flour, we can also see sugar, wheat and ultra-processed additives.

“Leiburi Ruks seed bread 10%” (“Leiburi Ruks seemneleib 10%”)

RYE FLOUR (spelt, whole grain and malt flours), water, WHEAT FLOUR, sunflower seeds 6.5%, sugar, flax seeds 2.7%, salt, cumin 0.7%, yeast, thickener guar gum, emulsifier E471, whole wheat bran, flour improver ascorbic acid

In this bread, they have added seeds to make it look healthier, but we can still see wheat, sugar and other additives that you should skip, if possible.

“Leiburi Ruks whole grain rye bread” (“Leiburi Ruks täisterarukkileib”)

RYE 52% (whole grain, millet, malt flour, crushed grain), water, WHEAT FLOUR, sugar, salt, yeast, thickener guar gum, emulsifier E471, cumin.

Cumin is nice to have in the bread, but wheat, sugar, thickening and emulsifying agents are not. Better find another bread and add cumin separately on that.

“Leiburi Ruks seed piece” (“Leiburi Ruks seemnepala”)

RYE FLOURS (spelt, whole grain and malt flours), water, WHEAT FLOUR, sunflower seeds (12%), flax seeds (7%), sugar, yeast, salt, thickeners guar gum and E415, emulsifiers E471, E472e, cumin (0.2%) .

Again, they have added seeds to make it seem healthier, but sugar is there as well along with ultra-processed components. I’d skip this bread on my menu.

“Leiburi Ruks light seed bread” (“Leiburi Ruks hele seemneleib”)

RYE FLOURS (spelt, whole grain and malt flours), water, WHEAT FLOUR, sunflower seeds (7.4%), sugar, flax seeds (2.8%), pumpkin seeds (1.1%), salt, cumin (0.7%) , yeast, thickener guar gum, emulsifier E471.

While pumpkin seeds are good for digestion, the added sugar, thickener and emulsifier are not. Rye bread does not need wheat flour in it either.

“ Leiburi RUKS with sprouted grains“ (“Leiburi RUKS idandatud teradega”)

WHOLE GRAIN RYE 57% (flour, sprouted grains, malt), water, WHEAT FLOUR, sunflower seeds, yeast, salt, thickener guar gum, emulsifier E471, preservative sorbic acid, flour improver ascorbic acid

While they have not used sugar directly, the sprouted grains drive up the natural sugar content in this bread. Adding wheat, thickening agent, emulsifier, and acids are not welcomed either.

“Leiburi Ruks seed bread 45%” (“Leiburi Ruks seemneleib 45%”)

Water, RYE FLOUR, sunflower seeds 15.4%, WHEAT FLOUR, pumpkin seeds 10.3%, watermelon seeds 10.3%, flax seeds 9%, sugar, yeast, WHEAT GLUTEN, iodized salt, WHEAT FIBER, RYE MALT, cumin, flour improver ascorbic acid

The main selling point of this bread is its much higher seed content. We see watermelon seeds as a new seed type - not that natural for Estonian bread. We can also find sugar, wheat and ultra-processed components. You’d better take the seeds separately and find better bread without unhealthy additives.

“Leiburi Toolse Bread” (“Leiburi Toolse leib”)

RYE FLOUR 47% (whole grain, millet and malt flours), water, WHEAT FLOUR, BARLEY MALT EXTRACT, salt, yeast, thickener guar gum, emulsifier E471, flour improver ascorbic acid.

While they have not used sugar or syrup here, we can find wheat and some ultra-processed components. There are better breads out there.

“Leiburi Tallinn Fine Bread” (“Leiburi Tallinna peenleib”)

RYE FLOUR 53% (spelt flour, whole grain flour, malt flour), water, WHEAT FLOUR, sugar, salt, yeast, thickener guar gum, emulsifier E471, cumin.

While the product title tries to be fancy and fine by name, having wheat, sugar, and other additives does not make this bread attractive to eat.

“Leiburi Rye Piece” (“Leiburi Rukkipala” )

WHOLE GRAIN RYE 50% (flour, grains, malt), water, WHEAT FLOUR, yeast, WHEAT GLUTEN, salt, flour improver ascorbic acid.

