You probably know whole wheat is the best type of wheat, but just because your bread is brown doesn’t mean it’s whole wheat. Even if the label proudly boasts “wheat” bread and lists “wheat flour” as the first ingredient, your bread may still not be whole wheat. Confused?
“Wheat” simply refers to the grain the flour comes from. Anything made with the flour from wheat — even refined white bread — can be called “wheat” and can list “wheat flour” as an ingredient. (The brown color often comes from caramel coloring.)
Are manufacturers lying to consumers? No. But are their labeling practices misleading? We think so. Being informed will guard you from being misled. Learning the facts will help you choose the right bread.
Mistakenly, many people still think bread is fattening. On the contrary, bread can be the best fat-fighting friend in your diet. Bread is naturally low in fat and can be high in fiber. Because it is so versatile, you can easily eat many servings a day in place of other higher-calorie foods. As long as you don’t pile on fatty spreads or fillings, bread can help you lose weight. In fact, studies have proved that people who eat 8 to 12 slices of bread a day still lose weight as long as their total diet is low in calories. The trick is keeping yourself from slathering that hearty bread with butter or margarine. Use a little olive oil instead for a taste treat and your heart health.
Health Benefits
Whole-wheat bread, in particular, is good for you for a number of reasons. It’s high in complex carbohydrates, low in saturated fat, a source of protein, and a storehouse of nutrients and fiber–a microcosm of what your diet should be.
To understand what’s so special about whole wheat in particular, you need to understand the structure of wheat grain. There are three layers to the grain — endosperm, germ, and bran. When whole-wheat flour is milled (refined) to make white bread, the inner germ and outer bran layer are removed, leaving only the starchy endosperm. Unfortunately, more than half the fiber of wheat is in that bran, along with almost three-quarters of the vitamins and minerals in the germ. Besides nutrients, the milling process also removes nonnutrient components — phytoestrogens, phenolic acids, oryzanol, and lignans — that may have health benefits, like reducing your risk of cancer and heart disease. A study of more than 74,000 women over a 12-year period showed that women who ate more whole-grain foods weighed less than those who ate fewer whole grains.
What milling removes, manufacturers try to put back in. Lost B vitamins — thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid — and iron are added back to form enriched bread products. Many other nutrients, especially minerals and fiber, don’t get added back. So if you eat white bread, you’re definitely missing a nutrient-rich and fiber opportunity.