Why Should We Choose Whole Wheat Bread Over White Bread?

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it provides you with the energy and nutrients that lead to increased concentration all day long. My family breakfast is usually a breakfast sandwich, or bread with cheese, peanut butter spread, or jam – or Arabic bread which is eaten with hummus and ful. For this reason, bread is important for us, but which bread is healthier – white bread and wheat bread?

White Bread

Whole Wheat or White Bread?
Whole Wheat or White Bread?

White bread is often enriched and some of the nutrients removed during the refining process, so it contains more thiamine and folate than whole-grain multigrain bread. In addition, most white bread is made from refined wheat flour which gives nothing to your body. In fact, not only is it a premier weight gain food, you’ll actually require more enzymes, vitamins and minerals from other foods just to digest it.

Whenever you eat large amounts of refined carbohydrates like white bread, high levels of insulin are likely to be produced to deal with it. The hormone insulin shuttles away the rapidly absorbed sugars you’ve just eaten out of your bloodstream, where they present a danger to your body. It then converts them, first into glycogen and then into triglycerides for storage in your body’s fat cells.

Whole Wheat Bread 

We should be careful when we shop for wheat bread as much of the “brown” bread you’ll find in the supermarket is simply the same white bread with brown coloring. Read the list of contents on the label and choose bread that contains 100% whole wheat bread, whole grain or “sprouted whole grains.

Whole wheat brown bread has a “nutritional advantage” over white bread, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. This is because brown breads made from whole wheat usually contain more fiber than white bread, as well as greater amounts of important nutrients such as vitamins B-6 and E, magnesium, folic acid, copper, zinc and manganese. Depending on the brand, however, this may not be the case, because many white breads come fortified with vitamins and fiber. In addition, although white bread usually contains more calcium than brown bread, many manufacturers now fortify brown bread with calcium.

Whole wheat bread is made with wheat germ and bran included, and its higher fiber content helps to slow down its digestion, therefore its effect on your blood sugar and levels of and fat storing insulin should not be as pronounced.When we eat carbohydrates, they break down in the digestive system into small particles which ultimately gets converted into glucose that enters the bloodstream. The rate that glucose enters your blood stream depends partly on the fiber content of the food and this is referred to as the Glycemic Index. The Glycemic Index of foods are ranked from 0-100 and categorized according to low, medium, and high.

Regular whole wheat bread has the same glycemic index as white bread. This is bad news if you are a diabetic, pre-diabetic, or glucose-intolerant, and thought that Whole Wheat Bread was a healthier choice. However, research that has checked the glycemic index of 100% whole grain bread versus white bread found that whole grain bread had a significantly lower glycemic index – the lowest in the category, and 30%-40% less than white bread. The more whole grains in the bread, the lower the glycemic index.

For Healthier Bread (http://www.healthambition.com/white-bread-vs-brown-bread/): 

1. Rye Bread

Rye bread is usually much less refined and the healthier choice. It is much higher in fiber than even whole wheat bread and tends to fill you up and satisfy your hunger more than most appetite stimulating bakery goods. Rye bread is also considered a much better choice for both lowering your risk of developing diabetes and for those who are already living with the disease. This is due to the gentler effect it has on blood sugar and its good levels of minerals like magnesium.

Traditional rye bread like this has a rich, nutty flavor, can help you lose weight and will keep your energy levels much more stable than high glycemic white bread. If you think you really can’t give up bread, even for a short period, then try replacing it with a real bread like traditional rye.

2. Spelt Bread

The spelt grain is a distant cousin of wheat with a nutty flavor and a better range of nutrients because spelt hasn’t been subjected to the same kind of hybridization as wheat. It is rarely reported to cause allergies and intolerances, even for those people who are very sensitive to regular bread. Like rye, spelt bread is usually higher in fiber than regular wheat bread and has a good range of minerals like manganese, phosphorus, magnesium and copper, and natural vitamins like niacin, thiamine and folate.

Bread made from spelt is likely to be the most similar to wheat bread for people looking to make a healthier change without going too far from the texture and taste they’re used to. Spelt sourdough is a particularly tasty option you can sometimes find at specialty bakeries or health stores, and you can freeze it for a regular supply.

3. Wheat-Free Breads

Many wheat free breads are a blend of grains like spelt and rye mixed with other healthier grains such as barley, oats, millet and even pseudo-grains like amaranth and quinoa. It’s worth checking if they are whole grain breads and low on additives with chemical names, but generally these type of breads provide a much healthier option that will fill you up, be less likely to lead to weight gain, have much more nutritional value and promote better overall health and energy.

So, after we know which bread is better for us, next time we are in the grocery store, pick up the whole-grain bread instead of the white bread. Whole-grain bread provides more essential nutrients and more health benefits than white bread because it is less refined and still contains the nutrient-rich bran and germ, both of which are removed when making white flour.

Maybe we will spend extra money on whole wheat bread but we will enjoy a low glycemic index, nutritional fibers, and generally better health. IMG-20150221-WA0006

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