Look for 'Ground Whole Wheat' as the
first ingredient and as a rule of thumb, the less ingredients, the better. |
Something to consider: Many wheat breads, made with highly processed, enriched
wheat flour, are just brown colored white breads that offer no improvement in
fiber or nutrient value.
If you
are really looking to make a healthier choice, make sure whatever breads
you purchase do not list enriched flour an ingredient.
"Enriched" indicates that the processing of the flour stripped the flour of its
20 natural vitamins, minerals and enzymes, making it nutritionally void.
Chemically created vitamins were then added to "enrich" the flour. In addition
to these chemicals, polyoxyethlene monostearate was added to keep the flour
moist, potassium iodate was added to reduce fermentation time, and in the case
of all white bread and most wheat breads (usually made with regular flour as a
third or fourth ingredient), chlorine dioxide was used to bleach the flour.
Yes, the average loaf of bread is filled with chemicals.
There
are a dozen or so wheat breads that list "whole wheat flour" as their first
ingredient and these breads are the preferable choice to enriched breads.
Although many wheat breads at the grocery store are made with enriched flour,
you can find soft, delicious whole wheat varieties that are full of nutrients if
you avoid the enriched varieties. |