'We make breads not just to make money but to give healthy option as well'

MANILA, Philippines - A healthy alternative from the usual high-carb and high-sugar white breads was something missing in the grocery shelves some five years ago in the Philippines. Some would only find imported brands which were available only at a few selected supermarkets or stores’ leaving the health conscious opting for what’s left available or just having no bread at all.

Because of the lack of healthy and quality breads, Walter Co, president of Creative Bakers Co. Inc., saw the need for breads that are made of all the required nutrients that would suit the lifestyle and dietary needs of all health buffs and even those who suffer from diabetes. “Five years ago, you could hardly see any bread in the market that was high on fiber and had low sugar content. So I thought there should be a kind of bread that would suit the health requirements of those who suffer from common illnesses such as diabetes,” he recalls.

Amid the growing demands for a healthier lifestyle in the country, Co began studying the science of making perfectly healthy bread that is not only nutritious but also has a really enjoyable taste. For him, the taste is also equally important as the nutritional value of bread because many people don’t like the taste of the usual wheat breads available in the market. “I hear many people who say that the wheat breads they tried have a similar taste with rice bran and are also very dry,” he said.

After years of thorough experiment and effort to produce a health-friendly kind of bread, Co has finally came out with a successful product as a response to the demands of health-conscious bread lovers. Co’s Walter Bread introduced its healthy bread line, or the Walter Health Nutrition breads.

Highly formulated ingredients

It wasn’t easy for them to complete the process of fortifying their bread products and also cost them a lot because they chose to use the more expensive and high-quality ingredients from the best countries in the world to be able to perfect the taste of the bread. “For our sugar-free bread, for example, it took us one year to find the right ingredients to formulate this bread without any sugar content but still has a sweetened taste. We needed to keep adjusting formulations to make it really sugar-free,” Co explains.

He added that it took five times to finally get the perfect formula of their sugar-free bread.

Instead of using sugar, Walter Bread’s sugar-free bread uses isomalt to ensure that it still has its delicious and natural flavor without any sugar content. This bread is an ultimate choice for diabetics because it is also made of fiber-rich ingredients, whole wheat flour, cracked whole wheat and fibers, which enable a low glycaemic carbohydrate to help improve weight loss.

Walter Bread’s other nutrition breads also give substantial health benefits to those who are trying to reduce or maintain their weight, but wouldn’t want to give up eating bread. Many people try to avoid bread from their diet because of the carbohydrate, fat, high salt and sugar contents that are contained in the typical white breads they find in the market.

Responding to their needs, Walter Bread also developed their own weight-control bread with high fiber. What makes it really weight-friendly is its 98-percent fat-free ingredients, plus it has 50-percent less sodium compared to other white breads. Making sure that it used the choicest ingredients, Walter Bread used vegetable and oat fibers to keep the stomach feeling full for longer.

“With wheat bread, people put in more salt and wheat gluten to harden the structure of the bread, so you don’t see whole wheat breads that are moist. Toasting the wheat bread further toughens it. Ours is different. We used a combination of all-natural fibers—insoluble fiber from wheat and soluble fiber from apples—to keep the bread moist and give the natural sweet taste” says Co.

Walter Bread’s Double Fiber Wheat Bread with Heart Protect is cholesterol-free and contains these all-natural fibers making it 25 percent less in sodium, which is good for the heart. Moreover, its insoluble fiber is also useful for the gastrointestinal and colon health, while its soluble fiber is good for the heart. Not only does it provide health benefits but it also has a very enjoyable taste that everyone can enjoy.

Even its Whole Wheat Raisin Bread contains virtually fat-free ingredients while in low-sodium content. To make it healthier and tastier, Walter Bread selected the finest grapes from California, USA that are full of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.

Staying true as a Filipino brand, Walter Bread also comes with its Walter Sugar Free Wheat Bread pandesal, a favorite local breakfast.

Commitment to good health

Because of the increasing numbers of diabetes-related cases in the Philippines, Co realized that there was a stronger need to improve his products to offer a healthier choice of food for diabetics. This has been his commitment through the years — to provide Filipinos with healthier breads that are made of the finest ingredients. 

Other brands label their products with fat-free or zero-percent sugar, and other promises of weight loss and high nutritional value without the benefit of laboratory testing. Some of them might even not be that healthy. For example, sugar has a tenderizing or softening effect on the bread, to compensate for low sugar, others would put in more fats to soften it.

“Before we came out with our products, we made sure that they’re better with the existing ones,” Co says.

He adds, “We make breads not just to make money, but because we want to give health benefits for consumers.”

Today, Walter Bread boasts of its most extensive line of health breads, which are also well-recognized for having a high nutritional value among any other brands in the market. Co stays committed in producing great-tasting and healthy baked products for Filipinos.