Difference between white bread and wheat bread
White bread vs wheat bread:
Bread is a quite popular form of food which has existed from time immemorial and it is also a staple food in households worldwide. Bread is made from combining flour and water which is then usually baked. However, bread is sometimes steamed or fried in certain cultures as well as opposed to baking. Because of the popularity of bread, many kinds of bread according to the many whims and fancies of people have been introduced worldwide some of which can be stated as whole meal breads, bran breads, sweet breads and etc. White bread and wheat bread are two such types of bread which exist in the world today and this article, seeks to discuss the many differences that exist between these two types of breads which are popular worldwide.
About white bread
White bread is produced from wheat flour from which bran and the germ have been removed during the milling process which gives the white flour a longer shelf life. However, because of the extensive milling process, certain nutrients such as dietary fiber, iron, B vitamins and micro nutrients are also removed from the flour because of which the US government since the year 1941, made it mandatory that certain nutrients such as thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid and iron should be added to the flour in order to fortify it. This flour is further bleached using potassium bromate or chlorine dioxide with the aim of removing any yellow color left in the flour which gives the white bread its pure white color. However, by removing bran and germ, the oil that is contained in the wheat flour is removed because of which products like white bread retain their freshness for longer periods of time.
About wheat bread
Wheat bread, also known as wholegrain or whole meal bread in some parts of the world is a brown bread which is made with whole or almost whole wheat grains. In some cases, a proportion of the wheat germ may be removed from the flour in order to reduce the risk of rancidity, leaving behind only representative amounts of bran and wheat germ, and still, these breads would be called wheat bread or whole wheat bread in return. Due to the presence of bran and germ, wheat bread is high in dietary fiber, iron, B vitamins and micro nutrients which make it a favorite choice among weight watchers and health conscious individuals.
What is the difference between wheat bread and white bread?
White bread and wheat bread are both made from wheat flour and yet, the differences lie in the ways and means in which they are prepared as well as their nutritional values. While white bread is made with flour from which bran and wheat germ has been removed, wheat bread is made with flour in which bran and wheat germ remain.
During the making of white bread, the flour is further bleached with potassium bromate or chlorine dioxide because of which white bread gains its white color. The flour that is used in making wheat bread does not undergo such a bleaching process and therefore, it is known as a brown bread because of its brownish color.
The two types of bread differ greatly in their nutritional value as well. While a slice of white bread is known to contain 130 calories, 2 g of fat and a single gram of fiber, a slice of wheat bread is known to contain only 75 calories and 1 g of fat. Wheat bread is also composed of more fiber because of which it tends to be more filling that white bread and it is because of this factor that wheat bread is the preferred choice of weight watchers worldwide.
Wheat bread tends to contain more nutrients than white bread because of the fact that many nutrients such as dietary fiber, iron, B vitamins and other micro nutrients get removed in the milling process when the bran and wheat germ is removed from the flour in order to produce white flour. However, even though white bread is later on fortified with additional nutrients to make up for the nutrients that were lost during the milling, it still contains much less nutrients than wheat bread which is naturally fortified with such aspects. One slice of 100 percent whole wheat bread satisfies 4 percent of the calcium and 2 percent of the iron required daily by people who eat a 2,000 calorie diet while one slice of enriched white bread is known to satisfy only 2 percent of the daily required calcium and 8 percent of the required iron.
Furthermore, a slice of wheat bread only contains about 115 mg of sodium whereas a slice of white bread contains about 250 mg sodium which is about twice as much sodium as wheat bread. Therefore, wheat bread seems like the much healthier option as the ideal amount of sodium per day is said to be only 1,500 mg as suggested by the American Heart Association.