How to tell your white from your wheat.
- White bread: Heavily processed to ensure a white colour and heavily fortified to replace lost nutrients.
- Wheat bread: Usually bread made with refined white flour, but with slightly more nutrients added.
- Multigrain: Not the same as wholegrain. Bread made from multiple grains, possibly including refined and processed grains. Tends to have more fibre and a lower glycaemic index (GI) than white bread.
- Wholemeal bread: Made from wholegrains that have been milled to a fine texture, giving a plain brown appearance. Contains more nutrients and fibre than white bread but has a higher GI than wholegrain.
- Wholegrain: Made with fully intact grains, high in fibre and nutrients, with a low GI.
- Sprouted grain: Made from grains that have been exposed to warm, moist conditions that induce sprouting.
- Rye bread: Made from rye grain rather than wheat. Has a heavier texture and lower gluten content than wheat (but is not gluten-free).
- Sourdough bread: Produced with a different baking process that uses a starter. Results in a more acidic and chewy bread with a lower GI. Fibre, vitamin and mineral content will depend on what grain has been used (wholegrain or refined wheat, rye, etc).
- Gluten-free bread: Made from alternative grains to wheat to avoid the wheat protein gluten. Usually has a lower fibre content and higher GI than its wheat counterparts.
