Is Whole Grain Bread Healthy?

The grains you eat belong to the grass family, consisting of wheat, rye, barley, rice, corn and oats. For centuries, your ancestors ate their grains right off the stalk. Grains begin as whole grains, but the milling process strips away the outer two layers of the grain, along with its nutrients, leaving the starch. Research is showing that the quality of the grains in the bread you eat have an impact on your health.

What is Whole Grain?

To be called whole grain it must have an intact outer coating of bran, a middle layer called the endosperm and an inner layer called the germ. Most of the grain's nutrients lie in the bran or the germ of the grain. For products to be 100 percent whole grain, whole grain must be the first on the list of ingredients. In 2006, the Whole Grains Council developed the Whole Grain Stamp that can be found on the outside of whole grain products. But always read the label to be sure you are buying 100 percent whole grain.

Whole Grain Nutrients

Bread made of whole grains supply your diet with numerous vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytochemicals. For example, in whole grain wheat bread there are 15 nutrients including vitamin B6, vitamin E, magnesium, manganese, zinc, potassium, copper, pantothenic acid, folate, protein, niacin, iron, thiamine, riboflavin and fiber. It also contains the amino acids arginine and lysine. Phytochemicals include phytates and phenolic compounds as well as some that are only found in grains--avenanthramides and avenalumic acid--which account for whole grain bread's antioxidant properties, according to a paper in the 2004 journal "Nutrition Research Reviews."

Whole Grain Bread and Your Health

The 2004 review in "Nutrition Research Reviews" states that the undigested carbohydrate, or fiber, that reaches your colon maintains regularity. It is also associated with decreasing cholesterol and improving glucose tolerance and insulin resistance. Grains also contain oligosaccharides that promote good bacterial intestinal flora and discourage E. coli. Also present in grains are ligands which may deter hormonally caused diseases. The paper also states that whole grains may reduce the risk of certain cancers and cardiovascular disease.

Types of Whole Grains

Many different types of whole grains exist that may be made into breads and cereals, which include whole wheat, whole wheat bulgur, whole wheat berries, spelt, whole wheat couscous and kamut; whole rye; brown rice; steel-cut oats, rolled oats and oat groats; hulled barley; millet; triticale; quinoa, wild rice, buckwheat and amaranth; and teff, the world's smallest grain.