Over the weekend I was looking at the ingredient list of freshly baked bread that we got from our local Publix supermarket. What caught my eye was the very first ingredient called enriched flour. At first it appeared to be a good thing. After all, look at what all it contains:

Enriched flour – wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid

Niacin is vitamin B3 needed for DNA repair and production of steroid hormones. Lack of vitamin B3 results in Pellagra, a disease of 4 D’s: diarrhea, dermatitis, dementia and death!

Reduced iron is simply a form of iron added to the flour. Iron is essential for all living organisms and its deficiency causes anemia where blood hemoglobin gets to low levels.

Thiamine Mononitrate is vitamin B1 and its deficiency causes beriberi which affects the nervous system.

Riboflavin is vitamin B2 is needed for metabolism of fats, carbs and proteins. Its deficiency causes inflammation in eyes, mouth and throat.

Folic acid is needed for a lot of different bodily functions especially at a time of cell division and growth (pregnancy and early childhood). Folate deficiency results in loss of appetite, weight loss, weakness, headaches, heart palpitations and behavioral disorders.

So on the surface, all this looks good since enriched flour is giving you iron and important B vitamins. What can be wrong with it you wonder.

Well, the main question is why they need to add them to flour in the first place since wheat contains these nutrients anyway!

Simply grind the wheat, turn it into flour and forget about all this processing and enrichment. Turns out, things are not so simple.

Customers love the looks of bright, white flour. But enriching is necessary because the processing used to make white flour destroys some of these nutrients that originally were present in the whole grain. So, FDA forces producers to add these important nutrients so that they don’t have to face the public health nightmare resulting from their deficiency. This makes everybody happy – customers get the white flour they like, producers make a profit and FDA doesn’t have to deal with public health problems.

But is that really true?

Vitamins, minerals and oils are stored inside the germ of the whole grain, protected by the bran so they can continue to nourish the seed. The carbohydrates and proteins are stored inside the endosperm which is also protected by the bran. The milling process of turning wheat into white flour removes the barn and the germ, so all you are left with are the carbs and proteins from the endosperm. High surface area of the flour causes very rapid release of sugar in your blood when you eat stuff made from white flour. Insulin levels have to go up to correct this sugar surge. Done a lot of times, this can lead to insulin resistance and Type II diabetes. You can add back vitamins and minerals and feel good about it, but the problem of sugar over time is the one we need to worry about.

Next time, go for whole grain bread instead of the white bread. I know it tastes so good, and it is ok to consume it in moderation; but over eating baked foods made from the so called enriched white flour is a long term health risk.

Photo Sources:
White Bread – PhotoExpress
Whole Grain Kernel – Wikimedia Commons
©2009 Littlestomaks.com

I wrote this article as a guest post for Jenna’s food with kid appeal blog. She has great recipes and tips for eating healthy that will bring joy to the entire family. You can follow her on Twitter @kidappeal. I have updated this post since then with a few additional details.

Snacking is popular…

Adults and kids alike love snacks! They are usually within reach, require little or no effort and provide an instant feeling of satisfaction, even a quick boost of energy on demand. Not a surprise then that the snack industry is big, and poised for enormous growth. According to this report, the global snack food market is projected to be worth $300 billion by 2010! That means you are going to see even more new snack products on the grocery aisles inviting you to just Grab ‘n Go with their fancy packaging and reasonable price. And very likely, more of it will end up in your own kitchen cabinets and find its way into your child’s diet.

Snacking is not necessarily bad, if done right. It can be a great way to introduce small portions of new foods, including fruits, veggies and nuts to slowly build your child’s taste for healthy eating. A growing child needs energy, vitamins and minerals throughout the day, which can come from snacking in small portions at the right time between meals.

