Passing by the bakery section of the supermarket, you always see many shelves of different kinds of freshly baked bread that has such a comforting and homey smell. You will find white loaves of toast and also brown and you may wonder which to choose; which is healthier? You may have heard before that brown bread is healthier than white bread, is that true, and if so, why? First of all, I want to correct the false idea that brown bread has fewer calories than white bread. The fact is that one slice of brown bread has the exact same number of calories as a slice of white bread; the difference is that the brown slice of bread is far healthier and has many more important nutrients that are not found in the white bread. Did you ever imagine what the wheat plant looked like before it was picked, cut, processed, and ground into flour and ended up as a loaf of toast wrapped in a shiny plastic bag at your supermarket, ready for you to eat? The wheat plant consists of a stem and a kernel; the part that is made into flour for us to eat as bread is the kernel. The kernel itself is also made up of 4 different parts or layers. The inner, soft part of the kernel is the major part that is used in making flour and it contains mainly starch (carbohydrate) and some protein. A small part is called the germ and this part is very nutritious because it is rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals. An outer coat or covering of the kernel is called the bran and this part has lots of vitamins and minerals, plus fiber, which is also very good for you. The outermost part that has no use for human nutrition is called the husk. The germ can actually be compared to the storage house of all the essential nutrients for the kernel. The germ contains the B vitamins that are so important for metabolism and digestion, for normal functioning of the nervous system, to help reduce stress, and for the health of the skin, hair, eyes, and liver. Also found in the germ are protein, magnesium, zinc, potassium, selenium, calcium, iron, and Vitamin E. All of these nutrients that are so good for your body are not found in the inner part, the endosperm. The main value of the bran part is that it is high in fiber, which ensures a healthy digestive system, prevents constipation, and can even keep blood cholesterol levels down and reduce the risk of cancer. The reason why I so strongly discourage eating white bread is that in order to make white flour, the most nutritious parts of the kernel (the germ and bran) are removed and thrown away, and only the endosperm is ground into flour. During this process, we lose all the benefits of the wheat kernel. That is why brown bread is nutritionally superior to white bread. You may not be used to eating brown bread, you may think that it tastes funny, but the truth is that it tastes delicious and the only difference you may notice is that the white bread is slightly softer than the brown bread. Many of your favorite fast food chains offer both brown and white bread. So the next time you are ordering a sandwich at Kudu or Subway and you are asked white or brown, you now know exactly what to reply!
