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                               Learning the benefits of a 100% whole grain diet

              WHITE BREAD VS WHOLE GRAIN

   For any child who grew up eating doughy, thick White Bread for school lunch, the encouragement of dietitians and nutritionists to switch to whole wheat bread can be a tough transition.

White bread is an acquired taste. Starting out early helps since children are much more adaptable to accepting foods than adults. This does not mean that children LIKE as many foods as adults - children are renowned picky eaters. But if you only expose them to healthy, whole grain foods they won't have the chance to develop a taste for white bread or other non-nutritious foods.

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Adults, however, must learn to change their diet preferences because of knowledge. Understanding why 100% whole wheat is superior to white bread can help you feel good about the compromise and encourage you to make it the standard for your children. Who knows - you might even like it!

 IS THERE A DIFFERENCE?

The two biggest differences between processed white bread and 100% whole wheat are the processing and the nutritional value.

Flour is made from wheat berries. The wheat berry is made up of the bran, the germ and the endosperm. All parts are filled with dense nutrients and are used in whole wheat flour.

White bread uses only the endosperm - the starchy inner layer. There is a total of 30 nutrients missing in white bread. The nutritional difference is immense and has measurable impact on our health.

WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF SWITCHING?

The fiber content of whole wheat bread has many health benefits.

Fiber is good for the digestive system. It also gives you a 'full' sensation and thus can help with controlling your weight. Research has been done that shows men and women who eat high-fiber foods have less heart attacks and strokes than those who do not.

There is also an increased risk of diabetes in children who eat refined white flour - a risk that has been proven by the increase in cases of childhood diabetes. Refined wheat and high fructose corn syrup are the reason for the skyrocketing cases of Juvenile diabetes. 

WHITE WHOLE WHEAT: WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING?

 The white bread eaten by people in the western world is made with refined grains — which go through a process that removes nutritious parts of the grain. But white whole-wheat bread — like regular whole-wheat bread — is made with the whole grain.

 The difference between white whole wheat and regular whole wheat is in the type of wheat used. Regular whole-wheat bread is made with red wheat, which is dark in color and has a slightly bitter taste. White whole-wheat bread is made with an albino type of wheat, which is lighter in color and has a milder flavor. To get a softer texture, the  albino wheat goes through a little more processing.

 Guidelines set by the United States government recommend that you eat at least three servings of whole grains every day. One very easy way to get whole grains in your daily diet is to eat whole-wheat bread. Unfortunately, children (and some adults) don't like the texture of regular whole-wheat bread. So, bread companies have introduced the easy to chew, white whole-wheat bread.

WHAT DO I NEED TO DO NOW?

Watch out for words like 'wheat flour' or 'enriched wheat flour' as they can be mostly made from white flour with just a small amount of whole wheat added in. always look for bread made from 100% wheat flour or 100% whole grain.
 And don't be mislead by the name of the product. Names like wheat, whole bran, stoned wheat, 12 grain and others are still mostly processed white flour.

  The only way to know for sure is to read the label.

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