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A lot of us may already know that white bread is unhealthy. Some of us may reason then that as long as we are buying whole grain bread, we are making a health choice. If you ask me, I’ll tell you most “Wheat Bread” is poison too! I’m talking about commercial processed breads- most of which among other undesirable ingredients, include bromide. Bread is everywhere, I can’t escape it, it creeps into my diet daily- however I try to keep it to a minimum! Almost all convenience foods on the go and things we can make quickly- involve bread. Those that are trying to eat healthier may think choosing a whole grain bread is a better choice. Oftentimes, sadly enough, if it a typical highly processed commercial bread, the fact that it is whole wheat doesn’t make it much better than choosing the white.

Why is bread bad for you?

There are different schools of thought at work here. Some may say yes indeed it (whole wheat commercial bread) is better, it’s with fiber and it’s glycemic index is lower. However, what I’m concerned about in processed bread is a pretty nasty ingredient- bromide- and the fact that all the naturally occurring nutrients have been stripped out in the factory process.

One argument is that commercial/processed bread is still healthy because all the vitamins and minerals (calcium, iron, vitamin e, etc) are added back to flour as part of the process. However this is no match to the naturally occurring nutrients that were there in the first place and they are using them in their synthetic form which is not able to properly adapt to our bodies. The countless other nasties that get passed into processed bread can include:

• fertilizers
• insecticides
• fungicides
• benzoyl peroxide or chlorine dioxide (known to cause cancer)
• methyl bromide
• nitrogen trichloride
• alum
• ammonium carbonate
• nitrogen peroxide

It’s logical to innocently believe that whole grain bread then is left unharmed by this stripping process, but think again! Most still strip out and add back in. Also sneaking in bromide.

How it effects you

Well all those “nasties” I listed above make us sick and too much of them can cause serious health problems including:

• allergies that manifest as bloating, diarrhoea, eczema, asthma, headache or general malaise or lack of energy
• Leaky gut syndrome
• Undigested gluten enters the colon where it slows transit time, putrefies to produce toxic material and can cause toxic material to be in persistent contact with the bowel
• Promotes the growth of unfriendly toxin generating bacteria in the gut
• Causes slowing of transit time, so toxic substances are in contact with the bowel for longer

So it sure makes me crazy that someone would buy a refined processed “whole wheat plus fiber” bread at their grocery store hoping it is what they need to support the gastrointestinal tract and help flush out toxins. And they are getting the opposite!

What is Bromide?

Well basically at the end of the day, it slows down your metabolism.

Bromides disrupt endocrines. It is found in most flours as potassium bromate. It came into use in the 1960’s as an “improved” replacement to it’s former postassium iodate. It is a dough conditioner.

Because bromide is also a halide it competes for the same receptors that are used in the thyroid gland (among other places) to capture iodine. This will inhibit thyroid hormone production resulting in a low thyroid state.

Why do they use it?

Some commercial bakers claim they use bromated flour because it yields dependable results, and it makes more elastic dough which can stand up to bread hooks and other commercial baking tools.

The UK banned bromate in bread in 1990.
Canada banned bromate in bread in 1994.

Back in 1999, the Center for Science in the Public Interest petitioned the FDA to prohibit the use of potassium bromate, charging that the FDA has knownfor years that bromate causes cancer in lab animals, but has failed to ban it.

As of September 2007, the US FDA responded to Breast Cancer Choices inquire with the statement, ” Potassium Bromate is still listed as a safeadditive.”

Who’s not using it?

I prefer non baked breads, known as “live bread”. Not only are the enzymes, minerals and vitamins (all the “goodies”) in it, but no bromide is added and it is more filling, energizing and nourishing.

There are many brands, my personal favorite being Ezekial Sprouted Bread. I also heard some manufacturers are starting to advertise their bread as “Bromide FREE”. I’ve heard on the net mentioning they found this in Wal-Mart.

The healthiest options is to look for “Sprouted Bread”. This is bread that hasn’t been baked but still retains a very bread like state. It’s packed with all the naturally occurring nutrients and enzymes. Other healthier options is to look for or make your own bread from grains such as spelt, quinoa, rice, etc.. You can easily make your own at home with a vitamix blender. View this link for a closer look.

So that my friends, is the whole story on why bread is bad for you and how to find or make your own healthy bread.