White or Wheat bread: Truly, which one is healthier? Brand recommendations would be great as well!?

Question

I've heard all the stories that Wheat bread is healthier -- but, there are people who have gluten allergies and so wheat bread is NOT healthy for them due to the barley. But what about white bread? Is enriched white flour so horrible?

Answer 1

Wheat bread is only better if it is 100% whole wheat. If you have a gluten allergy, they now make whole grain white bread that is better for you than plain white bread. But if you don't have any of those allergies, go for 100% whole wheat or 100% whole grain -- plain wheat bread is no better for you than plain white. Don't know if you can get it in your area, but we get Koepplinger's 100% whole wheat bread. It's more expensive than Wonder or Home Pride, but we really like it.

Here's the problem with enriched white flour: A lot of the nutrients and all of the fiber have been stripped out of it, so the bulk of the "good stuff" in the grain is gone before the flour is made into bread. White flour is also high on the glycemic index, and eating high-GI foods regularly can cause people to develop Type II adult-onset diabetes over time. Oh, did I mention high-GI foods cause your body to produce a lot of insulin, which causes your body to store the food you eat as fat? Not good.

Answer 2

Whole wheat bread is the healthiest. If you're buying something labeled as just plain "wheat bread," the flour they use is processed the same as flour for white bread. If the first ingredient is "enriched, bleached flour" it's not good wheat bread--you may as well buy white. The main ingredient should be "whole wheat flour." That being said, I don't have a particular brand that I like...they're all about the same to me. However, Private Selection (Kroger) has a speciality line of breads that are to die for. The one I like is hazelnut poppysead. I'm pretty sure it's made with enriched flour, but OMG is it good! The poppy seeds sort of crunch and pop, and the hazlenuts give it wonderful texture and flavor!

Answer 3

White bread is made from wheat flour, so anyone with gluten allergies will have just as much problem with that as with whole or cracked wheat breads.

As far as which is the healthiest, it depends on the bread and on the particular form of nutritian you're seeking. Do you want fiber? Vitamins? Minerals? The food label on the wrapper will contain the nutritional content of 1 slice of bread, which you can use to compare between various breads.

White bread might be higher in thiamin, riboflavin and niacin because of enrichment. But, whole wheat bread will be higher in fiber and other trace minerals, which may or may not be listed on the label because they are not required by FDA.

Refining the wheat for white bread removes the most important parts of the wheat kernel leaving mostly the starchy part, which bakes into a white fluffy loaf. When those parts of the wheat kernel are removed, it also removes nutrients such as zinc, fiber and some B vitamins. Because of these losses, white bread is required to be fortified with thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and folate, and iron.

Answer 4

White bread IS wheat bread.
The important thing is the first ingredient, no matter what color the bread is. A lot of manufacturers add coloring to white bread to make you think you are getting something healthier.
Always look for "Whole grain" as the first ingredient. It means that the entire wheat grain is used. Over processed wheat grain has the bran and all the health benefits stripped away to make white bread.
In the past, white bread was the food of the privileged. Now we know that leaving the grain as unprocessed as possible is actually healthier. No wonder farm folk in the past, eating their 'rough' food, were healthier than urbanites.

Answer 5

You have to read it carefully. Regular wheat bread is the same as white bread.You have to look for whole grain.

Answer 6

White bread

Nutrition Facts
Calories 24(Kilojoules 100)

% DV**
Total Fat 0.3 g 0%
Sat. Fat 0.1 g 0%
Cholesterol 0 mg 0%
Sodium 61 mg 3%
Total Carbs. 4.6 g 2%
Dietary Fiber 0.2 g 1%
Sugars 0.4 g
Protein 0.7 g
Calcium 13.6 mg
Potassium 9 mg


Wheat bread

Nutrition Facts
Calories 65(Kilojoules 272)

% DV**
Total Fat 1.0 g 2%
Sat. Fat 0.2 g 1%
Cholesterol 0 mg 0%
Sodium 133 mg 6%
Total Carbs. 11.8 g 4%
Dietary Fiber 1.1 g 4%
Sugars 1.4 g
Protein 2.3 g
Calcium 26.3 mg
Potassium 50.3 mg

I like rotello's wheat bread the best.

Answer 7

I'm intolerant of gluten and allergic to some white flour coz of what grasses sometimes go in it (I'm allergic to lots of grasses.) But I'll have to say I think the wheat must be healthier coz it keeps you full for longer and you feel like you've eaten a meal hours later. It keeps you going.

Answer 8

The best way to go either wheat or white is just get a whole grain one. I prefer Sarah lee's whole grain white. Whole grain is very healthy.

Answer 9

The main thing is to get whole grain. If you prefer white, they do have whole grain white breads. But I prefer something like a 12 grain, with seeds on top; I also love rye or pumpernickle.

Answer 10

I buy white wheat, I think it is by Healthy Harvest.