Fiber

• One of the main reasons that parents make their children eat wheat bread over white is the high fiber content in many wheat breads. Often containing other major grains as well, wheat bread uses the whole of the wheat grain. This is a major difference from white bread, in which the hull of the grain is removed.

Vitamins and Minerals

• The vitamins and minerals found in the wheat grain are also found in wheat bread. Whole grain bread retains the iron, micronutrients and B vitamins of the grain. Most of these nutrients are lacking in white bread, unless they are added artificially in fortified white breads.

Color

• The nature of white bread is such that each loaf is golden brown on the outside and a bright white within. This is due to the bleaching process and use of chemicals such as potassium bromate and chlorine dioxide remove the slight yellowish color of the flour. Wheat bread is naturally a light to dark brown, due to the color of the wheat itself and the bran contained within. Some white breads are colored with a caramel color to make them look like wheat breads, but they may be devoid of the same nutritional benefits.

Processing

• The processing of wheat breads and white breads is quite different. While whole wheat flours are ground much the same as white flours, that is where the similarities end. Whole wheat flour uses the entire grain of wheat, while white flour does not. The bran and germ are removed and the endosperm is the only remaining part ground, which contains fewer nutrients. The flour is then bleached to give it its snow white appearance.