This conversation has been going on since the first high impact aerobics kick in a leotard was choreographed.
It may seem like it doesn't add up, but actually white whole-wheat bread is made with whole grains, just as is regular whole-wheat bread. White whole-wheat bread also is nutritionally similar to that of regular whole-wheat bread. The difference between white whole-wheat bread and regular whole-wheat bread is in the type of wheat used. White whole-wheat bread is made with white wheat, which lacks bran color. It also has a milder flavor and softer texture. In contrast, regular whole-wheat bread is made with red wheat, which is darker in color. It has a slightly bitter taste and a coarser texture. So even though both types of bread are made with whole grains, they have a different color, taste and texture. Other products besides bread, such as crackers and baking mixes, may also be made with white whole wheat.
Some people prefer the taste and texture of white bread over whole-wheat bread. But if you want the nutritional benefits of whole wheat, choose white whole-wheat bread, not regular, refined white bread. White whole-wheat bread offers the same nutritional benefits as whole-wheat bread. Regular white bread, on the other hand, is made with refined grains, which go through a process that strips out certain parts of the grain, along with some of the nutrients and fiber.
When you're selecting any kind of bread, read the label carefully. Choose breads that list "whole" grain as the first ingredient, such as whole wheat, white whole wheat or whole oats. If the label doesn't say "whole" first, it isn't a whole-grain product. For example, a product label may simply say white wheat, which is not the same as white whole-wheat bread.
Old time mills ground flour slowly, but today’s mills are designed for mass-production, using high-temperature, high-speed steel rollers. The resulting white flour is nearly all starch, and even much of today’s commercially processed whole wheat flour has lost a fair amount of nutritional value due to these aggressive processing methods.
White flour contains a small fraction of the nutrients of the original grain, with the heat of the steel rollers having destroyed what little nutrients remain. But then it is hit with another chemical insult--a chlorine gas bath (chlorine oxide). This serves as a whitener, as well as an “aging” agent.
Flour used to be aged with time, improving the gluten and thus improving the baking quality. Now, it is treated with chlorine to instantly produce similar qualities in the flour with a disturbing lack of concern about adding another dose of chemicals to your food.
According to Jim Bair, Vice President of the North American Millers Association
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines chlorine gas as a flour-bleaching, aging and oxidizing agent that is a powerful irritant, dangerous to inhale, and lethal. Other agents also used include oxides of nitrogen, nitrosyl, and benzoyl peroxide mixed with various chemical salts.
The whole grain includes the endosperm, bran, germ, and semolina. The germ, in particular, is very high in nutrients and protein. However white flour sifts out the germ, along with the bran and semolina, leaving only the ground endosperm, which is pure carbohydrate, meant to help nourish the young plant until the new roots take over. The endosperm is about 75% of the wheat grain.
White bread or "Baked Air" has little to offer you except holding things between it. The standard wheat bread is no better, since it's first and biggest ingredient is enriched wheat flour, which is bleached, wheat flour. Now, using the whole grain gives the flour much more nourishment, as well as texture and taste to the bread. Look for the first ingredient on the label. If it states whole wheat flour then you are getting a true whole grain bread. If the first ingredient is enriched wheat flour, then you are simply getting the ground endosperm with some extra wheat flour and/or coloring added to make it light brown. It is just as much 'baked air' as the white bread.
Bleached vs Unbleached Flour
In stores, there are two different varieties of flour bleached and unbleached. What makes the difference is; Bleached flour is whiter, has finer grains and gives your food a tempting aroma and fluffy puffy look. Unbleached flour is less white or yellowish and may not be able to produce the effects as that of bleached flour. The major difference between the two is that bleached flour contains bleaching agents added to it and unbleached flour is bleached naturally over time.
This bleaching agent is a food additive which makes the flour appear whiter. Some benefits of adding the bleaching agent are that it accelerates the aging process, improves the texture, stiffens soft flour, and makes your food better. The white color is achieved as the agent oxidizes the surface of the flour grains. Some bleaching agents in the bleached flour are said to be harmful for the body.
