Great Value 100% Whole Wheat Bread is a reasonably healthy budget option. At 60 calories per slice with 2 grams of fiber and 3 grams of protein, it checks the basic boxes for a whole grain bread. It does contain some additives worth knowing about, but the overall nutritional profile holds up well for a loaf that costs a fraction of what premium bread brands charge.
Nutrition per Slice
Each slice of Great Value 100% Whole Wheat Bread contains 60 calories, 1 gram of total fat, 3 grams of protein, 2 grams of dietary fiber, 1 gram of sugar, and 110 milligrams of sodium. For a standard sandwich using two slices, you’re looking at 120 calories, 4 grams of fiber, and 6 grams of protein. That fiber count matters: most Americans fall well short of the recommended 25 to 38 grams per day, and getting 4 grams from your sandwich bread alone is a decent contribution.
The sodium is moderate at 110 mg per slice, or 220 mg for a two-slice sandwich. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 2,300 mg of sodium daily (ideally under 1,500 mg for people with high blood pressure). A sandwich made with this bread uses up roughly 10 to 15 percent of that daily budget, which is reasonable but worth keeping in mind if the rest of your meals are sodium-heavy.
What’s Actually in It
The first ingredient is whole wheat flour, which is the single most important thing to look for when buying whole wheat bread. Many breads labeled “wheat” or “multigrain” actually list enriched white flour as their first ingredient, with whole grains appearing further down. Great Value gets this right. The full ingredient list reads: whole wheat flour, water, sugar, yeast, vital wheat gluten, soybean oil, salt, honey, calcium propionate, dough conditioners, fumaric acid, yeast nutrients, encapsulated sorbic acid, and soy lecithin.
Sugar is the third ingredient, though the total amount is modest at just 1 gram per slice. A small amount of sugar helps activate yeast and brown the crust during baking, so its presence isn’t unusual. The bread also contains honey, which serves a similar purpose. There’s no high fructose corn syrup in this particular product, which is a step up from Great Value’s white bread, which does contain it.
The Additives Worth Knowing About
Like most mass-produced supermarket breads, this loaf relies on preservatives and dough conditioners to stay soft and mold-free on the shelf. Calcium propionate is the primary preservative, and it’s one of the most widely used in commercial baking. It prevents mold and bacterial growth, which is how the bread lasts longer than a bakery loaf. It’s generally recognized as safe by food regulators, though some people prefer to avoid it.
The dough conditioners include mono- and diglycerides and sodium stearoyl lactylate. These help the bread rise more uniformly and maintain a soft texture. The ingredient list also includes encapsulated sorbic acid, another preservative, which is coated in a small amount of hydrogenated vegetable oil. Hydrogenated oils are a source of trans fats, and while the quantity here is tiny (not enough to register on the nutrition label), it’s worth noting if you’re trying to avoid them entirely.
None of these additives are considered dangerous at the levels present in a few slices of bread. But if you compare this ingredient list to a short-ingredient bakery loaf (flour, water, salt, yeast), the difference is obvious. That’s the trade-off with any shelf-stable, budget-priced bread.
How It Compares to White Bread
Switching from white bread to this whole wheat version is a genuine nutritional upgrade. Whole wheat flour retains the bran and germ of the grain, which is where most of the fiber, B vitamins, and minerals live. White flour strips those layers away and adds back a few synthetic vitamins through enrichment, but the fiber is gone for good. The 2 grams of fiber per slice in this bread may sound modest, but Great Value’s white bread has less than 1 gram.
Fiber slows digestion, which helps keep blood sugar more stable after eating and keeps you feeling full longer. Over time, diets higher in whole grains are consistently linked to lower rates of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers. Choosing whole wheat bread is one of the simplest swaps most people can make.
Is It a Good Whole Wheat Bread?
Among budget whole wheat breads, Great Value’s version is solid. Whole wheat flour is the first ingredient, fiber and protein are decent, sugar is low, and the calorie count is reasonable. It’s not going to match a fresh-baked loaf with five ingredients, but it’s not trying to. For the price point, you’re getting a genuinely whole grain product rather than the “wheat-washed” breads that use mostly refined flour and caramel coloring to look healthier than they are.
If you want to step up, look for breads that list whole wheat flour first, have at least 3 grams of fiber per slice, and keep the ingredient list shorter. Brands carrying the Whole Grains Council’s 100% Stamp guarantee at least 16 grams of whole grain per serving with no refined grain mixed in. Sprouted grain breads tend to have even more protein and fiber, though they cost significantly more.
For a $2 to $3 loaf of bread, Great Value 100% Whole Wheat is a reasonable everyday choice. The nutrition is genuinely better than white bread, the sugar content is low, and whole wheat flour is the real first ingredient. The preservatives and dough conditioners are the main compromise, and that’s a compromise shared by virtually every bread in the same price range.