'AGEGE' BREAD VERSUS WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

Agege Bread( A Popular Type of White                     Bread Sold in Nigeria) 

As a child, I used to love 'agege' bread. 'Agege' bread is a popular brand of white bread sold in Lagos, Nigeria that is sugar-sweet, soft, very chewy and rubber-like much like a chewing gum. In fact, it has to be chewed and whirled around in the mouth for a while before it can be swallowed. It hardly leaves any crumbs, probably because it is gummy and somewhat elastic. 'Agege' bread was like 'manna' from heaven to me then and I loved it.

But I am no longer a child. I am older and wiser now and more consciously interested in what is good for my body and what is not. So should you be, by the way. I know now that 'agege' bread and all other brands of white bread is absolutely not nutritious enough to be included in our diet. Let me share my findings with you.

Did you know that the flour used to make Agege bread and every other brand of white bread are chemically bleached to retain the whiteness which is lost during the milling process. This is some information your local bakery wouldn't divulge but it is true. So anytime you consume this type of bread, know that you are equally consuming the chemical bleach in it. Gross hey!

The flour used to make white bread is heavily processed and refined, making it about as nutritious as rubber! All the good fibre, vitamin E, good fats and minerals is lost, and all that is left is calories and bad carbs. This elevates the sugar levels in the blood and leads to unhealthy weight gain. So, if you are a diabetic patient or weary of developing type 2 diabetes in your adult life, stay clear of white bread.

Several toxic substances are added into the refining process of  agege bread. One of such substances is the bromate, a chemical substance that is harmful to the body. Other less than desirable additions can also be found in white bread such as artificial flavourings, salt, industrial sugar or maybe fructose corn syrup. All these are of no nutritional benefit to the body.

White bread contain large amounts of gluten, a form of protein in wheat dough, that gives it a form of gummy elasticity. This gummy-elasticity makes agege bread sometimes stick to the roof of the mouth when chewed. The human body finds it difficult to digest this high gluten foods and this can cause allergic reactions, such as diarrhoea, weakness and body pain in gluten sensitive people. Gluten and sugar in white bread can cause inflammation in the body and inflammation is the major cause of heart disease and other forms of degenerative diseases.

                Whole-wheat  Bread 

So if you must eat bread, a healthier and more nutritious option will be the 'whole wheat' bread. Key word to watch out for on the label is 'whole wheat' or 'whole grain'. Do not buy labels that indicate 'wheat flour' alone as such bread might not be made purely of  wholegrain wheat but might be white bread with a little bit of whole grain added.

Whole wheat bread is neither processed nor refined. All the good, essential parts of the grain are used and not removed, such as the bran, the endosperm and the centre of the wheat grain called the wheat germ. Thus, it still retains all its nutritional value. Whole wheat bread is rich in fibre, which is an essential nutrient that aids the digestive system, prevents the body from storing up bad fat and therefore, controls weight gain. Whole wheat bread is also rich in anti oxidants such as vitamin E and minerals such as iron and zinc.

Another major nutritional benefit of whole wheat bread is that it keeps the body's blood sugar levels normal, thus preventing all associated complications.

So I have transferred my love for 'agege' bread to a more nutritious and healthy option which is the 'whole wheat' bread. How about you? Have I convinced you to do the same?