The whole-grain craze kicked white bread into the ranks of junk food but new research says to eat up and savor every pillowy bite due to the beneficial gut bacteria it promotes. In a pilot study a Spanish research team from the University of Oviedo in Spain concluded that the defamed staple encourages the growth of bacteria that actually protect against disease rather than causing it. The team worked with 38 healthy adults and asked them about their diets. They also conducted stool sample analysis. White bread provides hemicellulose and resistant starch which encourages the spread of Lactobacillus. Derived from
