• By Emily Amelia Inglis
• Published 03/26/2012

Bread has been such an important part of our diet as a staple food, for as long as history records, that we can forget how healthy bread really is, and how important it can be to our health and wellbeing.

Different types of bread, of course, are healthier than others, such as wholemeal bread, and bread can be made from a variety of different types of grains, but in one way or another, all bread is healthy bread and good for us, and it is useful to understand exactly why.

In a sense the ingredients and the making of bread, whichever type of bread it is, is relatively simple. Yet hidden in that simplicity is a complex array of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that make bread the important staple food that it has become. It has gained a reputation as a staple food not just because of its ease to make and its versatility, but because it provides so much of what we need in our diet to keep ourselves going, to keep ourselves growing, and to keep ourselves healthy on a day-to-day basis.

For many years white bread was the main type of bread for most people. However, in recent decades that dominance has been threatened by other types of bread, such as wholemeal, that offer even greater benefits, for example an even higher source of fibre, than white bread.

The variety of different types of bread available: white, wholemeal, pitta, brown, malted, to name a few of many throughout the world, show us something of the popularity and durability of this food.

Bread is an excellent source of many important things that our body needs, such as protein, calcium, folic acid (particularly important for pregnant women) and is low in fat and low in sugar, making it an ideal part of the modern diet.

Even a few slices of bread per day provides a significant amount of these beneficial substances, and bread is something that can be enjoyed with almost any meal and in any format imaginable.

If you have forgotten how healthy bread can be, now is the time to remind yourself of this vital substance and how important and beneficial it can be to your diet and wellbeing.

About the Author : Emily Amelia Inglis is a writer and fan of healthy bread.