Two of the most popular foods in this country are made from mostly white flour: bagels (white bread with attitude) and pasta (white bread with sauce). Bagels and pasta have inexplicably come to be seen as part of a healthy diet. But in their traditional forms, both are low in fiber and nutrition, and should be avoided along with any other foods containing mainly white flour or white sugar. As an alternative, seek out some of the excellent whole-grain pastas, such as whole-wheat and brown-rice pastas, that are widely available. For bagel lovers, Orowheat makes a decent 100 percent whole-wheat bagel.
Read ingredient labels, regardless of “health food” claims or assurances of purity. Beware the term “wheat flour,” which is just another term for white flour. If it is a true whole-grain product, the label will say so. (Remember that the label lists the most plentiful ingredients first.)
The more coarsely ground and dense the whole-grain product, the better, as this seems to lead to slower stomach emptying and a reduced blood sugar response (or, a “lower glycemic index”). A dense pumpernickel, for example, is a superb choice for a bread.
Fiber is an amazing entity. Increased fiber is associated with reduced cancers, reduced heart disease, reduced diabetes, reduced obesity, reduced cholesterol…and it comes as a no-added-cost bonus with most of the food you should be eating anyway.
