By Allison Aubrey, NPR

We’ve all heard the advice to eat more whole grains, and cut back on refined starches.

And there’s good reason. Compared with a diet heavy on refined grains, like white flour, a diet rich in whole grains — which includes everything from brown rice to steel-cut oats to farro — is linked to lower rates of heart disease, certain cancers and Type 2 diabetes.

So when it comes to choosing bread, experts say, you want to move away from the white loaves in the grocery aisle. That’s because white flour is a high-glycemic food— like sugar.

“That white bread is going to digest much more quickly, leading to a surge and crash in blood sugar that may stimulate hunger later in the meal, but also raise risk for diabetes and heart disease,” says David Ludwig, physician of Boston Children’s Hospital.

But when you start looking for alternatives, it’s worth noting that not all loaves labeled “whole grain” or “whole wheat” are created equal. And that’s because wheat is milled in different ways.

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