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Bread a daily part of life
Bread is a valuable source of starch or complex carbohydrates. It also supplies several important B complex vitamins and dietary fibre. Although we consider bread a carbohydrate food, it is the second largest single food source of protein (after beef) and also a major source of iron in the diet.
Different types of bread include:
- Wholemeal made from the whole-wheat grain that has been milled (ie when the grains are ground into flour). It is high in dietary fibre, and a source of vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals.
- Rye usually made from a mixture of wheat and rye flours. One slice of dark rye bread has twice as much fibre as one slice of light rye bread.
- Fruit and Nut breads there are many different kinds of breads that add a variety of fruits such as raisins, sultanas, dried apricot, mixed peel, apple, and also nuts. The fruit and nuts increase the fibre and nutritional value of the bread.
- High Fibre a type of white bread that is made with special flour to increase the fibre content.
- White - made from refined white flour. White bread provides some fibre and vitamins.
- Pita Bread a type of flat bread that can be made from either white or wholemeal flour, and is filled with sandwich ingredients.
- Lebanese Bread a flat bread that is larger than pita bread and is often used to wrap around fillings.
- Muffins - English muffins are made with wholemeal, multigrain, and white flours. They may also come with a variety of other flavours like fruit and nut, pizza etc. English muffins are not the same as the fluffy, cake-style muffins that you can also find in bakeries and cafes.
- Foccacia a type of Italian bread that is usually brushed with oil and sprinkled with herbs before baking.
- Turkish Bread (also known as pide, pronounced pee-deh) a traditional rustic style bread that is usually made from white flour and served with dip or with vegetable fillings and then toasted or grilled.
- Wholegrain often has whole grain pieces in it. Wholegrain bread is similar to wholemeal bread but contains a large quantity of intact grains, which may be less preferable for older people and young children due to their reduced chewing ability.
Material published from the Sanitarium web site with the kind permission of Sanitarium.
Added to site on : Wednesday, 5 June 2002