Brown vs white and other colorful tales
June 17, 2003 | 12:00am
White is right (or so a lot of people believe), right? Well, not always. Truth is, brown is sometimes better than white – when it comes to food, that is. To help consumers separate fact from fiction and make more intelligent choices when sifting through the supermarket shelves (plus get more value for their money), we’re sharing some grains of wisdom from Arnold Bender’s (unbending) book Health or Hoax? published in the Eighties.
Which is better – brown or white bread?
Brown bread is better. Brown bread falls somewhere between wholemeal bread (which contains more of the B vitamins, iron, and a bit more protein) and white bread. Wholemeal bread contains 9 percent dietary fiber compared with 4 percent in white bread. When wheat is milled to make white flour, some nutrients are lost.
Are brown eggs better than white eggs?
No. The color of the eggshell has no bearing on the egg’s nutrient content. Probably the only difference is in the price of the egg. The kind of chicken that lays the brown eggs lays fewer eggs than the other kind, thus its eggs often cost more.
Is brown sugar better than white?
It matters not whether the sugar in your cupboard is brown or white. Both are nearly pure sucrose with the brown containing negligible traces of mineral salts and B vitamins. The very dark sugar is 91-96 percent sucrose while the very white sugar is 99.9 percent sucrose. The darkest sugar contains about 0.7 mg of iron and 10 mg of calcium per ounce, too small to do any good. White sugar contains no iron or calcium.
Are deep-colored egg yolks better than light yolks?
Yes, but only for vitamin A. As for protein or other vitamins, there’s no difference at all.
Is natural yogurt better than fruit-flavored yogurt?
Natural is used to refer to unsweetened yogurt while fruit yogurt is sweetened with sugar. Naturally, the former is better than the latter.
Is honey a real darling?
Really now, sweetie, honey’s not all that it’s claimed to be. It’s just mostly sugar (70 to 75 percent solution of glucose and fructose) and one quarter water with minimal traces of vitamins. Its color and flavor depends on the flowers from which the nectar was obtained.
Which is less fattening – margarine or butter?
Neither. They both contain 85 percent fat and an equal number of calories.
Is yellow butter better than pale butter?
Yes and no. Yes, if the yellow color comes naturally from the grass the cows ate, which makes the butter richer in carotene (vitamin A). If it’s colored artificially, there’s no guide to go by.
Is the vitamin C from fruit also present in jam?
Yes, but very, very little of it. Jams are 67 percent sugar.
Which is better for slimming – white wine or red wine?
Neither. They both supply 70 calories per 3-1/2 oz glass if dry, increasing to 80 calories in medium, and 90 calories in sweet wine. The sweeter the wine, the more sugar it contains. So drink in moderation – or not at all if you’re trying to lose weight.
Should you drink less when on a reducing diet?
Please don’t. Water is essential to the body. If you drink more than you need, the body flushes it out. If you severely limit your fluid intake, you will only lose weight by dehydration (loss of body fluid), which is very dangerous. Worry not, no matter how much you drink, your body will not retain any more than it needs.
Does grapefruit burn off fat?
No. This so-called grapefruit diet being pushed to sell grapefruits only succeeds in burning a hole in your pocket. Fact is, no food burns off fat.
Are bananas fattening?
Sort of. Bananas contain 20 percent sugar so they contain more calories than most fruits. In calories per mouthful, they are then fattening.
Are all sweet foods fattening?
Unless artificial sweeteners are used, sweet foods generally contain a lot of sugar and are therefore higher in calories than foods that are not sweet. Besides, if you like sweet things, you tend to eat more of them and it is this that makes you fat.
Is sugar essential for energy?
No. We get energy from all our foods. Sugar is not even essential to anyone’s diet.
Must we eat meat to be strong?
No. People on purely vegetable diets do manage very well. Meat is by no means important.
Which is better – brown or white bread?
Brown bread is better. Brown bread falls somewhere between wholemeal bread (which contains more of the B vitamins, iron, and a bit more protein) and white bread. Wholemeal bread contains 9 percent dietary fiber compared with 4 percent in white bread. When wheat is milled to make white flour, some nutrients are lost.
Are brown eggs better than white eggs?
No. The color of the eggshell has no bearing on the egg’s nutrient content. Probably the only difference is in the price of the egg. The kind of chicken that lays the brown eggs lays fewer eggs than the other kind, thus its eggs often cost more.
Is brown sugar better than white?
It matters not whether the sugar in your cupboard is brown or white. Both are nearly pure sucrose with the brown containing negligible traces of mineral salts and B vitamins. The very dark sugar is 91-96 percent sucrose while the very white sugar is 99.9 percent sucrose. The darkest sugar contains about 0.7 mg of iron and 10 mg of calcium per ounce, too small to do any good. White sugar contains no iron or calcium.
Are deep-colored egg yolks better than light yolks?
Yes, but only for vitamin A. As for protein or other vitamins, there’s no difference at all.
Is natural yogurt better than fruit-flavored yogurt?
Natural is used to refer to unsweetened yogurt while fruit yogurt is sweetened with sugar. Naturally, the former is better than the latter.
Is honey a real darling?
Really now, sweetie, honey’s not all that it’s claimed to be. It’s just mostly sugar (70 to 75 percent solution of glucose and fructose) and one quarter water with minimal traces of vitamins. Its color and flavor depends on the flowers from which the nectar was obtained.
Which is less fattening – margarine or butter?
Neither. They both contain 85 percent fat and an equal number of calories.
Is yellow butter better than pale butter?
Yes and no. Yes, if the yellow color comes naturally from the grass the cows ate, which makes the butter richer in carotene (vitamin A). If it’s colored artificially, there’s no guide to go by.
Is the vitamin C from fruit also present in jam?
Yes, but very, very little of it. Jams are 67 percent sugar.
Which is better for slimming – white wine or red wine?
Neither. They both supply 70 calories per 3-1/2 oz glass if dry, increasing to 80 calories in medium, and 90 calories in sweet wine. The sweeter the wine, the more sugar it contains. So drink in moderation – or not at all if you’re trying to lose weight.
Should you drink less when on a reducing diet?
Please don’t. Water is essential to the body. If you drink more than you need, the body flushes it out. If you severely limit your fluid intake, you will only lose weight by dehydration (loss of body fluid), which is very dangerous. Worry not, no matter how much you drink, your body will not retain any more than it needs.
Does grapefruit burn off fat?
No. This so-called grapefruit diet being pushed to sell grapefruits only succeeds in burning a hole in your pocket. Fact is, no food burns off fat.
Are bananas fattening?
Sort of. Bananas contain 20 percent sugar so they contain more calories than most fruits. In calories per mouthful, they are then fattening.
Are all sweet foods fattening?
Unless artificial sweeteners are used, sweet foods generally contain a lot of sugar and are therefore higher in calories than foods that are not sweet. Besides, if you like sweet things, you tend to eat more of them and it is this that makes you fat.
Is sugar essential for energy?
No. We get energy from all our foods. Sugar is not even essential to anyone’s diet.
Must we eat meat to be strong?
No. People on purely vegetable diets do manage very well. Meat is by no means important.
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