"white bread" news and stories

Last spring, I volunteered to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the kids' table at a church potluck. Knowing that not all kids like the dark, nutty whole wheat bread I grew up on, I bought a loaf of plain country white at my local Trader Joe's. As I stood in line, waiting to pay for my purchases, I wanted to shout out to all the people standing around me, "The white bread isn't for me! I swear I don't eat this stuff!" I was sweating by the time the loaf was tucked into my handled brown paper bag.

Bread is one of those staples most households like to keep around. Over at UrbanMamas, they are having an interesting conversation about how you pick the sliced bread that you buy for your family. I thought it would be an fun question to bring over here. What guides your choices when it comes to the regular loaves you keep on your counter or in your fridge (we were always bread in fridge people in my family)? Do you read labels or have a regular brand? Do you feel the same sense of shame that I have when you buy white bread, or do you wave your white bread flag proudly? Do tell, inquiring minds would like to know.

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The Satiety Index was developed by an Australian researcher who was looking into the relationship between what we eat and how hungry we are afterwards. The testing involved feeding volunteers 240 calorie portions of 38 different foods after which volunteers ranked their appetite (or lack thereof) and had their food choices monitored for a period after eating them. White bread was used as a baseline, with a satiety ranking of 100.

"Roughly speaking," said Dr. Susanna Holt from the University of Sydney, the woman who ran the study, "the more fiber, protein and water a food contains, the longer it will satisfy." Bulky foods, which produced larger portion sizes for the amount of calories consumed, also made eaters feel fuller simply because they had more stuff in their stomachs. The full index scores the following as less satisfying than white bread (ranked 100): croissants (47), peanuts (84), ice cream (94). The following were more satisfying: french fries (116), white rice (138), cheese (146), eggs (150), popcorn (154), beef (176), oranges (202), oatmeal (209) and potatoes (323).

In addition to fiber and protein rich bulky foods, we can also see that white bread is not that filling in the overall scheme of things.

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An Italian study found that people who ate five or more slices of bread a day, or 35 per week, were twice as likely to develop Renal Cell Carcinoma, a leading cause of kidney cancer, as those who ate bread only half as often, or less. The scientists behind the study felt that an increase in blood glucose levels might be a factor in the increased cancer risk. High GI foods are usually things that are highly processed with a lot of sugar or contain a lot of refined white flour. Some sources are saying that the study linked eating white bread with cancer because of this GI link, but "the study did not specify what type of bread [participants] ate," so statements of that sort are just speculation. The study did not actually "establish exactly what in bread may be to blame."

Besides, it seems that a significant portion of the food-related media tries to convince us that in Italy everyone only eats the best bread from their local bakeries, not processed white bread. If the results of the study turned out to be a result of eating three loaves of Wonder Bread each week it might make sense, but baguettes?

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White bread is often held up as a villain, a food that should be avoided at all costs, due to the fact that it lacks whole grains and because its name is nearly synonymous with overly processed, pre-sliced loaves. But many artisan breads are made with white flours and are still perfectly acceptable to eat, so the real villain here is the preservatives and other additives used in many white breads. Fortunately, all of them can be avoided by simply making your own.

White bread makes great sandwiches and even better toast. This loaf will remind you of the best sandwich bread you had from your childhood - only better. It has a very even crumb, or texture, and a light, buttery flavor.

Artisan breads, whole grain breads, no grain breads -- in short, anything but sliced white bread seems to be in demand these days. But what if you actually like white bread for a lunchtime sandwich or toast in the morning? Wonder Bread is not your only option. Cook's Country held their own taste test to pick out the top white sandwich bread, just in case you want a change from multi-grain.

Their top picks were Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse Hearty White and Arnold Country Classics White. Each had fewer additives than other brands tasted and both had a sweeter flavor and heartier texture than the competition. The other breads -- including Wonder Country White, Sunbeam Giant White, Freihofer's Country White, J. J. Nissen ButterTop White, Home Pride Butter Top White and Country Kitchen Giant White - were judged to have sour notes and alternately dry or squishy textures. The sour notes were often accompanied by a faint aftertaste, both of which were signs of a preservative-laden loaf.

It should be noted that when the breads were tested as part of grilled cheese sandwiches, any taste differences were overshadowed by cheese and butter, but pretending it isn't there doesn't make it go away. Whenever possible, with white bread or otherwise, choose a brand that has a short, clear list of ingredients and you won't go too far wrong.

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