Which one is better according to you?
0%Brown bread
0%White bread
With our busy and tight schedules, we have conveniently swapped our traditional meal options with easy, minimal cooking and ready-to-eat options. Out of which Bread is the most widely and commonly used ingredient which always comes to the rescue!
However, at some point, we are all aware of the fact that bread is not wholesome food, as it is processed with preservatives and chemicals. I often come across this phrase in my practice- “But we eat the brown bread, not the white one” (as if brown bread has replaced the word healthy!). Most of us believe that replacing white bread with brown would be healthier. We buy a brown bread loaf over white bread with a conscience of a healthy step in our lifestyles. But, is that bread in our cart really contributing towards our health goals? Is your brown bread really healthy? Or again the makers are marketing their products at the best and we as the public are taken away by the commercials and blindly following the masses?
Better Nutrient Profile?
Traditionally brown bread is supposed to be made with whole wheat or multigrain with germ and bran intact during the processing enhancing its fiber content. Hence, providing it an edge over the highly processed white bread where germ and bran is lost; leaving behind the endosperm loaded with starch and fewer nutrients due to higher processing. Whereas multigrain or whole wheat bread (types of brown bread) are not supposed to undergo that much processing to retain its fiber and other nutrients. With this brown bread is supposed to beat white bread with its better nutrient profile. But wait a minute, there are other players in the picture- like preservatives, additives and chemicals to break the game even! Ending up brown bread with no significant difference.
Beneficial in Weight Loss?
Brown bread is also a favorite ingredient of many weight loss diets, thinking that it is low in calories. It’s an outright myth! Two slices of bread slices will give approx. 170(±5kcals) (ICMR’s Dietary Guidelines for Indians). Be it white or brown the processing and addition of sugars lift the calorie game. Sometimes the sugar caramel content in brown bread to give its color even exceed the sugar content in white bread. Reconsider it for weight loss! In the hustle of adding that little fiber from the bread, you might end up adding loads of sugar and preservatives which you are trying to stay away from at that point.
Any advantageous effect on blood glucose levels?
Another factor is called the Glycemic Index (GI) of food- the relative ability of food to increase the level of glucose in the body. High GI foods are known to get metabolized quicker with a higher tendency to get stored as fat. It is advised to eat these foods in moderation to manage your diabetes or even for weight loss. Foods with a GI of 55 or less are known as low GI foods. It causes slow metabolism of carbohydrates and thereby slows the release of glucose in the blood.
According to the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), white bread and brown bread have a GI of 75(±2) and 74(±2) respectively.
This makes it more clear that nutritionally it does not make any significant difference whether you eat white or brown bread.
Is your brown bread just 'brown' by color?
Most of us majorly go for brown bread over white bread because of its wholegrain or multigrain content over white flour (maida). But it would be astonishing to know that most of the brands available produce brown bread loaves which are composed of 95% white flour (maida), sugars, preservatives, and 5% whole grains.
The whole wheat rotis we have been making at our homes for so many years are not brown; then what makes us think that our whole wheat bread should be brown to be healthy? A slight brown tint comes from the intact bran, endosperm, and germ of the grain (like our home-made roti). To the addition while processing, the yeast in the dough breakdown the flour to form sugar while baking. Also, additional coloring agents from sugar caramel, malt, molasses, coffee, high fructose corn syrup, cornstarch, brown coloring agents like 'INS 150a’, etc. are been added.
Is brown bread unhealthy?
We need to understand this basic thing no matter what color your bread is or how much ever health benefits it claims, it is processed at the end of the day and definitely unhealthy as compared to our regular ghar ki roti. If asked whether to go for brown or white bread, here too appearance doesn’t matter at all! (Try making whole bread at home, that not so brown looking bread would be nutritionally better than your colored brown bread).
As far as our convenience is concerned we can always choose a bread wisely knowing what are we consuming.
Always put a habit of reading labels, not only for breads but every other food packages you buy. You will be aware of the stuff you are indulging in.
Checklist while buying bread:
• Do not go by the color of the package or bread loaf instead look for the ingredients- whole wheat or multigrain and not refined flour (maida)
• Higher the whole wheat percentage better will be the nutrient profile
• Do not choose bread with loads of preservatives and additives, or coloring agents (Unfortunately in our country it’s more prevalent). Even in white bread, they use bleaching agents to make it more white.
• Check for sugar alternatives- cornstarch, high fructose corn syrup, caramel, malt, etc.
It’s high time that we break this blindly followed stereotype of brown bread=healthy! And apprise the fact as an aware and mindful society, by simply looking over the things and expressing what it exactly is!
-Harshada Kalvankar
Clinical Dietitian,
Renal Nutrition, CDE
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