Breakfast staple no good?

It's a Kiwi breakfast staple, but two slices of Vogel's will give you little more health benefit than plain white bread.

And bagels aren't necessarily easy on the calories, either.

Diet experts said consumers would be surprised by the saturated fat and sugar content of many wholegrain, high-fibre and even gluten-free breads.

In most cases they were little lower than in white loaves - and in some cases higher.

A Herald on Sunday survey of nine top-selling products revealed that two slices of Vogel's original mixed grain sandwich loaf provided 650 kilojoules of energy, or 155 calories - the same as two slices of Nature's Fresh white sandwich bread.

Vogel's has more sugar than the white bread and the same amount of saturated fat, although it also has more fibre - vital to digestive health.

Meanwhile an Abe's Real Food Company bagel contains more than 1050 kilojoules, about 1 teaspoons of sugar and almost twice the calories in two slices of Quality Bakers Molenberg swissbake bread.

Of the products we tested, Woolworth's FreshZone Spicy Fruit Plus loaf had the most sugar - more than two teaspoons - while Burgen Gluten Free white bread contained the most salt and saturated fat.

Nutritionist Claire Turnbull said consumers may not know fat and sugar levels are similar in most breads.

"What you really need to look for is fibre because that affects the way bread is broken down in your body."

Dietitian Nikki Hart said because kilojoule contents differed greatly between breads, consumers also had to watch spreads and toppings, too.

A spokeswoman from Goodman Fielder, which produces Vogel's, said per serving size - or two slices - Vogel's can have more kilojoules than some white breads as it slightly heavier, but per 100g is lower in kilojoules than the average loaf.

"Vogel's bread recipe does not contain any added sugar; any in the recipe is derived from natural sources [such as] the flour and the grains," she said. "The entire range of Vogel's bread is classified as low [glycemic index] - low GI being based upon total carbohydrates, of which sugar is only one component."

Abe's owner Brent Milburn said most of the saturated fat content in the sesame seed bagels was from the seeds. The plain, natural bagels were only 0.5 per cent saturated fat.

Milburn said they did not add any oil to their products and maltose, a form of sugar, became present during the yeast fermentation process.

"We do use white flour, so we can't brag about the fibre content, but our saturated fat content is something we can brag about."

In its simplest form, bread contains flour, water and salt, but ingredients added for flavour and shelf-life make it the biggest contributor to daily kilojoule and salt levels.

A 2006 Consumer investigation found white bread, wholegrain, sourdough, focaccia and fruit bread contained more than 1000 kilojoules per 100g - and up to four-and-a-half teaspoons of sugar.

Baking Industry Research Trust chairwoman Annette Campbell said the fat and sugar levels in New Zealand bread are extremely low compared to other countries.

Turnbull said failing to burn off high kilojoule breads through exercise would increase the chance of weight gain, while high sodium levels could cause high blood pressure and increase stroke risk.