Michael Rosenthal

(2/2022) Your health is dependent on a number of factors, some of which, like heredity, are beyond your control. One influence, however, which can make a big difference, is your diet. It is thus important to eat healthy food and limit your intake of unhealthy (but often enjoyable, that’s the problem) food.

One food that is worthy of scrutiny is bread. I am certainly not suggesting that you eliminate bread from your diet, but as reported in Consumer Reports, one of my favorite respected science-based publications, there are things about bread usage to consider.

One of the things to keep in mind when shopping for bread is to choose bread that is whole grain and low in added sugars and sodium (salt). You have to read the labels carefully, because many of the breads labeled whole grain contain sugars, sodium, and other additives. Here are some facts to keep in mind.

Grains have three parts, the endosperm, bran, and germ. Whole wheat has all three parts, while white flour is made just from the endosperm. Many of the grain’s nutrients are in the bran and germ.

White bread is not as bad as it first seems. It offers some protein, and most commercial breads are made from flour enriched with B vitamins and with iron, needed components for a healthy diet. Gluten free bread is important for those with gluten sensitivity, but is usually lower in nutrients and fiber than whole wheat.

Multigrain, whole grain, and whole wheat are not the same. To be confident you are getting all whole grain, look for the label "100 percent whole grain" not "100 percent whole wheat."

There are other things to consider as well in looking for healthier bread. Many breads have too much sugar in their content. Look for and avoid breads that contain cane sugar or honey. It is well to use bread that has 2 grams or less of sugar per slice; some breads have as much as 4 grams of sugar per slice.

Something else to consider is sodium (salt) content. Salt of course gives flavor (I just can’t eat a hard-boiled egg without adding salt!), but you should limit yourself to bread with sodium content of 150 mg or less per slice. Also important is fiber content. Two or three grams of fiber is optimal. More than that amount may mean processed fiber has been used, which is not as healthy. Added nuts and seeds are good in whole grain bread. They add healthy fats and more fiber.

Environmental Nutrition, the newsletter of food, nutrition, and health, has been published for over forty years by the Health Information Network in Norwalk Connecticut. The August 2021 edition speaks to issues of diet, spending savings, and supplements, with stories on natural treatments for Irritable Bowel Syndrome, the potential of health benefits from an alkaline diet, the benefits and drawbacks of caffeine consumption, nutritional issues of frozen treats on a stick, and other highly relevant topics

Another publication I recommend to you is the Tufts University Health and Nutrition Letter. It is available by subscription at a modest price. You can find it on the internet with subscription information by an internet search. They are careful in distinguishing between the possible and the proven, and their long time of publication is indicative or their popularity and respect.

One has to be careful in choosing and believing everything written, in print, and on the internet, about food. Articles are sometimes written that promote food products by or at the support of manufacturers and sales organizations, whose only incentive is financial profit. That is why I have such faith in Consumer Reports. They are clearly looking of out for the public interest and not personal profit via product sales.

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Chemistry is present in every aspect of our everyday lives. That is one of the reasons it attracted me as a profession so early in my educational programs. I found it to be such an interesting path between theory and reality, and I said before in this column, my high school chemistry course brought it all together and pointed me into the chemistry career direction. In college I did summer internships at two industrial establishments, and though they were learning experiences, they refined my commitment to eventually land in my career in higher education teaching and research. Graduate school at the University of Illinois and its large undergraduate lecture classes sent me in the career direction of small colleges of the liberal arts and sciences, at which I taught chemistry and served in academic program management for some fifty years.

Have you ever thought about the chemistry of toothpaste? I made a brief reference in an earlier Real Science article to triclosan, a toothpaste component that was found to have adverse health effects, and has been largely removed from toothpaste in the United States market. If you see it is a component on your toothpaste container, I suggest that you find new toothpaste! Here are some other relevant facts about toothpaste components, courtesy of Consumer Reports.

Look for an American Dental Society Seal of Acceptance, guaranteeing the absence of certain negatively proven components and guaranteeing the presence of fluoride, a proven preventer of tooth decay. You can get fluoride-free toothpaste, but science says fluoride (sodium fluoride or stannous fluoride) does your teeth good and no harm, by helping to prevent cavities and reduce gum inflammation. Other useful and safe components are calcium carbonate and modified silica that help remove food debris and surface stains; baking soda which shows some promise for reducing plaque, desensitizers (sodium citrate, casein phosphopeptide, and potassium nitrate), which help reduce gum sensitivity for some persons. Whiteners are in some toothpastes, including hydrogen peroxide, which also helps in reducing enamel staining. There is some evidence that the presence of xylitol along with fluoride makes a more effective cavity preventer.

There are multiple ways to approach science. Often theories are modified or disproven as new methods of investigation are developed. Other scientific bases, like the Laws of Thermodynamics, appear to be stable and dependable. The successful study of science requires a definable personality, a person who believes in basic laws of nature, but who recognizes modifications will often come with time. And of course applications arise. I am old enough to remember the ending of World War II, and the dropping of the atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Was that a positive application of science? One can come at that question is different ways, but I will leave that to the social historians. So much has come from our development of atomic energy. Who would have dreamed in 1945 of nuclear power plants, and their ability to produce so much energy without contaminating the atmosphere? My home town, Youngstown, Ohio, frequently had air quality problems in those days from the gaseous emissions of the steel mills. Steel was the base of the city’s economy at that time. Every form of energy production has an environmental impact. I am confident that we will find solutions to the nuclear waste disposal issue.

Read other articles by Michael Rosenthal