Crumpets, bagels and English muffins – are they healthier than white sliced?

We all know white bread isn’t great for our health. But what about its round-shaped alternatives?

Our appetites are hard-wired to seek comfort from food during colder months – stews, soups and roasts are welcomed back into our lives after a summer of salads and barbecues. The bread bin starts to call for the reassurance of childhood favourites such as crumpets, bagels and muffins. 
Very convenient they are too, especially if you are catering for hungry after school appetites. But just how healthy are they as an alternative to a slice of white bread? 
When you peruse the ingredients label on any white bakery product, the first line greets you with a word salad of vitamins and minerals, since the 1998 Bread and Flour Regulations specify that all white and brown flour must be fortified with calcium, iron, thiamine (vitamin B1) and niacin (vitamin B3). 
The thing not many people know to watch out for in white bakery goods is that they may contain more salt than you think, given they don’t taste particularly salty. It’s because salt plays a role in both preserving bread and giving it flavour. For children especially, it’s something to look out for. It’s recommended that four-to-seven-year-olds eat no more than 3g of salt daily, so a crumpet with a slice of cheese or ham eats up 50 per cent of that allowance. 
So are there any health benefits to choosing a crumpet, bagel or English muffin over a slice of white bread? I compare it to crumpets, bagels and English muffins to find out – and reveal the four healthiest toppings. 
See nutritional information here.
English muffins are slightly lower in salt and have fewer artificial additives than white bread.
With no discernible difference in calories or sugar between the four, Tesco English Muffins are an outright winner with 3g of fibre, low salt and higher protein than other supermarket muffins. 
Waitrose English Muffins are free from preservatives, though the ‘all-butter’ is something of a gimmick, without adding any discernible buttery flavour or change in texture it pushes the fat content up.
All the English muffins are slightly lower in salt, with fewer additives than sliced white, so they make a reasonable alternative. 
Crumpets are lower in calories but slightly higher in salt.
If your idea of a nostalgic treat, like mine, is a slice of processed cheese on top of a buttered crumpet, then be aware that crumpets contain up to double the salt of both muffins and bagels, and more than sliced white. They also have some 40 per cent less protein than muffins, bagels and sliced white, so may not sustain as effectively. They are not off-the-scale naughty list, but certainly for children consider making them an occasional treat. 
The prize goes to Waitrose Sourdough crumpets. They are the only crumpets that are free of artificial preservatives.
Waitrose Essential Crumpets come a close second as they have the lowest salt content compared to a slice of white bread.   
Bagels tend towards more calories than sliced white per 100g and are higher in fat, but with a little more fibre which is a plus. While they still contain preservatives, they have fewer additives than soft white bread. 
Sainsbury’s Plain Bagel is a good option as they contain the least fat. 
New York Bagels (available in Waitrose) come a close second. They contain slightly more protein.  
Because they’re thick, these bakery items lend themselves to healthier toppings, unlike a dry slice of toast that has you reaching for the butter. Aim to top them with some fibre or other micronutrients, without increasing the salt content.  
We know how good bread containing nuts and raisins tastes (usually at a price), so spread a toasted crumpet, muffin or bagel with nut butter and scatter over a few raisins for the same effect. 
If a nut butter doesn’t advertise ‘100 per cent nuts’ on the front label then it almost certainly isn’t (a little like free-range chicken). I favour almond butter (for example Nuts About Nature from Tesco) that is richer in vitamin E than peanuts. While raisins are readily available preservative-free, dates are another good option. Many other dried fruits contain oil, added sugar or preservatives. 
Choose a reduced sugar jam. I particularly like the St Dalfour range of spreads (available Waitrose and Sainsbury’s) that are sweetened with concentrated fruit juice. I then add in twice the weight of raspberries, strawberries or nibs of apricot and mash them together. This significantly reduces the sugar content, as well as adding in fibre, vitamins and minerals from the fresh fruit.
Mash up half a banana with low-fat Greek yogurt and pile it onto the toasted crumpet, muffin or bagel, and then scatter with a teaspoon (2g) of fine shavings of 70 per cent dark chocolate. 
You get a lot of bang for your buck with a tiny amount of dark chocolate that gives the flavour and appearance of having a chocolatey snack, while being negligible in terms of energy, fat and sugar.  
Fat-free Polish Twaróg (available Tesco and Sainsbury’s) is not unlike ricotta but without as much saturated fat and salt. It lends itself to both sweet and savoury additions, adding in some protein which will help to ward off hunger as well as offering up the nutritional benefits of milk such as calcium and B vitamins. 
Quark is another option, again with only a minute trace of salt. Just a drizzle of honey on top of a thick slice of such cheese is plenty of sweetness. 
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