Whole Wheat Versus White Bread

Did you know that some types of bread are more nutritious than others? The more whole foods we can eat and the less additives the better. I have never given my kids the option of eating white bread. From the time they started eating table food, they have had whole wheat bread. By introducing them to whole grain bread at a young age they don’t know any difference. Of course they have eaten white bread on occasion at other people’s houses. However, since I only buy whole wheat that is what they eat!

Benefits of Whole Wheat Bread

Whole wheat bread is more nutritious because it contains all three parts of the wheat berry- bran, wheat germ and the endosperm. White bread only contains the endosperm part of the wheat berry. The result is that whole wheat bread contains fiber and more vitamins than white bread. In fact about 30 nutrients are removed when flour is refined for white bread. Some white bread may be enriched which means they add some nutrients back- but it is just not the same.

What to Look For

When you are choosing a whole wheat bread look at the ingredients list. The first ingredient should be whole wheat or whole grain. Also look for the word “carmel”. If you see carmel added, it is not a true whole wheat bread. Carmel is added to make the bread brown- white bread masqueraded as whole wheat bread.

We have also started using whole wheat pasta. The boys and my husband don’t seem to notice a difference. Next on my to do list is to add in whole wheat flour for baking instead of white flour.

Have you been successful at getting your family to eat more whole grains?

Photo credit Rohn

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Renae Chiovaro

Renae is a married working mom of two handsome boys. She works as a registered dental hygienist by day and blogs here at How to Have it All by night. She enjoys cooking from scratch, working in her vegetable garden and functional training.