Is whole wheat really better than white bread?

There has been much discussion about what “versions” of basic food staples are healthiest for the body. We eat grains everyday and should definitely make sure we’re ingesting food that our body can use to extract nutrients and fiber it needs.

Consuming white bread regularly means less fiber to allow smooth passage through the digestive system; this may result in sticky bits of food in the colon.

Here’s a picture of the inside of a healthy colon (without sticky bits stuck to the walls). White flour acts like glue inside your colon. As parts of the food move through your intestine, they get stuck! Be sure to monitor how your body reacts and stay away from too much white flour.

So what’s the difference between whole wheat and white bread that seems to make all the difference? It’s the way the grain is processed. The flour for both is made from wheat berries, which have three parts: the outer shell (bran), inner area (the germ) and the starchy substance between (endosperm). Whole wheat is processed to include all three nutrient-rich parts, but white flour uses only the carbohydrate-packed endosperm. White bread misses the fiber from the bran and the vitamins E and B6, magnesium, zinc, folic acid and chromium which are packed into the embryo, or germ, of the wheat berries.

Out of all the nutrients mentioned above, fiber is the clear MVP as it aids in digestive health and its effects on helping you lose weight because eating fiber-dense wheat bread helps you feel full.

But that’s not all! In a 10-year Harvard study, people who ate high-fiber breads had fewer heart attacks and strokes than those whose tastes ran to bagels and baguettes. And according to a 2003 study from the University of Washington published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, simply switching from white to whole wheat bread can lower heart disease risk by 20%.

Incorporate interesting nutritional advice with foundations in years of peer-reviewed, double-blind studies into the pool of knowledge you use to make health-conscious decisions when choosing what to feed yourself and your family. Have a conversation with a Just Health nutritional expert about your health goals and create a plan to use proper nutrition as a tool to improve the quality of your physical and mental well-being!