Two different perspectives on “Wonder Bread” similar to the picture below:
Such A Pretty Old Woman
Bread Is Over 90 Years Old, Aren’t Preservatives Great!
The first perspective started with a man and his visual fascination for moving colors.
In the early 1920’s, Elmer Kline was trying to figure out a brand name for new bread his company was developing in the U.S. He was at a balloon race being held over the Indianapolis Speedway in Indiana. The sky filled with hundreds of colorful balloons going everywhere. Elmer was struck with “wonder” of this beautiful view. Gee whiz, “Wonder Bread, eureka, so goes the story. The balloons on the label of “Wonder Bread” were imagined from that day too. Blue, red and yellow colors are the ones that stuck in Mr. Kline’s mind.
Renovating Your Mind has a perspective that wonders why this bread is still popular with consumers at the market. There are many other types of healthier breads that taste better than “Wonder”. This bread has been on shelves for over 90 years. Many families have made “Wonder Bread” their traditional starch with toast in the am, sandwiches at lunch and to soak up gravy or slathering with fat at dinner.
Step Right Up And Get Your 12 Synthetic Nutrients
Wonder Bread was advertised to “help build strong bodies 12 ways” which initially was 8 ways. The numbers signify the small amount of synthetic nutrients added to bread to fortify the product. White bread is primarily made with bleached processed wheat flour with all fiber and nutrients removed to create the white look. The most valuable part of the wheat grain is the bran and wheat germ. All is removed! Why? The product would have a longer shelf life and they could make it look white as snow instead of beige. Wonder Bread contains different types of flour, salt, sugar, yeast, vinegar, water, sprinkling of preservative agents and nutrients.
White bread tastes good because it is soft and sweet. The simple carbohydrates (flours) are very sweet. If you place a small piece of bread in your mouth for a bit, your saliva instantly starts breaking down the carbohydrate to sugar. This is the reason for high blood glucose levels with this product. So white bread is especially bad for diabetics. All white breads have a high glycemic index. This is a numerical value of how fast blood sugars will rise when you consume a certain product. Pure sugar has an index of 100 and white bread comes with a 70 value. Whole grain bread glycemic indexes ranges from 55-60.
Endosperm=83% Of Wheat Kernel Makes White Bread
Now what happens to all the precious wheat germ that is taken out of the “Wonder” breads before making them white? The germ is the embryo of the wheat grain.
Golden Germ Treasure Only Makes Up 3% Of The Wheat
Let’s talk about a company called Kretschmer. They have been packaging wheat germ in glass bottles since 1936. You will usually find them in the cereal aisle or with the baking goods. Kretschmer has developed three different products from wheat germ. They have an original toasting, toasted with honey crunch and a darker toasting variety. Nutrients bursting from this product include members of the B-Vitamin Complex Family, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, beneficial fats, fiber, protein, carotenoids, iron, phosphorous, zinc, magnesium, potassium, calcium and manganese.
Get Your Dream Diary Ready Kids
Wheat germ has been reported in some cases to increase dream recall which I would attribute to the B-Complex Family especially, B6 (pyridoxine). That information is not from a clinical study.
Wheat germ’s taste is a nutty delicious flavor. The product is excellent in oatmeal, on cereal and popcorn, muffins, pancakes, yogurt, smoothies, for making pizza dough, protein shakes and on granola.
Kretschmer wheat germ is vacuumed sealed because it is a perishable product. After opening the glass jar be sure to refrigerate. It will keep at the highest level of freshness for about 6 months. It will go rancid much faster if left out of refrigeration. Before you leave the market, make sure you check the expiration date listed on the bottle. Product turnover is sometimes very slow because people just don’t know how to use it. They don’t realize how good wheat germ tastes. They don’t consider how good it is for their health. Wheat germ is taboo if you have a gluten problem. Sometimes, product placement in the supermarket makes the item difficult to locate on the shelf.
Quality Brand And Cost Effective
What we still have left from that pre “Wonder Bread” discard list is the bran. Bran is an insoluble fiber and also called “miller’s bran”. It is found in cereal products like All Bran, Raisin Bran, Bran Buds and Bran Flakes. You can purchase it in bulk or packaged in pounds. It is better than any laxative on the market for constipation. Most laxatives like Metamucil or its generic is made of both insoluble and soluble fibers. The ingredient in the laxative should only contain insoluble fiber for best results. You must drink 1-2 glass of fluid with each teaspoonful of bran. Otherwise, you risk more constipation. Bran needs plenty of water to do what it does best, evacuate the GI highway.
You can sneak small amounts of bran in when cooking various meals to prevent constipation. It will lower the chance of hemorrhoids or stop them from getting worse. In addition, it may lower risk of colon cancer. Bran increases satiety therefore benefits weight loss programs. You feel fuller longer and eat less with this fiber in your diet. You can use it in many recipes such as bread and muffins. It like wheat germ should also be refrigerated because it does contain some oils that may go rancid at room temperature. Remember again those expiration dates when shopping for bran to ensure its longevity.
Nutritional Blasphemy! 🙂 Ultra-Processed Sugar Licks
In the illustrious business of the food industry, it’s not what’s good for the customer’s health but what is going to ensure the companies financial future. Although the “Wonder Bread” parent company, Hostess Brands went bankrupt in 2012, the brand was sold to another company called Flowers Foods in 2013. With today’s food technology you can have the best of all worlds. Inferior nutritionally deprived products need to be replaced with healthy versions. We need all breads to taste great and also maintain good health.
Who Stole My Twinkie?
Try something different this week in the bread aisle. Look for the first ingredient in the product labeling to say whole grain. There should be a whole grain logo somewhere on the product packaging to ensure the real McCoy.
Renovating Your Mind 