Brown versus White Bread: Healthy Foods onboard Rigs, Ships and Platforms

Bread can be lumped into one of two categories: wholemeal (brown) or white. Ultimately, this distinction comes down to the type of flour derived from grain kernels. A grain kernel consists of three parts—the bran, the endosperm and the germ—all of which brown goods contain. In fact, the milling process to create brown bread boasts a 100% extraction rate. White bread, however, uses refined flour, which removes the bran and germ entirely. Consequently, white breads lose a substantial amount of fiber, vitamin E, B vitamins, minerals, protein and other phytochemicals. There are “enriched” white loaves that improve this extraction rate, though these sometimes contain a load of unnecessary ingredients. Alarmingly, a recent Telegraph analysis reveals that many wholemeal products are also to blame for adding ingredients—in particular, sugar. The analysis surveyed 15 popular loaves sold across major supermarkets in the UK, comparing the ingredients to white loaves made by the same companies. The study found that ten of these loaves had added sugars. This is an example of ways manufacturers decrease the healthiness of their products in exchange for tastefulness, something marine caterers must watch out for when ordering baked goods. Labels sometimes muddle the distinction between whole wheat and 100% whole-wheat bread. Similarly, other products involving mixed grains can sometimes mislead shoppers into thinking only brown flour was used in the baking process. When 100% whole wheat, marine caterers provide a variety of health benefits to seafarers, including reduced risk of heart disease, increased mental health, lowered risk of obesity and improved gastrointestinal activity. A large portion of these benefits comes from fiber, which has become a hot topic around the world. Take, for example, the HEALTHBREAD project.

The HEALTHBREAD Project

In Europe, bread sales indicate that most residents prefer white varieties. Due to the various health concerns related to a lack of fiber—diabetes and obesity, to name two common ones—the EU funded the HEALTHBREAD project, an initiative dedicated to enriching the nutritional value of white bread without changing its colour, flavour, texture or smell. This project wrapped up September 2014, after making considerable gains towards this goal. Since the bran that envelops grain kernels contains all of the healthful nutrients, researchers of the project sought to design a milling process that would preserve the bran without adding its bitter taste or colour into the bread. Some products resulting from this change are now on the EU market, though a little more expensive than others. Regardless, this is but a stepping-stone in addressing a larger problem with fiber in modern diets.

References

“Brown versus white bread: the battle for a fibre-rich diet.” Medical News Today, December 2014. “Health Benefits of 100 Percent Wheat Bread.” SF Gate, nd. “How much sugar is in your 'healthy' brown and wholemeal bread?” Telegraph UK, March 2014. “What is the difference between wholemeal bread and white bread? What are the advantages of using wholemeal flour?” European Food Information Council, nd. “Why is whole-grain bread healthier than white bread?” Kids Health, September 2014.