..But there is a problem

In reality, many parents struggle with their child’s snacking habits. Even if they try to offer healthy snacks, they find that their children have already developed an addiction for potato chips and crackers, sugary juices and soda, salty cheeses and candy bars. What is even more annoying is that they munch on them whole day – relishing their taste and quick energy – so much that they are not hungry at regular meal time. Soon it becomes a vicious cycle leading to picky eating habits, poor nutrition and many health problems such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes over the long term.
Snacks rich in sugar and simple carbohydrates and low in fat, fiber and protein are quickly digested, which causes the blood glucose levels to rise rapidly, forcing the body to release a burst of insulin. These foods are classified as having a high glycemic index (GI). Glucose, by definition, has a GI of 100. Foods with low GI are less than 55, medium GI are 56 – 69, and high GI are 70 – 100. Uneven production of insulin over time can lead to insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes. It has been shown that following a low GI diet over a long period of time can result in reducing the risk of developing Type2 diabetes and heart disease.

Another important factor besides the GI is the total amount of carbohydrates in a single serving. The combination of these two is called Glycemic load (GL). Obviously, foods high in both GI and GL are less healthy compared to foods with even high GI but low GL.

Physical health problems aside, there is also a good chance that poor snacking habits can result in behavioral problems such as hyperactivity, moodiness and impulsiveness. Many people believe that foods rich in sugar, artificial sweeteners or color additives can cause hyperactivity, but this has not been conclusively proven by scientific experiments. The link between sugar and hyperactivity is controversial, although many experts do acknowledge a connection with poor nutrition and food allergies.

So what can you do?

Based on a lot of research and some personal experience, I would like to suggest the following 5 tips for healthy snacking.

1.    Manage the amount and timing
Snacking should be a bridge between proper meals and not a substitute. I am a big fan of Dr Spock, who advises parents to use “common sense” when feeding between meals. Each child is different, so there is no common formula except that you should try to give small portions of different types of snacks around half way between meals, no close than an hour or half before the next meal.

2.    Set an example
Believe it or not, you are a role model for your child. Children eat whatever their parents eat. In 6 easy steps for helping your child choose healthy foods, I wrote about how even at a very young age, children’s food preferences are shaped by their parents. Children watch what you do, not what you say. So, if you want them to develop healthy snacking habits, it has to start with you.

3.    Check the label – go for low sugar, complex carbs and fiber
When selecting snacks, pay attention to the label and the list of ingredients. Select snacks that are low in sugar (anything over 10g per serving is a red flag in my opinion) and carbohydrates should be preferred. Look for dietary fiber under the carbohydrate category. Some fat is good, but try not to go for saturated or trans fats. It doesn’t hurt, of course, if it is fortified with minerals and vitamins, particularly B and C vitamins and iron, calcium and zinc. I have written a few reviews of some of our favorite snacks from Earth’s Best if you are looking for some ideas.

Keep in mind that the nutrition label does not show the Glycemic index and Glycemic load of the foods. You can research the Glycemic index of various foods on this website. I have prepared this table for some common snacks, which you can use as a quick guide. Go for snacks in the Green and Yellow boxes, which are low in GI and GL.

4.    Try fruits, veggies and nuts
Snack time could be a great opportunity to introduce a variety of fruits, vegetables and nuts. Not only are they low in glycemic index, they also pack a lot of useful vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. You could also try fruit bars and vegetable juice. Fruit juice, unless prepare fresh at home, should be offered only as a treat. Here are a few ideas for encouraging more fruits and veggies in your child’s diet.

5.    PBJ is good but skip the white bread
Peanut butter is an excellent idea as a snack, however go slow on the jelly and, if you can, substitute a whole grain or wheat bread instead of white bread. White bread has both a high glycemic index and glycemic load, which should be avoided as much as possible. Foods containing whole grains slow down the digestion which helps to keep the blood glucose levels under control even when the glycemic load of other foods eaten at the same time might be high.

What is your experience? Do you have other tips for healthy snacking? Share what has or has not worked for you.

Image source (Cupcakes): Gaetan Lee on Flickr
©2009 Littlestomaks.com