You’ve probably heard that you should eat brown bread as opposed to white. But why? Is it healthier? Better for your digestive system? Lower in calories? It’s time to get to the bottom of this brown- vs. white-bread debate.

Why We Love White

Most of us grew up on white bread. From peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches to grilled cheese, a sandwich just wasn’t a sandwich worth eating if it didn’t come wrapped in white bread. Plus, white bread is softer, easier to chew, and mixes really well with most sandwich ingredients.

You might also say that we just have a love affair with white bread. Why would bread companies try so hard to make brown bread that looks like white if we were okay with the standard brown color? There are a million reasons why we love white, but the fact of the matter is that most white bread isn’t full of anything useful.

What White Bread Lacks

White bread is made from processed bread flour. This processed flour has been literally stripped of all its nutrients during processing. In fact, some flour companies need to add some of those nutrients back into the bread in order to make it semi-healthy.

The enriched flour that goes into white bread doesn’t have any helpful nutrients, vitamins, or antioxidants. In fact, it doesn’t have much of anything…other than that mushy goodness, of course. So, what about those white breads that claim to have all the goodness of brown breads?

Tricky Bread Labeling

If any bread ingredient label states “wheat flour,” “unbleached wheat flour,” or “enriched white flour” on it, it’s no better for you than that regular white bread. Simply put, if bread is not made from whole wheat, then it’s not whole-wheat bread.

It’s also wise to beware of packages that proclaim “whole grain included.” Sure, a company may toss a few handfuls of whole grain into a loaf of bread, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the bread is good for you.

Brown Whole-Grain Bread

Forget about the actual color of the bread. You want to choose bread that is entirely made from whole grain. Bread that is made from whole grain doesn’t contain any processed flour. So the next time you’re looking for a loaf of bread, make sure to read that ingredient label.

Remember, the color of the bread doesn’t matter. What really matters are the ingredients inside. Is brown bread really better for you? Only if it’s 100% whole-grain bread. Otherwise, you’re just another victim of clever marketing.

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