This bread is traditionally fermented with rye sourdough. No sugar is excellent, but the wheat and wheat gluten are unnecessary. I’ve been eating this brand now and then.

“Leiburi Rye Piece Delicate and Thin” (“Leiburi Rukkipala Hõrk ja õhuke”)

WHOLE GRAIN RYE (flour, cut grain, malt flour), WHEAT FLOUR, water, potato flakes, yeast, salt, flour improver ascorbic acid.

This bread is also traditionally fermented with rye sourdough. There is no sugar, but wheat is there. They have added potato flakes instead of wheat gluten when we compare it to the previous product.

“Leiburi Rye Piece with Sprouted Rye Grains” (“Leiburi Rukkipala idandatud rukkiteradega”)

WHOLE GRAIN RYE 53% (germinated grains 24%, flour, grains, malt), water, WHEAT FLOUR, WHEAT GLUTEN, potato flakes, yeast, salt, thickener guar gum and emulsifier E471.

This bread is more processed than the previous two in the series. It has both wheat gluten and potato flakes, plus thickening agent and emulsifier. I’d skip this and have one of the previous two.

“Leibur Father’s Fine Bread” (“Leiburi Isa peenleib”)

RYE FLOUR 48% (spelt, whole grain and malt flour), water, WHEAT FLOUR, sugar, salt, yeast, thickener guar gum, emulsifier E471.

I would not recommend my father to eat this. Extra wheat, sugar, thickening agent and emulsifier. No, thank you.

Breads by Hiiumaa Pagar

“Hiiumaa Bread” (“Hiiumaa leib”)

RYE FLOUR, water, WHEAT FLOUR, malt extract (BARLEY MALT, BARLEY, water), povidlo (plum puree 42%, dried plum 27%, apple puree 23%, glucose-fructose syrup, sugar, modified starch E1432, water, acidity regulator citric acid E330, flavorings), sugar, salt, yeast.

Glucose-fructose syrup should be avoided along with sugar. Modified starches are industrially processed components.

“Hiiu Rye Bread with Seeds” (“Hiiu rukkileib seemnetega”)

Rye flour 52%, water, natural yeast, seeds 9.5% (sunflower, sesame seeds), syrup, RYE MALT, salt

Otherwise, it's pretty decent bread, except for the syrup, which drives up sugar content to 7.5g per 100g of bread. Due to this, I would avoid eating it.

“Bread Bruno” (“Leib Bruno”)

RYE FLOUR (whole grain, bran), water, yeast (rye flour, water), sugar, RYE MALT, sugar syrup, salt, coriander

Again, it would be otherwise great bread, but the sugar and syrup spoil it, resulting in a whopping 12.9 g per 100 g of sugar content.

“Dark Flatbread” (“Tume vormileib”)

RYE BRAN FLOUR, water, WHEAT FLOUR, natural yeast, sugar, BARLEY MALT EXTRACT, RYE MALT, salt, flour improver (WHEAT FLOUR, WHEAT GLUTEN, stabilizer turmeric, ascorbic acid, enzymes), yeast

Added sugars make this bread unattractive. Barley malt adds sweetness as well, along with a darker colour. Wheat flour is not needed either.

“Dark Hiiu Seed Bread” (“Tume Hiiu Teraleib”)

Sunflower seeds (27%), water, RYE FLOUR, WHEAT FLOUR, WHEAT BRAN, natural leavening agent, sugar, BARLEY MALT EXTRACT, RYE MALT, flour improver (WHEAT FLOUR, WHEAT GLUTEN, stabilizer, turmeric, ascorbic acid, enzymes), yeast, salt

This bread contains a high amount of sunflower seeds. On the negative side, we see wheat, sugar and other unnecessary additives.

“Seed Bread” (“Teraleib”)

WHEAT FLOUR, water, sunflower seeds (19%), natural yeast, RYE BRAN FLOUR, SESAME SEEDS (3.5%), flax seeds (1.5%), BARLEY MALT EXTRACT, salt, sugar, yeast, flour improver (WHEAT FLOUR, vegetable fat, WHEAT GROUND, LUPINE FLOUR , flour improver E300, enzymes)

In this rye bread, rye seems to be in the minority. Besides seeds, sugars have found their way in as well, along with other processed additives.

