Canberra - Saba:
Nutrition expert and senior lecturer Margaret Murray, from the Australian University of Technology Swinburne, gave advice on how to choose your bread. When you go to the shops to buy bread, you will be faced with a variety of different options, but it can be difficult to know the difference between all the types on sale.
Murray says in the conversation, according to the Science Alert website, that for example, you may have a vague idea that bread made from whole wheat flour or whole grains is healthy. But what is the difference between them?
Here is what we know and what this means for shoppers in Australia and New Zealand.
Let's start with whole wheat bread
According to the Australian and New Zealand Food Standards, whole wheat bread is made from flour that contains all parts of the original grain (the endosperm, germ and bran) in their original proportions.
Because it contains all parts of the grain, wholemeal bread is usually darker in color and slightly browner than white bread, which is made with just the endosperm.
What about wholegrain bread?
The Australian and New Zealand Food Standards define wholegrain bread as something that either contains the whole grain (for example, the visible grains) or is made from a processed grain (flour) in which all parts of the grain are present in their original proportions.
The last part may sound familiar. That’s because wholegrain is an umbrella term that includes both wholegrain bread and bread made from wholemeal flour. In other words, wholemeal bread is a type of wholegrain bread, just as an apple is a type of fruit.
Don’t get confused by labels like “added grain”, “grainy” or “multigrain”. The Australian and New Zealand Food Standards don’t specify these things, so manufacturers can legally add a small amount of wholegrain to white bread to make the product appear healthier. This doesn’t necessarily make these products wholegrain bread.
Therefore, unless a product is specifically labeled as whole grain bread, whole wheat bread, or indicates that it “contains whole grains,” it is likely to be made with more refined ingredients.
Which is healthier?
So, when considering which type of bread to choose, whole wheat and whole grain breads are richer in beneficial compounds, including nutrients and fiber, than breads made with refined flour, such as white bread.
The presence of these compounds is what makes eating whole grains (including bread made with whole wheat flour) beneficial to our overall health. Research has also shown that eating whole grains helps reduce the risk of common chronic diseases, such as heart disease.
Whole grain breads are slightly higher in fiber, protein, niacin (vitamin B3), iron, zinc, phosphorus, and magnesium than whole grain breads. However, whole grain breads are lower in carbohydrates, thiamine (vitamin B1), and folate (vitamin B9).
However, the differences are relatively small when you consider how these elements contribute to your overall nutritional intake.
Which one should I buy?
Next time you go shopping, look for whole grain bread (made from whole wheat flour with the grains and seeds intact throughout) as your first choice for fiber, protein, and overall health support.
If you can’t find whole grain bread, whole grain bread comes in second.
Whole grain bread and whole wheat bread tend to cost about the same amount, but both tend to be more expensive than white bread.
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