White bread

White bread is not bad for you, experts say

White bread has been “demonised” by health campaigners and TV nutritionists and is actually an important source of vitamins and minerals, new research out of the UK claims.

A paper by the British Nutrition Foundation has dismissed decades of warnings that white bread can cause bloating, lead to an increase in wheat allergies and spark weight gain.

Instead, the London-based group has said that standard white sliced bread contains vital vitamins and minerals.

Scientist Dr Aine O’Connor said: “Health professionals need to dispel the myths. Bread is an important source of nutrition.”

Dr O’Connor said that despite falling bread consumption, Britain has the biggest obesity problem in Europe, suggesting that bread is not to blame.

She also said that wheat allergies have not risen even though many people incorrectly believe that they suffer from wheat intolerance due to what they are being told about bread.

Journal Reference:

An overview of the role of bread in the UK diet (pages 193–212)

A. O’Connor; Article first published online: 15 AUG 2012 | DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-3010.2012.01975.x

Related reading:

The con of supermarket bread and the trend to artisanal

“White Bread: A Social History of the Store-Bought Loaf” which looks at how America came to hate the processed loaves not just
because of health – but because of class, status and race.