Africa-Press – Namibia. When it comes to bread, supermarkets have a dizzying array of choice. Yet the bread we eat can have a surprising impact on our health, BBC reports.
One option is to choose bread with as few extra ingredients that you do not recognise as possible. And if you are going for packaged bread, you might want to consider opting for wholegrain instead of white. Nutritionist Jenna Hope told BBC Good food that “different types of breads are associated with different health benefits. For example, wholegrain bread with seeds will be higher in fibre and have healthier fats than white bread.”
Wheat grains are made up of several layers. There’s the germ – the embryo of the wheat which is rich in protein – the outer shell, known as the bran, and the starchy endosperm, which acts as a food store for the embryo.
In regular bread, the germ and the bran tend to be removed, leaving just the endosperm. In contrast, wholegrain bread uses all parts of the grain – and this is what gives it its range of health benefits, as they contain polyphenols (a group of chemicals with antioxidant properties), essential nutrients like vitamin E, folate and magnesium, as well as fibre, protein and healthy fats. White flour on the other hand, has the germ and bran removed.
Unlike refined grains, wholegrain bread is packed with more fibre, vitamins, and minerals. These benefits mean that swapping from white bread to wholegrain could reduce the risk of heart disease and improve your gut microbiome. Eating more wholegrains is also linked to a reduced cancer risk.
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