Is White Bread Good for You?

Let’s say you get a typical dinner roll when you’re at a restaurant. Should you eat it? Look, it’s free, and has eight essential nutrients. Is it better than nothing? No. It’s not nutritionally worth it, and I’ll show you why in a second.

We should strive to eat whole foods. There’s really only one common whole plant food that isn’t worth it, and I’ll give you a hint: it’s either iceberg lettuce or white potatoes. Do you think iceberg lettuce is better than nothing? Or is it the potatoes that are worth eating?

Iceberg lettuce is one of the least nutritious vegetables. So, if you have a choice, always choose a healthier salad green, but it is still better than nothing. I recommend, however, you pass on the potatoes.

This year, in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, eating non-fried white potatoes was associated with a 50% increased risk of kidney cancer. Same with eating white bread—50% increased risk of cancer. That’s why the dinner roll isn’t worth it, either.

To put it into context, though, meat, in this study, was associated with a 400% increased risk. Which food cut the risk in half, though? Dark green leafy vegetables.

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by veganmontreal.

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• J Am Diet Assoc. 2009 Apr;109(4):656-67. Food groups and renal cell carcinoma: results from a case-control study. Grieb SM, Theis RP, Burr D, Benardot D, Siddiqui T, Asal NR.

Images thanks to aesop via Flickr.

• bread
• grains
• greens
• kidney cancer
• lettuce
• meat
• potatoes
• processed foods
• vegetables
• wheat