Multigrain or whole grain? High fiber or thin-sliced? When it comes to buying bread or bread products such as bagels, English muffins and wraps, there are so many choices, my head starts spinning the second I turn the corner and head down the grocery-store bread aisle.

The key is knowing how to decode the labels' ingredients. This simple guide will help you navigate the bread labels and make the healthiest choice.

Types of flour

Whole-wheat flour is the gold standard in bread because it contains the entire grain, including the bran, germ and endosperm. That way, you get all the health benefits that are naturally part of the grain.

Wheat flour doesn't contain the bran or the germ, so it's less nutritious than whole-wheat flour.

Enriched wheat flour is enriched with nutrients that are lost during processing, often including thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin D, iron, folic acid and calcium. Even though these nutrients are added back, the flour still doesn't contain the bran or the germ and isn't as good for you as whole-wheat flour.

Stone-ground simply describes how the flour was milled. Although it may sound healthy, stone-ground flour is basically the same as wheat flour. It's nowhere near as good for you as 100 percent whole-wheat flour.

Four steps to buying bread

I've done the hard work for you, reviewing the labels of major bread brands to present you with the four simple steps to buying healthy, wholesome and delicious.