Victoria Anderson PhD

Pioneering nutritionist Adelle Davis said it very well in 1947 when she wrote, "...almost all commercial bread is made of highly refined flour loaded with chemical softeners, whiteners, agers, fresheners, preservers and mold- and fungus-growth preventers. Even breads labeled "whole-wheat," unless purchased from a health-food store, often contain most of these same chemicals."

The manufacture of white flour, first removes the wheat seed's bran, its six outer layers, and the germ (or embryo) which contains 76% of the vitamins and minerals... 97% of the dietary fiber is also lost.
Then little is left is bleached, preserved, and aged with chlorine dioxide.
It is further whitened by adding chalk, alum, and ammonium carbonate to make it look and feel more improved and appealing to the consumer. An anti-salting agent called sorbitan mono-saturate is added in the final stage.
A few synthetic nutrients are then added back into the white flour and it is then called "enriched." In actuality, there has been no real "enrichment" of the original product, but deception and destruction of the life-giving properties of one of the many perfect creations we find in nature.
All of the chemicals from white flour and other elements in our environment wreak havoc on the human body. Humans were not designed nor equipped to ingest cumulative chemicals. A tremendous amount of strain is placed on the pancreas when it is forced to try to protect the body from chemicals. It cannot, at the same time, adequately perform its critical role of protecting the body from diseases.

Whole wheat flour and other whole-grain flours retain their bran, germ, and nutrients, and the vitamin E present in whole-grain flours acts as a natural preservative that keeps it from turning rancid for several months, after which it can be refrigerated or frozen.
Don't be deceived by products that are advertised as whole grain, but really are not. They may have some whole grains in them, but there may be a lot of other unnecessary and unhealthy ingredients. For example, if bread is soft, it is not primarily whole grain. It should be firm, heavy, and "grainy" with texture -- not spongy. Make sure you read all ingredients carefully on all products.

People who ate whole grain foods, such as brown bread, did not have the same gain in waist size, the scientists at Tufts University in Boston found.
The researchers looked at five different diets where one food-type was prominent - healthy food, white bread, alcohol, sweets or meat and potatoes - in 459 healthy men and women.
This might be because whole grain foods are higher in fiber which give a feeling of fullness so you eat less, say Professor Katherine Tucker's team.
The study appeared in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
The people who ate a diet of predominantly white bread saw the biggest increases in their waist measurement. In a year their girth increased by an average of about a centimeter, which was three times more than people who ate a healthy diet that was high in fiber and whole grain foods such as brown bread.
Professor Tucker said: "Waist circumference was very much associated with this high-refined grains pattern."

White bread is the most commonly consumed food in the US. We eat an average of three slices a day.
The researchers do not know why high-refined grain foods like white bread increases waist size, but it could be linked to fiber content and how the food is broken down by the body for energy.

Many of the foods in the healthy diet are high in fiber and low in glycaemic load, which evokes a decreased insulin response and therefore decreases hunger and energy intake.

According to nutritional biochemist and serious "healthy" bread producer Paul Stitt, one important and exciting aspect of what has changed today is that we can find the good stuff in mainstream grocery stores and various small bakeries across the country... that is, if we’re up to the challenge of scouting bread aisles and scouring food labels.
Good health is Paul Stitt’s passion and he preaches it as if from a pulpit. As a scientist, he had worked for conventional food companies and became appalled at their obsession with profits and blatant disregard for public health. Twenty-four years ago he started Natural Ovens of Manitowoc, Wisconsin in an effort to offer nutritionally superior bread products. His recipes build thick, chewy, heavy breads; cereals; and cookies. Stitt adds flaxseed for essential fatty acids (the good fats!), coarse whole-wheat flour and a host of other fiber sources such as pea fiber, wheat bran, and oat bran.

