Food is one of the basic needs of our life, among all the food items, bread is one of the significant food that has taken a permanent place in our daily diet.
According to scientists and archeologists, ancient Egypt was the birthplace of bread.
The bread was the main food for the Egyptians and it also acquired social and economical status as it was used as a currency in Egypt. Later it was passed down to Zeus, Greek, and Roman.
Key Takeaways
- White bread is made from refined wheat flour, while wholemeal bread is from whole-grain wheat flour.
- Wholemeal bread contains more nutrients, fiber, and vitamins than white bread due to the presence of bran and germ.
- Consuming wholemeal bread may provide greater health benefits, such as improved digestion and reduced risk of heart disease, compared to white bread.
White vs Wholemeal Bread
White bread is a type of bread made from wheat flour that has been processed to remove the bran and germ, leaving only the endosperm. Wholemeal bread is made from flour that includes the entire grain, including the bran and germ, making wholemeal bread denser and gives it a nuttier flavor.
The wheat flour from which the bran and germ layer is removed is used to make White bread.
When the bran and germ layer is removed from the wheat, it loses its nutritional value that makes White bread an unhealthy food to consume.
Even though bread is a tasty food to eat but it does not satisfy our hunger and our craving for food increases, which leads to a high intake of calories and weight gain.
Wholemeal bread is a bread that is rich in vitamins, fibers, and nutrition it is made of wheat kernels which retain the three components endosperm, bran, and germ layer.
As our Wholemeal bread contains all these components which add up to its nutritional value which makes us feel fuller and lessen the intake of other calories which ultimately leads to weight loss.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | White bread | Wholemeal bread |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | It is a light-colored bread made with refined flour. | it is a brown-colored bread made from whole or almost-whole wheat grain. |
| Nutritional values | It contains a fewer amount of nutrition, vitamins, and fibers. | It contains a high amount of nutrition, vitamins, and fibers. |
| Health Benefit | It is less beneficial for health | It is highly beneficial for health |
| Made of | The core of the grain | The Whole grain |
| Shelf life | Longer shelf life | Lesser shelf life |
What is White Bread?
Bread is one of the main components of our daily diet it is loved by all when it comes to White bread, we can only think of white soft, fluffy loaf that makes us feel delighted.
White bread is consumed with butter, jam, peanut butter that adds to its taste it is also used to make sandwiches, toast, burgers, and many more. We use to consume it everday, but we should also know about its nutritional value.
The nutritional value of White bread is less, as the main component of the wheat grain viz bran and germ layer is removed.
Preservatives and additives like Calcium Peroxide, Ammonium Sulphate, and Diglycerides are added to flour which is used to make White bread, so that it can remove its yellow color and is easy to bake.
White Bread is made of flour that’s bleached with Chorine dioxide gas and potassium bromated which makes it even worst for our consumption, also the flour is milled as a result, vitamins, iron, fiber, and other nutrients are lost in the process.
When we have bread in our meal it won’t satisfy our hunger as it is high in glycemic index(carbohydrate that increase the level of sugar in the blood) that causes spikes in our blood sugar that gives us energy boost but not for long.
It will increase our food craving, weight gain and the ultimate result is unhealthy body.
What is Wholemeal Bread?
Wholemeal bread is nutty in taste, it is considered a healthy substitute for White Bread. Despite not being as tasty as the white bread, its nutritional values make up for the shortcoming of its taste.
Whole flour is used to make Wholemeal bread, which means it retains its natural nutrients of bran and germ layer.
As the wholemeal bread is made of pure grain flour it contains all the nutrition, vitamins, fiber, and iron which is good news for health-conscious people.
The fiber in the Wholemeal bread takes time to digest the food that keeps us fuller and reduced calorie intake, it also improves our digestion hence there is no need to take any laxatives for improving digestion.
All the vitamins, nutrition, and iron help to fight against many diseases like heart disease, blood sugar, cholesterol, etc.
Wholemeal bread is also good for the mental health of an individual apart from vitamins, fiber, it also contains Phosphorous, Zinc, Iron, vitamin D, and Magnesium which gives protection to the brain against metal repulse and mental problems like Alzheimer’s.
The benefits of Wholemeal bread are numerous its consumption can make us healthy, it can lower the risk of many diseases which ultimately leads to a good life and good health.
Main Differences Between White and Wholemeal bread
1. White bread is less nutritious as compared to Wholemeal bread.
2. White bread does not satisfy our hunger which leads to the intake of more calories. Whereas
Wholemeal bread contains fiber that makes our food digest at a slower rate which reduces the intake of calories.
3. Bran and germ layer is removed from the flour before making White bread. On the other hand,bran and germ layers are retained in the flour from which Wholemeal bread is made.
4. It does not help us to fight diseases whereas Wholemeal bread helps us to fight diseases likeheart attack, cholesterol, digestion, etc.
5. The flour used to make White bread is bleached with chemicals whereas, the flour in Wholemeal is all pure.
- https://gut.bmj.com/content/18/9/725.abstract
- https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/abs/10.1098/rspb.1956.0033
Last Updated : 13 July, 2023
I’ve put so much effort writing this blog post to provide value to you. It’ll be very helpful for me, if you consider sharing it on social media or with your friends/family. SHARING IS ♥️
Sandeep Bhandari holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Computers from Thapar University (2006). He has 20 years of experience in the technology field. He has a keen interest in various technical fields, including database systems, computer networks, and programming. You can read more about him on his bio page.
The detailed descriptions of white and wholemeal bread are extremely helpful to make an informed dietary choice. Excellent information!
This article provides an in-depth comparison of white and wholemeal bread, backed by scientific and historical facts. A very enlightening read.
A great article with thorough comparisons. The nutritional details are especially informative.
I particularly liked the historical context provided about the ancient Egypt and bread’s significance. Very enlightening indeed.
The nutritional comparison and key takeaways are compelling, as well as the detailed reasoning behind why wholemeal bread is better than white bread.
I found the comparison table to be particularly helpful in understanding the differences between white and wholemeal bread. Overall, a very informative piece.
A succinct and well-structured article on white and wholemeal bread. Seriously considering switching to wholemeal bread after reading this.
The health benefits of wholemeal bread are compelling. This article makes a strong case for its superiority over white bread.