I just saw a scientific documentary on bread, and I thought I'd share some facts here in hope of getting some constructive responses.

One of the reasons we like bread so much is that wheat contains a protein which bonds to the morphine receptors in our brain. Read: bread satisfies our craving for happiness, and that protein is even 10 times more effective than morphine. So it's not just the crunch, the softness, or the taste that make you crave bread, it's a physical "addiction" (in small amounts, though, and I wonder how many foods contain substances that have the same effect).

So this happy feeling made caveman start agriculture, even though wheat and other crops were quite hard to process into food.

And caveman was right to remove the outer layers (the bran) of the wheat beads: The wheat beads fall out of the ear (spike? spica? - here's where my language skills reach their limit, I apologize - the documentary was in German, so I have to translate) fairly easily, so in order to proliferate and spread, the wheat has developed a simple strategy: chemical warfare. Meaning, there are toxins in the outer layers of the wheat bead, which make the wheat more impalatable for predatory herbivores. Herbivore gets indigestion, won't eat the wheat any more, wheat can reproduce.

Hundreds and thousands of years ago, humans have always consumed "white", or processed wheat, stripped of the outer layers of the beads (more or less stripped, depending on the processing methods). Therefore, humans could thrive on wheat and other crops.

Humans who get too much indigestion from wheat were not the "fittest for survival", so humans genetically became better adjusted to eating and digesting wheat by selection, or they turned to other crops, like spelt wheat (is this the correct word? - dictionary said so). Spelt wheat is more easily digestible because the bead does not separate from the ear as easily, making it harder for predatory herbivores to eat it and thus end the reproduction of the crop. Therefore, spelt wheat does not contain the same and as many toxins as wheat, making it a more easily digestible food for cultures with less advanced processing technologies. And even today, people who get massive indigestion from whole wheat products often tolerate whole spelt wheat products much better.

That's why it's not even a good idea to eat whole grains (in large amounts). Not because they are terribly toxic to humans, but they can cause indigestion, especially to more sensitive individuals, because of the "chemical weapons" stored in the outer layers of the wheat bead. It's not only the insoluble fiber that causes digestive trouble (some insoluble fiber is needed for health), it's also the toxins.

And the morphine-like substance in the wheat is what causes (or contributes to) constipation if white wheat bread is eaten in large amounts. It disrupts the peristaltic movement of the large intestine (an effect well-known for morphines), leading to slowed transport of the foods toward the exit. Combined with the lack of indigestible fibers, this makes for constipation.

In the "olden days", people consumed whole grains and whole grain products when they could not afford (in terms of time, resources, technology or cost) to separate out the outer layers of the wheat beads (bran) to make white wheat. It was not the best nutrition, and not best for peoples' health, but it was a way to survive somehow. Humans consuming white wheat fared better on the better nutrition, their culture thrived, and that's why our culture became what it is today.

The "health" craze over whole grains is therefore some kind of nostalgic myth, and, to give it some credit, in today's food world with its extremely low fiber content, the additional fibers in the whole wheat certainly do have a healthy effect. And even the "toxins" are not all so bad, actually, humans usually thrive and fare better long-term when they get some stimulation of their immune and decontamination systems by a small dose of toxins on a regular basis. Keep in mind, caveman did not sort out 99.6% of the bran.

If bread doesn't stay fresh in your household very long, it's not your fault. It's the baker's fault. Seriously, today's breads are loaded with enzymes for processing of the wheat, to improve flavor, and to maintain "freshness". Works great short-term, but after a few days, these enzymes have a deteriorating effect on the bread, and they are the main cause for bread going stale or spoiling. Nothing you can do about it, but you can certainly re-use the stale bread and make it into something new, like bread dumplings, bread salads, crisps,... you name it.

Bread was better digestible 50 or so years ago, when it was processed with natural sour dough or yeasts. Today's breads are mostly processed with the aid of enzymens, which work well to make a somewhat appealing bread at a higher production rate and lower cost. Unfortunately, these enzymes do not process the proteins and starches in the bread in the best way to prepare the wheat for human consumption, whereas the natural sourdough does (because it has evolved and been optimized by caveman over many years, and improved by "selection", the criteria being optimum digestability).

Bread, if it contains just flour, salt, yeast/sourdough, water and/or buttermilk and spices is a very healthy and nutritious food for most people. Just stay away from all that added sugar, grape/raisin juice, food color, additives, enzymes, .... Finding a good product or bakery can be a challenge.

There's no foolproof way of recognizing a "good" bread. Best is to let appetite guide you. If the bread does you good, you can digest it well(whatever its whole wheat content), if you like it even after you've eaten it many times, it is probably a good pick for you, and will benefit your health (unless you suffer from certain health conditions that prohibit you from eating bread or wheat products). If whole wheat does not work for you, you now may have a better insight into why (there are more possible causes than I mentioned, though), and find alternatives, like white (processed) wheat, or other crops, like spelted wheat, barley, rye, etc..

I hope this gives some insight into the science of bread and whole grains, and how they affect the human body. Any comments are absolutely welcome!

John, you seem to have similar preferences in terms of food as me. Bread never gets old in my household, too, and I have to admit, I'm the main culprit (with the kids slowly rising to the task, too).

I have preferred whole grain almost all my life, so from a cultural perspective, I might be on the decline, but I have always done well with it.

I love to bake my own bread, muffins and "cakes" (I call it a cake, DH calls it a bread), and I always reduce the sugar to 1/2 or 1/3 of what the recipe calls for. Tastes just as good, my family likes it, and I don't have to worry about my kids being raised as sugar addicts. I also like molasses, I'll have to try that in some muffins instead of sugar. Thanks for the inspiration!

I have found that buckwheat honey is a good substitute for sugar, too.  Also, (non-sugar related) I have been replacing some of my eggs in baking with 1 tbs. ground flax mixed with 3 tbs. water. Made for some tasty holiday cookies this year!

Buckwheat honey?

When we were at Oregon State University we could buy a variety of honey.  The hives were next to blackberry, marionberry, raspberry, and maybe another berry or two.  I could actually smell/taste whatever berry was listed on the label.  It was all part of the OSU College of Agriculture, wonderful conversations with kids who were enthusiastic about their products.  It was a rarity for me to use sugar in baking while we were there.

John, you make my day today with all your ideas and inspirations. Penn State University has a very strong College of Agriculture, and I'll have to check if they have any special kinds of honey available there. I like the strong flavor of certain kinds of honey. In Austria, the very dark variety is called "forest honey", I don't know which kind of flower/plant is used for that one, but it has a very spicy, distinctive taste.