BY BLAKE LARSEN / Assistant Intrigue Editor
James Waldrop: a graduate student in exercise physiology, attempts to pick out a loaf of bread among the numerous choices available on the grocery store shelves. Kyle Cooper / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITORJames Waldrop: a graduate student in exercise physiology, attempts to pick out a loaf of bread among the numerous choices available on the grocery store shelves. Kyle Cooper / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

Have you made the drastic diet change of buying whole wheat bread instead of white? If you haven’t yet, you may want to consider it.

According to an article by Nicky Pilkington, a writer for healthguidance.org, people who eat white bread instead of the whole grain wheat variety are missing out on a total of 30 nutrients.

Thirty nutrients that, Pilkington says, could have a considerable effect on your life.

“The nutritional difference is immense and has measurable impact on our health,” he said.

The impact, Pilkington said, is beneficial in several aspects of personal health.

“Research has been conducted by Harvard and other organizations that shows men and women who eat high-fiber foods have less heart attacks and strokes than those who don’t,” Pilkington said. “There is also an increased risk of diabetes in children who eat refined white flour — a risk that has been proven by the increase in cases of childhood diabetes.”

Rachel Pollard, a sophomore in business management, said she never realized how big of an impact switching to wheat bread could have on her health.

“My parents always bought white bread when I was a kid, so I guess I just got used to the taste,” Pollard said. “I had no idea that wheat (bread) was so much better for your heart, or that white bread could actually be harmful. “I am definitely going to be making the switch to wheat bread the next time I go to Wal-Mart.”

Some students, however, said they already knew about the benefits of choosing whole wheat over white bread at the grocery store.

“I read a study in Men’s Health (magazine) a couple years ago about the differences between the two,” said Danny Lawson, a junior in biomedical sciences.

So what should students looking to change their bread selection look for when grocery shopping?

Pilkington says the trick to buying the right bread is to read the labels, and make sure what you’re buying is actually the healthier alternative to white bread.

“Watch out for words like ‘wheat flour’ or ‘enriched wheat flour’ as they can be mostly made from white flour with just a small amount of whole wheat added in,” she said. “Look for ‘whole wheat’ or other whole grains, like oat. And don’t be misled by the name of the product. Names like wheat, whole bran, stoned wheat, 12 grain and others are still mostly white flour. The only way to know for sure is to read the label.”

Morgan Tang, a senior in industrial engineering, said now that he knows the differences between the two breads, the choice is simple.

“Oh, I will definitely be buying whole wheat bread from now on,” Tang said. “They basically taste the same anyway, and it just doesn’t make any sense not to buy wheat when it is so much better for you.”