“Sassi Flatbread” (“Sassi vormileib”)

RYE FLOUR (spelt, groats), water, WHEAT FLOUR, natural yeast, sugar, BARLEY MALT EXTRACT, RYE MALT, salt, flour improver (WHEAT FLOUR, WHEAT GLUTEN, stabilizer turmeric, ascorbic acid, enzymes), yeast

In this bread, besides the usual added sugar and barley malt extract to make it sweeter, we see they have also used both natural yeast and some kind of non-natural yeast.

“Fruity Seed Bread” (“Puuvilja-seemneleib”)

RYE FLOUR, water, WHEAT FLOUR, sunflower seeds 15.4%, natural yeast, raisin 9.4%, apricot 8.5%, almonds 5.7%, SESAME SEEDS 2.8%, flax seeds 1.1%, BARLEY MALT EXTRACT, salt

Surprisingly, this bread does not contain added sugar directly. Instead, they have used dried fruits and barley malt extract to drive up secondary sugar content.

“Carrot-juniper Bread” (“Porgandi-kadaka leib”)

RYE FLOUR, water, carrot (24.8%), WHEAT FLOUR, BARLEY MALT EXTRACT, RYE MALT, povidlo (apple puree, plum puree, thickener pectin, preservatives: potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate), sugar, salt, juniper berries (0.6% ), yeast

While in the name carrot-juniper sounds healthy vegetable bread, the sugar content is rather high, at 13 g per 100gr bread. And it contains preservatives as well. Consider it more like a cake being sold as a bread.

“Hiiu Rye Bread” (“Hiiu rukkileib”)

RYE FLOUR 55%, water, natural yeast, syrup, RYE MALT, salt

This would be great bread, but sadly they have added syrup to it, which drives the sugar levels to 7.9 g per 100g of bread.

Breads by Rõngu Pagar

“Fitness bread” (“Fitnessleib”)

WHEAT FLOUR, yeast, seed mixture 24% (flax, sesame and sunflower seeds), oatmeal, carrot, sugar, rapeseed oil, table salt 0.9%

This bread looks dark, giving a false impression that it is rye bread. Looking at the ingredients, we see no rye being used. Added sugar and industrial rapeseed oil should not be in fitness products either. It should be marketed as a cake.

“Crunchbread” (“Leivakrõbedik”)

RYE FLOUR (RYE FLOUR, RYE HULL FLOUR, RED MALT WHITE MALT), seeds 25% (sunflower, pumpkin, flax and sesame seeds), WHEAT FLOUR, water, raisin, sugar, yeast, salt

They have used rye flour in this bread, but we can also find added sugars, driving the sugar content to 12 g per 100g of bread. This is a cake.

“Sweet rye bread” (“Magus rukkileib”)

RYE FLOUR 74% (RYE FLOUR, RYE BRAN FLOUR), drinking water, WHEAT FLOUR, sugar beet syrup, yeast, sourdough, table salt 1%

While they have named it sweet bread, instead of sugar, they have used sugar syrup to make it sweeter. Surprisingly, sugar content is just 5.9g per 100g of bread.

“Nosija bread” (“Nosija leib”)

WHEAT FLOUR, RYE FLOUR (RYE FLOUR, RYE HULL FLOUR, red MALT, white MALT), seeds 28% (flax, sesame, pumpkin and sunflower seeds), raisin, sugar, beet syrup, drinking water, yeast, table salt 1%

Pretty sweet bread thanks to added sugar and syrup - 10g of sugar per 100g of bread. More wheat than rye as well.

“Fine bread” (“Peenleib”)

RYE FLOUR 72% (RYE FLOUR, RYE BRAN FLOUR, red and white MALT), yeast, drinking water, sugar, WHEAT FLOUR, cumin, table salt 0.5%

While rye content is pretty high, they have still added sugar and wheat into the mix as well.

“Plum bread” (“Ploomi leib”)

WHEAT FLOUR, RYE FLOUR (RYE FLOUR, RYE BRAN FLOUR, red MALT, white MALT), seeds 28% (flax, sesame, pumpkin and sunflower seeds), black plum, sugar, beetroot syrup, drinking water, yeast, table salt 1%

Let’s call this a cake. Made mostly of wheat flour, with added sugars and syrup.

