Choose Your Bread Right

The aroma of fresh bread is truly irresistible. Bread consumption over the years has been on the increase both in urban and rural settings. What is it about bread that makes it such an all time favourite through generations all over the world?

The aroma of fresh bread is truly irresistible. Bread consumption over the years has been on the increase both in urban and rural settings. What is it about bread that makes it such an all time favourite through generations all over the world?

Usually, bread is named after the grain from which the flour or meal is derived. There are also variety of flavours and seasonings. These could range from garlic, cheese, onion, rosemary, dill, sundried tomatoes, pesto olives, sesame and poppy seeds. Many varieties also indicate the ethnic diversity of bread: Buns, Rolls, Bagels, Baguettes, Focaccia, Multigrain, Sourdough and whole wheat/brown are a few of the varieties known in India. Variety of flours including oats, soybean, barley, millets, ragi etc. can also be added to whole-wheat flour to make different kinds of breads.

In the US, bread may be made with powdered cellulose as a non-calorie filler to lower calories. In India, breads are made with alternate flours to lower their Glycemic index. Wheat flour is ideal for leavened bread because wheat contains Gluten, a kind of protein. Breads made with low-Gluten flour will make it heavy.

Bread is one of the best sources of complex Carbohydrates like starch. Complex carbohydrate digests slowly to form simple sugar Glucose. The slow rise in blood sugar requires a modest output of the hormone Insulin to regulate blood sugar levels. The current recommendations specify obtaining 50 per cent to 60 per cent of daily calories from complex carbohydrates.

Bread is less fattening than high-fat foods such as processed meat, cheese and fried food. However, spreading butter, margarine or mayonnaise on a slice of bread doubles its calories. But for people who are on controlled carbohydrate diets like diabetes patients, bread consumption should be controlled because of its high glycemic index ability of food to raise blood glucose rapidly.

White bread is prepared from bleached flour maida, which is highly refined purified. Milling and bleaching removes or partially removes the germ nutrient rich part of grain and the bran fibre rich part, leaving mainly the starch rich endosperm. This leads to the loss of more than 22 important nutrients such as fibre, vitamins and minerals. In advanced countries of the world, flour is so widely used that some bakeries follow scientific flour enrichment and replace four vitamins namely: Thiamin, Niacin, Riboflavin, and Iron. Other nutrients, such as Vitamin B6, Zinc, Manganese, and Folic Acid, are not added. Since in these countries, white bread contains nearly half a gram of fibre a slice, some bakeries increase the fibre content by adding dates, raisins, bran, powdered cellulose etc. Crystalline cellulose may not provide the same fibre benefits in the body as the natural cellulose that is present in the bran of whole wheat bread. So make sure, which bread you are having for breakfast.