What Kind of Vitamins Are in Fortified Bread?

Homemade bread is often just flour, egg, yeast and water. Commercial bread, on the other hand, can have dozen of ingredients. Breads are fortified with many different vitamins and other healthy additives.

The first fortification

• In 1941, bread began to be fortified with niacin, riboflavin, thiamin and iron to help reduce diseases related to nutritional deficiency. Recently, bakeries have also begun adding folic acid to breads for the same reason.

Calcium

• The human body absorbs calcium easier when it's consumed at the same time as protein. Bread is being fortified with calcium because many common menu ingredients, such as peanut butter or ham and cheese, contain protein.

Omega-3 fatty acids

• Bread manufacturers are increasingly adding ingredients which deliver Omega-3 fatty acids. Microencapsulated fish oil is being tried, while flaxseed is added much more often.

Protein

• Bakeries are adding soy protein more in recent years. Protein is found to be beneficial for many conditions including cancer, heart disease, asthma and bone density. Adding whole wheat can add to the protein count, as well.

Fiber

• Fiber is non-digestible, yet is beneficial to human health. It takes waste material out of our bodies, reducing some forms of cancer. Bakeries are fortifying breads with a variety of fiber sources, from whole grains to inulin.