Sure, it's copped a lot of bad press over the years, but doesn't the white stuff deserve to be heard?
Fairy bread and cucumber sandwiches just don't work with wholemeal bread. You need the white stuff. Of course, this wasn't a problem growing up, but, as adults, we often feel guilty for going white. While everyone knows it isn't the best bread out there, surely it has some redeeming qualities, right?
Can't beat wheat
Both white and wholemeal breads are made of wheat, water and yeast. The difference between these loaves is the part of the wheat used in the flour. A kernel of wheat has three main components: the endosperm, bran and germ.
In white bread, only the endosperm is used. Unfortunately, it's the bran and the germ that are rich in proteins, dietary fibre, essential fats, vitamins and minerals.
Worse yet, when the endosperm is separated, a layer of skin on the wheat kernel — which also has important nutrients — falls off. This is why wholemeal naturally contains moderate levels of magnesium, folate, iron, selenium and zinc, while white bread needs to be artificially enriched to contain any of the good stuff.
High on GI
White bread has a high glycaemic index (GI). The GI measures how blood glucose levels will change after you've eaten certain foods. High-GI foods make levels quickly rise, and then fall. This sharp drop of glucose from your blood means your body will signal that you're hungrier much sooner than if you ate a low-GI food.
Recent studies have shown that a low-GI diet may help weight control, diabetes and prevent some forms of cancer. According to the International Table of Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load, published by the University of Sydney, white bread has a GI of 75. However — and this is surprising — wholemeal bread has a similar GI rating.
White's all right
It's not all bad news for white. Although each slice has fewer nutrients than wholemeal, the endosperm used in white bread still has some dietary fibre and phosphorus.
And one slice of white contains 3 per cent of your recommended daily calcium intake, and 2 per cent of your daily iron intake. Plus, all breads have carbs in them — the main fuel our bodies use to operate.
