Rye flour contains twice as much fiber, iron, zinc, vitamin E, B-vitamins, and calcium as whole wheat flour. The amino acid profile of rye flour is also better than whole wheat. Does that make rye bread better for you than whole wheat? Not exactly, for two reasons. In its original form, or dark variety, rye flour is much more nutritious than wheat. But by the time the rye is refined, the “light rye” contains around half the nutrients of the original, dark rye. In addition, most American rye bread is not 100 percent rye, but a mixture of rye flour and refined wheat flour. So, by the time the factory turns rye into bread, the product that reaches the supermarket is either similar to, or less nutritious than, a slice of whole wheat bread. A mixture of whole rye flour (also called dark rye flour) and whole wheat flour would be a terrifically nutritious bread.
