Bread is the most widely consumed food in the world. Grains such as wheat, rye, oats and barley have been apart of primates and eventually humans’ diets for 4 million years. Read on to learn more about the health benefits of sourdough bread.
The real reason gluten-free diets and gluten intolerances are so prevalent in westernized culture is because of they way gluten-based products are produced.
We weren’t designed to ingest and assimilate the vegetable oils, additives and pesticides in processed breads, which fake freshness and make the bread as presentable and profitable as possible.
You’ll probably feel better after going gluten-free, but it’ll be thanks to the reduction of sugar and chemicals going into your system from processed wheat products, not from eliminating wheat itself.
Gluten-free diets have even been proven to cause negative consequences in the long-run, such as higher mercury levels, a compromised immune system, weight gain, higher cholesterol levels, decreased levels of good gut bacteria, and nutritional imbalances.
The answer to keeping the “staff of life” in your diet while still being healthy lies in eating real sourdough bread, the reasons being:
1. Bio-Availability of Key Nutrients
In one study, iron bioavailability was tested for three different bread making processes.
“When iron was added to the different breads’ digestions only sourdough bread elicited a significant ferritin response in Caco-2 cells (4.8-fold compared to the other breads) suggesting that sourdough bread could contribute towards improved iron nutrition.”
In another study, sourdough bread allowed for “maximal zinc absorption” compared to other forms of wheat.
Copper absorption also increased when rats were fed the sourdough bread, whereas unprocessed whole flour depressed copper absorption (-41% versus control diet).
The researchers concluded that sourdough bread is a better source of available minerals compared to other breads, especially magnesium, iron, and zinc, which is most likely due to the phytates in wheat being reduced during sourdough preparation compared to yeasted breads.
Phytates are anti-nutrients that bind to minerals in the digestive tract, making them less available to our bodies.
2. Low Glycemic Response
The less simple sugar in your diet, the healthier you will be.
Ingesting too many carbohydrates that spike insulin can lead to a variety of negative consequences:
- Increases body fat placing you at a
- Developing type 2 diabetes
- Negatively affecting sex hormones
- Cancer
- Encouraging arterial plaque
With sourdough, wheat is fermented with lactic acid bacteria and wild yeasts, so the grain is metabolized by the bacteria and lactic acid is produced.
Sourdough has reduced simple sugar content and high levels of lactic acid, which makes it unique from other types of bread.
In this study, sourdough bread showed lower blood sugar and insulin levels compared to other breads.
Another study in pre-diabetic patients found that sourdough bread elicited significantly lower glucose and insulin levels than regular bread. The researchers concluded that a diet including sourdough bread might delay the evolution of insulin resistance into diabetes itself.
3. Digestibility For Those Normally Sensitive To Gluten-Containing Foods
For celiac patients, gluten-free diets have been linked to nutritional deficiencies and weight gain. Numerous studies have demonstrated that gluten-free diet products are poor sources of minerals (such as iron), vitamins (such as folate, thiamine niacin and riboflavin) and fiber, so the nutritional content of gluten-free foods is an increasing area of concern.
In this study, gluten was degraded during sourdough fermentation and proved to be non-toxic for celiac patients.
4. Naturally Preserves Itself
Shelf life is no reason to buy anything you’re going to eat, but happens to be a convenient aspect of sourdough bread.
It naturally stays fresh for longer thanks to the presence of Acetic Acid produced during the making of sourdough, which inhibits the mold growth.
5. Optimizes The Gut’s Microbiome
People on gluten-free diets have decreased levels of good gut bacteria and increased levels of unhealthy gut bacteria.
Researchers have concluded that a gluten-free diet, even for just one month, could alter the microbes in such a way that it could cause the immune system to be compromized, not only in the gut, but also in the peripheral blood vessels.
The inulin and oligosaccharides in gluten-containing grains (wheat, barley, and rye) function as prebiotics, or energy for the good bacteria in the gut.
When we take all the digestive stimulation out of the diet by removing foods that are somewhat harder to digest, we may also be removing an immune-boosting stimulus that we have developed for millions of years. The concept that our overall health and immunity is determined and boosted by irritants and certain toxins is called “The Hygiene Hypothesis.” Since the discovery of the microbiome, this theory is gaining traction and certain harder-to-digest foods, are actually immune-boosters.
In Conclusion
Eat bread, and make it sourdough.
The ingredient list should be: flour, water, starter, salt.
Anything more and it’s not real sourdough.
