Brown bread may be white bread in disguise

Did you know that many brands of brown bread are nothing more than the white bread you are trying to avoid? Both start with a grain of wheat, but we wrongfully assume that a brown bread grain is not subject to the same level of processing as its white counterpart.

Many brown bread products are created from bleached white flour (as used in white bread) that then has a brown food colour added back to it. A quick label check may indeed reveal that colour caramel (E150) is listed. And it doesn’t end there. Wholegrain breads are often nothing more then a white bread base, with brown colour added and a handful of grains thrown in for good measure.

Whilst there are many other reasons to choose different types of breads, it is important to be aware of the subtleties of advertising and product labeling that enable manufacturers to give us just enough information to encourage purchase, but not enough information to truly promote good choices.

Whole-wheat flour is the best option and the shorter the list of ingredients on the label the safer the bread is for you.

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Lindy Schneider is a writer and researcher with a keen interest in health, wellbeing and natural childcare. She is an advocator of a chemical-free lifestyle in the best interests of her family, the community and a sustainable world. She lives in the Yarra Valley with her partner and two young children.