Whole wheat flour vs. regular white flour

[aquitaine]

In the area of nutrition there's a huge amount of New Age pseudoscience so it's hard to know what's real from what's junk. Regarding this one particular issue I have to ask, is there any real scientific evidence to support the claim that whole wheat is better for your health than regular white?

 

[Evo]

Yes, "whole wheat flour contains the bran, germ and endosperm, it's higher in fiber and some nutrients, BUT

Regular white bread is made with refined grains, which go through a process that strips out certain parts of the grain — along with some of the nutrients and fiber. Although refined grains are enriched — they have some of the nutrients added back — they may not have exactly the same composition as whole grains.

The problem with regular whole wheat which is made from red wheat is

It has a slightly bitter taste and a coarser texture. So even though both types of bread are made with whole grains, they have a different color, taste and texture.

The problem with this is that you see bread made of traditional red whole wheat heavily sweetened, usually the second, third and even fourth ingredient can be corn syrup, honey, molasses, etc...which is not good.

Now there is white whole wheat flour

White whole-wheat bread is made from white wheat, which lacks bran color. It also has a milder flavor and softer texture.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/whole-wheat-bread/faq-20057999

 

[aquitaine]

I was referring to just the flour to make bread, biscuits or whatever. But from what I've gathered from your post not only is there no fundamental difference between them but processed whole wheat in the form of already made bread is actually worse than regular white bread. Interesting.

 

[Evo]

I was referring to just the flour to make bread, biscuits or whatever. But from what I've gathered from your post not only is there no fundamental difference between them but processed whole wheat in the form of already made bread is actually worse than regular white bread. Interesting.

Well, like the article said, there is a difference, the parts that are removed from whole wheat can be mostly replaced through supplements, but not all. But now there is white whole wheat which sounds a bit more palatable for people that want a naturally sweeter, softer flour. it is not to be mistaken for refined white flour.

 

[aquitaine]

Well, like the article said, there is a difference, the parts that are removed from whole wheat can be mostly replaced through supplements, but not all. But now there is white whole wheat which sounds a bit more palatable for people that want a naturally sweeter, softer flour. it is not to be mistaken for refined white flour.

Right, but realistically can the nutrients lacking in white flour be taken in by eating other foods like salads? I've also seen so many claims about whole wheat, like it helps cut the risk for colon cancer, it's better for your digestive system, and so forth that seem a bit far fetched. The article didn't really go into those, but is there any real evidence to support any of it or is it all nonsense?

 

[Evo]

There are benefits, here's a paper on it. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3078018/

Here is an article, along with the links to the research.

http://www.aicr.org/foods-that-figh...l?referrer=https://www.google.com/#references

 

[aquitaine]

Thanks, it's very informative.

 

[jim mcnamara]

This site is the source in the US for most of the nutrition labeling data on foods. It is just the summary data from lots of extensive repeated chemical analysis of basic food items, with some processed foods also included. IF you have enough background in chem/biochem you can follow the references. Or even download the whole database - it is public domain.

It also used by School dieticians for menu formulation.

So, you can see for yourself. That is always best. I would highly recommend using this site for any questions about what nutrients are in almost any "normal"food items, plus what you might consider oddballs - they test things like raw polar bear meat:

http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods

 

[ZapperZ]

But beyond just nutrition, isn't there also a difference in hypoglycemic loading? I thought that foods that have less soluble fibers tend to be absorbed faster into the blood stream, causing a spike in blood sugar.

Zz.

 

[NascentOxygen]

The original reason for removing some of the wheat components from flour is that they spoil sooner than the starch, so bags of "refined" white flour have a much longer shelf life than wholemeal flour.

To recover some of the refinng losses, I'm never sure whether we should purchase raw wheat germ or "stabilsed" wheat germ; the latter, I think, having been heat treated (i.e., baked brown).