Not every food we put in our mouths can be jam-packed with nutrients and free of toxic additives and preservatives. I know a few people who religiously try to keep completely toxin-free, but for most of us such an attempt would make us crazy and antisocial in the process!
However, there is one food "gimmee" that we can always have around, eat regularly, and count on to do good for our bodies. That wonder food is bread...and I don’t mean Wonder Bread. In fact, if you put what I’m talking about on a scale, Wonder Bread or any other soft, squishy brand is at the far opposite end of the really good stuff. Pioneering nutritionist Adelle Davis said it very well in 1947 when she wrote, "...almost all commercial bread is made of highly refined flour loaded with chemical softeners, whiteners, agers, fresheners, preservers and mold- and fungus-growth preventers. Even breads labeled "whole-wheat," unless purchased from a health-food store, often contain most of these same chemicals."
So it’s essential that we scrutinize ingredient labels to discover the good stuff. What Davis wrote more than fifty years ago rings as true as ever, according to nutritional biochemist and serious "healthy" bread producer Paul Stitt. However, Stitt says one important and exciting aspect of this has changed — today we can find the good stuff in mainstream grocery stores and various small bakeries across the country...that is, if we’re up to the challenge of scouting bread aisles and scouring food labels.
Good health is Paul Stitt’s passion and he preaches it as if from a pulpit. As a scientist, he had worked for conventional food companies and became appalled at their obsession with profits and blatant disregard for public health. Twenty-four years ago he started Natural Ovens of Manitowoc, Wisconsin in an effort to offer nutritionally superior bread products. His recipes build thick, chewy, heavy breads; cereals; and cookies. Stitt adds flaxseed for essential fatty acids (the good fats!), coarse whole-wheat flour and a host of other fiber sources such as pea fiber, wheat bran, and oat bran.
He’s very clear about his contempt for the soft, squishy breads and the people who make them. "White bread is slightly better than living on candy bars and soda pop. ...it’s an absolute crime against humanity when you intentionally make food products that...you know are going to make people sick, are going to make them operate inefficiently and feel lousy and create all kinds of health problems down the road."
White bread is clearly part of the problem. Refined white flour (used in the production of the majority of bread products) is stripped of the most nutritious parts of the grain kernel. The fiber is lost, along with essential fatty acids and most of the vitamins and minerals. All told, more than thirty nutrients are removed during milling. This refined flour is then required by law to be enriched meaning that five nutrients are added back (iron, niacin, thiamin, riboflavin, and — recently added to the list — folic acid). Stitt prefers to call this impoverished flour.
But as important as what they take out of the refined flour is what they put in during the course of making the wimpy bread products. Ingredient label reading, as always, is the key to discovery. Here’s just a handful of some common ingredients found in the soft, squishy breads:
Partially hydrogenated oils: Stitt’s number one no-no on a bread ingredient list is partially hydrogenated oils. Yet, most breads made commercially in the United States today contain these chemically altered oils that have been established as an accomplice in raising cholesterol levels, upsetting blood insulin (increasing risk of diabetes), and interfering with our bodies’ use of essential fatty acids.
Caramel coloring: Don’t be fooled into thinking brown-colored bread has more wheat in it. In fact, what passes as wheat bread may very well be a white bread in a caramel color disguise. Caramel color prepared by ammonia process has been associated with blood toxicity in rats. The Hyperactive Children Support Group (HACSG) warns against it.
Calcium sulfate: Also known as plaster of Paris, this additive is used as a dough conditioner and firming agent. As it absorbs moisture and hardens quickly, one caution is that it can cause intestinal obstruction. It’s banned in some countries.
Calcium propionate: This is a mold inhibitor and may be linked to migraines.
So, a good rule of thumb is that if the first item on the ingredient list of the bread package is enriched flour or if it contains partially hydrogenated oil of some kind or a number of additives that are indecipherable, your best bet is to skip this brand of bread and keep on looking. Ideally, if you’re not wheat- or gluten-sensitive, look for a whole wheat (or other whole grain) bread — not just wheat bread. The term whole wheat (or whole grain) means government regulations require that at least 51 percent of the grains in the bread product be whole grain. The best bread products will contain about four to five grams of fiber per slice. White bread has about a half a gram of fiber per slice.
Yet for those who regularly eat soft-bread grocery store fare, Stitt’s whole-grain bread products and the high-quality nutritious breads produced by many other bakeries are a hard sell. Many people are unaccustomed to the full-mouth feel of a whole-grain bread. It can be somewhat dry and chewy — a turn-off for kids. In fact, Stitt produces some "transition food products" with untreated high-gluten wheat flour so that people who ordinarily eat white bread can gradually work up to whole-grain bread products.
To give you and your family the best chance to make whole-wheat bread your new best friend, Stitt offers these suggestions:
Take advantage of transition breads. Gradual changes, especially for children, are important to avoid total rebellion. Warm up the whole-grain bread before serving, as this will release the aroma and soften it, making it more pleasing to the senses.
To get children to eat a "healthy" heavy-duty bread, Stitt urges parents to encourage their kids to run around and exercise, which will stimulate in them a stronger appetite. In other words, children may be less finicky if they are hungry when they sit down to eat. Just as important, he says, is the parents’ attitude. "Kids learn by example and if parents love and talk up how good tasting whole-grain foods are...then the kids will copy them."
Stitt, having surveyed the bakery landscape for more than two decades, is a fervent supporter of local bakeries and says there are now many bread companies making (or willing to make) the nutritious whole-grain products vital to good health. He suggests that health-conscious consumers unfamiliar with whole-grain products review the product ingredient lists on his Web site (www.naturalovens.com) and make suggestions to their local bakeries for making healthier breadstuffs.
Disclaimer: This column is for information only and no part of its contents should be construed as medical advice, diagnosis, recommendation or endorsement by Ms. Ephraim.
Rebecca Ephraim is a registered dietitian, certified clinical nutritionist and a nutrition reporter specializing in integrative medicine issues.
© Rebecca Ephraim. All rights reserved.