“Dark cumin bread” (“Tume köömneleib”)

RYE FLOUR 63% (RYE FLOUR, RYE BRAN FLOUR, red MALT, white MALT), cumin 21%, drinking water, sugar beet syrup, yeast, sugar, table salt 1%

There is a lot of cumin in this bread. While cumin is healthy, those health benefits are sadly overshadowed by added syrup and sugar.

Breads by Lõuna Pagarid

“Meaty bread” (“Lihaleib”)

RYE FLOUR (rye bran, rye malt), smoked bacon 33.3% (pork 83%, water, salt, glucose, stabilizer diphosphate, acidity regulator triphosphate, thickeners: carrageenan, guar gum, yeast extract, flavoring agents, antioxidant sodium isoascorbate, preservative: sodium nitrite), water, roasted onion (onion, cooking oil, WHEAT flour, salt), sugar, salt, yeast, SESAME seeds.

While it is pretty meaty bread, on the hidden side of it, we can see numerous processed additives and sugar. I would instead prefer a sugar-free plain rye bread with additive-free meat.

“Erik Orgu herbal bread” (“Erik Orgu ürdileib”)

Rye bran flour, rye whole grain flour, drinking water, whole grain oat flour, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, rye malt, inulin, citrus fibers, herbs 1.7% (parsley, garlic, thyme), sea salt.

This is a bit unusual bread. No wheat, no sugars. Co-developed by one nutritional expert. They have boosted fibre content with the addition of inulin. I’m curious to try this one.

“Crunchy bread with hemp seeds” (“Krõmpsuv leib kanepiseemnetega”)

Rye flour, drinking water, rye malt, sugar, barley malt extract, oil hemp seeds 4%, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, salt, yeast.

This bread is less healthy than previous one, due to added sugar and barley malt extract, resulting sugar levels of 8.7g per 100g of bread.

“Wholegrain rye bread” (“Rukkitäistera leib”)

Whole rye flour 35%, rye bran flour, water, rye malt, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, salt.

No sugar, no wheat, no additives apart from some seeds. It seems like a great bread to eat.

“Homemade rye bread” (“Kodune rukkileib”)

Rye flour, rye bran flour, drinking water, rye malt, sugar, barley malt extract, yeast, salt, thickener E412, emulsifier E471.

While the name is “homemade” the ingredients seem like more industrially flavoured - ultra-processed additives, plus extra sugars.

“Peter’s bread” (“Peetri leib”)

Rye flour, rye bran flour, drinking water, rye malt, sugar, malt extract, yeast, salt.

No wheat is good, added sugars are not. I’d skip eating this as the sugar content is 7.5g per 100g of bread.

“Värska Tummõ”

Rye bran flour, drinking water, wheat flour, syrup, barley-malt extract, sugar, salt, yeast.

Added wheat, sugar and barley malt extract make it not attractive.

“Seed bread” (“Teraleib”)

Rye bran flour, water, wheat flour, sprouted rye grains 4.3%, sunflower seeds 4.3%, rye malt, sugar, salt, yeast.

Besides adding sunflower seeds, they have also added wheat and sugar.

“Miller’s bread” (“Möldri leib”)

Rye flour, rye bran flour, drinking water, rye malt, barley malt extract, sugar, yeast, salt.

Rye bread, but with added sugars.

“Suure Tõllu bread” (“Suure Tõllu leib”)

Rye groats, drinking water, wheat flour, red malt, sugar, yeast, salt.

It's quite simple bread, but with added wheat and sugar.

“Põlva finebread” (“Põlva peenleib”)

Rye flour, drinking water, rye bran flour, wheat flour, rye malt, sugar, yeast, cumin, salt.

In this case, they have added some cumin as well, in addition to wheat and sugar.

Breads by other bakeries

Two other major bakeries, Eesti Pagar and Fazer, did not list the ingredient lists on their product websites, but are very likely similar to those of Leibur and Eesti Leivatööstus. It seems like there must be some sugary reasons why they are not listing those details in public, easy-to-access ways.

You can look at the fine print of the bread available in groceries in your neighbourhood and come up with your list. Feel free to share your insights in the comments or email me at fineprint@fooledby.com.

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