- *Half of the beneficial unsaturated fatty acids
- *Virtually all of the vitamin
- *Fifty percent of the calcium
- *Seventy percent of the phosphorus
- *Eighty percent of the iron
- *Ninety eight percent of the magnesium
- *Fifty to 80 percent of the B vitamins
Unbleached flour is bleached naturally and as it ages the color gets dulled. But this flour contains more protein content than the bleached flour. It is best for the baking of yeast breads, Yorkshire puddings, cream puffs, Danish pastries, and popovers. Bleached flour is best for making cookies, pancakes, pie crusts, and waffles. You select the right flour depending on the food you are preparing, bleached or unbleached.
When bleached flour is used, the loaf shows more loaf volume and is made of more fine grains. But if you use unbleached flour, you may not get this effect. Your bread will feel more dense. Most food serving outlets use bleached flour to make the food appear fluffier and more tempting.
In some food items like cake flour, chlorinating it gives the forming capacity to the flour. If you use unbleached flour for the purpose, it will not take the tight shape and surface texture, which may reduce the appeal of the food. Bleaching soft flours with chlorine gives the flour the stiffening effect, and if the flour has high protein content, adding an oxidizing agent is the best option.
Also you kneed to know that our body processes the carbs (sugars) in white bread quickly which increases the amount of insulin your body releases to balance the sugars in your blood. You get a good rush of energy from white bread, but it will not last long.
What About Rye ?
Conventional wisdom tells us whole grains are healthier than refined grains, because an intact kernel of wheat, barley, rye or oat still harbors the fibrous bran and vitamin-rich germ in its outer layers. When grains are milled to make refined white flours, the outer layers come off and these valuable nutrients are lost. But when Swedish researchers picked apart a grain of rye, they found that what's on the inside is just as good for you as what's on the outside.
Nutritionists at Lund University found that study participants who ate bread made with refined white rye flour had better blood sugar and insulin control immediately after a meal than those who ate bread made with a combination of refined wheat (all-purpose white) flour and rye bran. This came as a surprise because bran is one of the components of whole grains that helps prevent spikes in blood sugar after a meal that includes bread or other grain products.
Rye is a high-protein grain that is rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber. In fact, dark, or "whole" rye flour has twice as much of the same nutrients as whole-wheat flour and retains many of those nutrients even after milling. What rye flour lacks, however, is gluten, a specific type of structural protein that helps lightens the texture of baked goods. In Germany and Eastern European countries, where coarsely textured breads are more acceptable, rye is one of the most popular bread grains and is used to make dark, dense loaves of both rye and pumpernickel bread.
In the United States, however, most of the rye bread we eat is made with a combination of refined rye flour and refined wheat flour. It's a ratio that results in a loaf that has more flavor and texture than regular white bread but is still more mild in flavor and lighter in texture than a typical European loaf of rye. The findings of the Lund study, which confirm the results of earlier European and American studies linking rye grain to better blood sugar control, suggests that both types of rye bread confer important health benefits.
My favorite "all around bread" is this artisan bread from Trader Joe's...
Nutrition Facts
Trader Joe's - Artisan Bread (Par Baked) Filone
| Calories | 130 | Sodium | 330 mg |
| Total Fat | 0 g | Potassium | 0 mg |
| Saturated | 0 g | Total Carbs | 28 g |
| Polyunsaturated | 0 g | Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Monounsaturated | 0 g | Sugars | 0 g |
| Trans | 0 g | Protein | 5 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | ||
| Vitamin A | 0% | Calcium | 0% |
| Vitamin C | 0% | Iron | 10% |
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Now For Something A Little Different...
Green Tea & Red Rice Swirl Bread Recipe
http://www.applepiepatispate.com/bread/green-tea-red-rice-swirl/
Challah Bread
As a friend recently reminded me, there is simply no better bread for French toast than Challah Bread so here is a recipe for it...
http://www.haydid.org/challah.htm
And Here's How To Braid It...
From what most of the watchdog groups say, most commercial wheat production is, heavy into pesticide application, beginning with the seeds, being treated with fungicide. Once they become wheat, they are sprayed with hormones and pesticides. Even the bins in which the harvested wheat is stored they say are coated with insecticides. If bugs appear on the wheat in storage, they fumigate the grain. So BUY ORGANIC ! and have fun choosing the bread that's right for you. Good Luck...
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Sources:
QualityHealth's Medical Advisory Board
Mayo Clinic nutritionist
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