Which Bread be di healthiest to chop?

BBC News

13-07-2025

For many pipo, bread na necessary evil. E be one of di foods wey pipo dey chop pass worldwide.
For dis part of di world, e dey act as pairing wit plenti tins but pipo dey like look am wit side eye say e no dey healthy.
Infact many pipo wey wan lose weight, di first tin dem go tell demselves na make we comot bread from our diet.
But bread get plenti types and while dia be some wey be say get plenti sugar and no dey make pipo gain weight, odas dey wey studies show say dey help reduce Body Mass Index (BMI) and belle fat.
Nutritionist Jenna Hope tell BBC Good Food say "different type breads dey linked wit different health benefits".
Ultra-processed bread?
For di late 1950s, scientists for one of di Chorleywood factory for di UK develop way to produce dough faster dan bifor.
Dem add hard fats, addtional yeasts and chemicals like enzymes, oxidants (to strengthen di dough) and emulsifiers (wey go help di oda chemicals combine), bifor dem mix dia ingredients for high speed.
Dis new technique make am quicker and cheaper to make bread wit Britain wheat wey get low-protein. Dis extra addition like di emulsifiers give di bread longer shelf life too, wey be why today, dem dey use di Chorleywood method take make 80% of di bread wey we dey chop.
Many of di breads wey dey supermarket wey dem dey use di Chorleywood method make dey referred to as Ultra Processed food.
Dem no be any exact defination for ultra processed food but many academics advise sat if di food get five or more ingredients plus including ingredients wey you no get inside kitchen, e likely be UPF.
Foods wey be UPFs dey normally dey linked wit plenti health conditions but researchers say e no make sense to just join all of dem togeda see as enenmy, dis na bicos of di way di foods dem dey call UPFs dey mix-mix different food groups togeda.
Wholegrain bread
For you to fit understand wetin we go tok about di bread make we first explain wheat grains give you.
Wheat grains get plenti layers, like id germ wey dem dey call di embryo of di wheat; e dey rich in protein, di outeer shell wey dem dey call bran and di starch endosperm wey dey store food for the embryo.
For normal bread dem dey only use di endosperm of di grain but di whole grain dey use all di grain wey get polyphenols (a group of chemicals with antioxidant properties), essential nutrients like vitamin E, folate and magnesium, as well as fibre, protein and healthy fats and na wia all im health benefits dey come from.
Di health benefits include:
Sourdough
Sourdough na one of di bread wey dey take long time to bake.
BBC Melissa Hogenboom tok say wen she make am, "di entire process from activating my starter - wey be wen you mix am wit flour and water and water for am to wake - to wen I comot di bread from oven, fit take reach 36 hours".
Basically ehn, di ingredients for sourdough na flour, salt and water wey dem mix wit sourdough starter (mixture of bacteria and yeast) wey dey act as natural raising agent.
Pipo wey don chop am like di taste but e also get health benefits.
Healthier White Bread
White bread na one of di most popular type of bread for world even though e no get di nutritional value of di wholegrain but researchers dey try change am.
Dem don create new wholemeal bread wey tast and look like white bread.
Di plan na to enrich di bread wit small peas, beans and various cereals togeda wit di bran and wheat germ wey dem dey comot for white bread flour. but one of di researchers, Catherine Howarth of Aberystwyth University tok for 2024 say na "delicate balancing act".
Dis na as di team dey add oda grains wey get plenti nutirients like teff, sorghum and millet plus quinoa. Dem aslo dey reason Green peas and chickpeas for extra protein. Di bread fit take anoda two years bifor e coot.
How to choose beta healthy bread