He’s very clear about his contempt for the soft, squishy breads and the people who make them. "White bread is slightly better than living on candy bars and soda pop. ...it’s an absolute crime against humanity when you intentionally make food products that...you know are going to make people sick, are going to make them operate inefficiently and feel lousy and create all kinds of health problems down the road."

White bread is clearly part of the problem. Refined white flour (used in the production of the majority of bread products) is stripped of the most nutritious parts of the grain kernel. The fiber is lost, along with essential fatty acids and most of the vitamins and minerals. All told, more than thirty nutrients are removed during milling. This refined flour is then required by law to be enriched meaning that five nutrients are added back (iron, niacin, thiamin, riboflavin, and — recently added to the list — folic acid). Stitt prefers to call this impoverished flour.

But as important as what they take out of the refined flour is what they put in during the course of making the wimpy bread products. Ingredient label reading, as always, is the key to discovery. Here’s just a handful of some common ingredients found in the soft, squishy breads:

Partially hydrogenated oils: Stitt’s number one no-no on a bread ingredient list is partially hydrogenated oils. Yet, most breads made commercially in the United States today contain these chemically altered oils that have been established as an accomplice in raising cholesterol levels, upsetting blood insulin (increasing risk of diabetes), and interfering with our bodies’ use of essential fatty acids.

Caramel coloring: Don’t be fooled into thinking brown-colored bread has more wheat in it. In fact, what passes as wheat bread may very well be a white bread in a caramel color disguise. Caramel color prepared by ammonia process has been associated with blood toxicity in rats. The Hyperactive Children Support Group (HACSG) warns against it.

Calcium sulfate: Also known as plaster of Paris, this additive is used as a dough conditioner and firming agent. As it absorbs moisture and hardens quickly, one caution is that it can cause intestinal obstruction. It’s banned in some countries.

Calcium propionate: This is a mold inhibitor and may be linked to migraines.

So, a good rule of thumb is that if the first item on the ingredient list of the bread package is enriched flour or if it contains partially hydrogenated oil of some kind or a number of additives that are indecipherable, your best bet is to skip this brand of bread and keep on looking. Ideally, if you’re not wheat- or gluten-sensitive, look for a whole wheat (or other whole grain) bread — not just wheat bread. The term whole wheat (or whole grain) means government regulations require that at least 51 percent of the grains in the bread product be whole grain. The best bread products will contain about four to five grams of fiber per slice. White bread has about a half a gram of fiber per slice.

Yet for those who regularly eat soft-bread grocery store fare, Stitt’s whole-grain bread products and the high-quality nutritious breads produced by many other bakeries are a hard sell. Many people are unaccustomed to the full-mouth feel of a whole-grain bread. It can be somewhat dry and chewy — a turn-off for kids. In fact, Stitt produces some "transition food products" with untreated high-gluten wheat flour so that people who ordinarily eat white bread can gradually work up to whole-grain bread products.

To give you and your family the best chance to make whole-wheat bread your new best friend, Stitt offers these suggestions:
Take advantage of transition breads. Gradual changes, especially for children, are important to avoid total rebellion. Warm up the whole-grain bread before serving, as this will release the aroma and soften it, making it more pleasing to the senses.
To get children to eat a "healthy" heavy-duty bread, Stitt urges parents to encourage their kids to run around and exercise, which will stimulate in them a stronger appetite. In other words, children may be less finicky if they are hungry when they sit down to eat. Just as important, he says, is the parents’ attitude. "Kids learn by example and if parents love and talk up how good tasting whole-grain foods are...then the kids will copy them."
Stitt, having surveyed the bakery landscape for more than two decades, is a fervent supporter of local bakeries and says there are now many bread companies making (or willing to make) the nutritious whole-grain products vital to good health. He suggests that health-conscious consumers unfamiliar with whole-grain products review the product ingredient lists on his Web site (www.naturalovens.com) and make suggestions to their local bakeries for making healthier breadstuffs.

All things considered, you may want to reach for whole-grain bread for your next sandwich.