Going with the grain.

Call it genius. Call it an accident. But ever since some Stone-Ager mashed up a handful of grain and let it sit on a sun-baked rock for a few hours, bread has been part of our lives.

And while it's true that we don't live by it alone, we don't much like to live without it, either.

If only there weren't so darned many breads to choose from.

You've got white and rye, whole wheat and pumpernickel, oat bran and oatmeal. There's sourdough and French, Italian and Afghan, challah and bagels. And there's whole grain and multi-grain, cracked wheat and crushed wheat, light and enriched, stone ground and...

The dizzying selection is enough to make you miss the loaf for the slices. The truth is that while some breads are better than others, all breads are good for you. They're fairly low in fat and rich in the complex carbohydrates that health authorities say we need to eat more of.

Granted, bread does contribute more sodium to the average person's diet than any other single food--but only because we eat so much of it, not because any one slice is so salty. That's a reason to shop around for brands with less sodium, not to stop eating bread.

STALKING THE MAIN GRAIN

Just because all breads are complex carbohydrate champs doesn't mean they're all equally good for you.

If a bread doesn't have "whole wheat" or some other whole grain like oats as the first ingredient, much of its vitamin- and mineral-rich germ and bran and its fiber have been stripped away. That's not only true of white breads, but usually of "wheat" breads as well (they're made mostly of refined white flour).

And while some breads have been "enriched" ("partially restored" would be more accurate), that just means they've had three of the B-vitamins and iron added back to them. They're still not close to the whole-grain flour from whence they came. Missing is most of the fiber, chromium, copper, folic acid, magnesium, manganese, zinc, and vitamins B-6 and E.

Of course, that doesn't stop manufacturers from tripping over themselves trying to come up with tempting, whole-grainy-sounding names. Take Mrs. Wright's, which is one of Safeway's store brands. If we gave the Mrs. a little truth serum, she'd probably have to rename her "12 Grain Bread" something like "Mostly White Bread with a Little Crushed Wheat and a Sprinkling of 11 Other Grains."

Refined white flour is also the main grain in Roman Meal Sun Grain with Oat Bran Bread. Ditto for Roman Meal Light Seven Grain, Wonder Light Nine Grain, Arnold Bran'nola Nutty Grains, and Pepperidge Farm Hearty Slices Seven Grain. Take away their white flour and you're left with more sugar or corn syrup than any other grain.

As for the "Baked with the Wholesome Goodness of 3 Natural Brans" on the Pepperidge Farm Hearty Slices Seven Grain package: the bread has more salt than two of the three brans.

One way to avoid the multi-grain hanky-panky is to look for a bread with the words "whole wheat" in its name. The Food and Drug Administration requires that all the flour in a "whole wheat" bread--or roll or bun--be whole. (The rule doesn't apply to other products like crackers or waffles, so watch out.)

"LIGHTS" OUT

Call it the light paradox.

Two slices of whole wheat bread contain about four grams of fiber. Two slices of many "light" breads contain five or six grams. Yet the main ingredient in the lights is almost always fiber-poor refined white flour.

Turns out that many manufacturers add highly refined cellulose to their breads. You're better off with breads that have whole wheat or some other whole-grain flour as their first or only grain ingredient. Even if they've got some added refined cellulose, at least you know you're getting the vitamins, minerals, and whole fiber of the main grain.

COMIN' THROUGH THE RYE

Okay. Enough with the whole wheat already. What about rye and pumpernickel and sourdough and French?

Enjoy them. Their complex carbohydrates will do you a world of good. Just don't kid yourself into thinking that you're getting much whole grain. Oh, maybe a smidgen, but it usually comes after refined white flour.

Most pumpernickels, for example, are made by adding caramel coloring to white and rye flours.