White bread is the most simple, all-present food in this country. It is sweet, refined and utterly devoid of the nutrients that grains are supposed to possess. Whole wheat bread maintains the outer husk of the seed from the wheat plant and has far more nutrients than the highly refined and processed white flour that you find in white bread. Whole grains are often tougher, coarser and not as sweet as the more refined flour. Even if the taste takes some adjustment on your part, the nutrients found in whole grains are essential to your health.
Refining Grains
Grains are taken off plant in the form of a seed. This is where the term "whole wheat" or "whole grain" started. The seed consists of a starchy inner endosperm with a dot-like germ containing vitamins all wrapped in a sheath of bran. White bread involves refining this seed until all the outer layers are removed. It strips away the bran and takes apart the germ until there is nothing left but the starchy endosperm. This makes the resulting flour easy to digest and store. Most products are made with refined flour including white bread, most pretzels, bagels and donuts to name a few. This process takes all the fiber and vitamins out of grains and makes it easy for the body to convert into glucose.
Nutrients in Grains
The whole grain actually contains many nutrients and vitamins that you would not normally associate with bread. Whole grain contains high amounts of fiber from the bran that makes up the outer layer of the seed. The germ section of the grain seed is rich in the vitamins thiamin, or B-1, riboflavin, or B-2, and niacin. It also contains high amounts of iron, magnesium and selenium. Since these nutrients are stripped from the grain in refining, grain manufacturers started fortifying white bread with vitamins in the attempt to restore the nutrients. However, it cannot restore all of them or make up for the lost fiber.
Grain Recommendations
Grains make up an important part of a healthy diet. The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that you consume 6 oz. of grains per day with at least 3 oz. from whole grains, based on 2,000 calories per day. One ounce of grains equals roughly one slice of bread. Some other 1 oz. sources of whole grains include 1 cup of bran breakfast cereal, 1/2f cup cooked brown rice or 3 cups of popped popcorn.
Whole Grains and Disease Prevention
Incorporating whole grains into your diet may aid in disease prevention. Studies indicate that eating whole grains lowers total cholesterol, LDL, or "bad," cholesterol, triglycerides and insulin levels, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. A study of over 100,000 women found that those who ate whole grains were less likely to have type 2 diabetes than those who did not. Research continues as scientists further investigate the impact whole grains have on cancer, digestion and long life.
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