People always say you should not eat 'white' bread but whole wheat because it has more nutrients. And yes the easiest of searches reveal...
Refined Flour made from Wheat:
The calorie content of refined white flour actually increases about 10% because of everything else that has been taken out.
An average of 66% of the B vitamins have been removed.
An average of 70% of all minerals have been removed.
79% of the fiber has been removed.
An average of 19% of the protein has been removed.
http://waltonfeed.com/grain/flour.html#wheatNow my brother tells me I should not eat commercial bread at all because it has anti-fungal agents in addition to a host of other things. This is a bit of what one site had to say about Calcium propionate, an ingredient I saw on my Multigram Enriched bread package in the 'Ingredients' section
'Calcium propionate and the other propionates (280-283) occur naturally in many foods and dairy products like Swiss cheese. In small amounts they are not harmful but, as with other additives, the effects are dose related. Very few people will be affected by two slices of preserved bread but effects are cumulative, so can build up slowly over days or weeks, varying with the dose. This makes identification of the cause of symptoms extremely difficult. Like all additives, this preservative was not tested before approval for its effects on children's behaviour and learning ability.
How does it affect people?Reactions can be anything from the usual range of food intolerance symptoms: migraine and headaches; gastro-intestinal symptoms including stomach aches, irritable bowel, diarrhoea, urinary urgency, bedwetting; eczema and other itchy skin rashes; nasal congestion (stuffy or runny nose); depression, unexplained tiredness, impairment of memory and concentration, speech delay; tachycardia (fast heart beat); growing pains, loud voice (no volume control); irritability, restlessness, inattention, difficulty settling to sleep, night waking and night terrors.
Isn't it important to keep our bread fresh?Contrary to what the food industry would like you to believe, this additive is not to keep your bread fresh. Calcium propionate (282) is added to inhibit the growth of mould. There is no mould on a freshly baked loaf of bread, so why use a mould inhibitor? Bakers who keep their work benches and slicer blades clean and mould-free, by wiping with vinegar every day, do not need this additive. However, bakers in large factories prefer the less time-consuming method of "fogging" their equipment with a chemical spray. Putting hot loaves in plastic bags makes the problem worse. Preservative 282 allows for sloppy hygiene. It is for the convenience of the manufacturer not the consumer.'
http://www.fedupwithfoodadditives.info/factsheets/Fact282.htm
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