The forbidden…loaf?
Bread is evil. End of story. Many fitness crazes will have you believe the previous consequences. But despite the simple sugars it’s a lot more complex (see what we did there?) than that. Bread gets a bad rap because of its high glycemic index (GI), however altering the molecular structure (how it’s baked, what you put on it, fermentation, how it’s served etc.) makes this a very fluid concept. This white washing of all breads as Type II diabetes causing, morbidly obsessed exacerbating catalyst has caused the modern day demonization of this ancient life giving food.
The truth is bread is a healthy way to access a wide variety of nutrients, you just have to know what to look for.
3. Stone Ground Bread & Whole Grain
Whole grain breads are made from unprocessed kernels. This includes whole wheat bread. Be sure to check the label or stamp – Loaves labeled “whole grains” aren’t necessarily free of refined flour. Look for a “100% whole grain” stamp. Also, don’t confuse whole grain with multi-grain as multi-grain is often processed.
Stone ground is always an awesome choice because it refers to “stone-milling” which is an old school way to ground flour. This tends to make rough less refined bread which makes the body work harder in breaking down, thus producing a lower GI (glycemic Index).
2. Ezekiel Bread
Ezekiel bread is made from sprouted grains and one slice contains 80 calories, 4 grams of complete protein, 3 grams of fiber, and decent amounts of various nutrients. Funnily enough, most of the recipe actually comes from the book of ezekiel from the bible.
- Sourdough Bread
This might be the king of breads…whatever that means. Sourdough. Sourdough bread is made by the fermentation of dough using naturally occurring lactobacilli and yeast. Sourdough bread has a mildly sour taste not present in most breads made with baker’s yeast and better inherent keeping qualities than other breads, due to the lactic acid produced by the lactobacilli.
Not only is it paleo friendly, but sourdough is also awesome because it’s…
- Extremely complex – contains a ton of nutrients including B1-B6, B-12, vitamin E, selenium, manganese, calcium, etc.
- Complex proteins and fatty acids
- The gluten it contains is broken down by amino acids
- Sourdough bread has a nominal amount of phytic acid, thus allowing your gut to absorb most of sourdough’s nutrients.
- The bacteria have produced acetic, propionic, and lactic acid, which have reduced starch availability, thereby lowering the GI and improving glucose metabolism in general.
There you have it, 3 types of bread that won’t kill you. If you get lost just remember, “whole grain” is good, the less ingredients the better (flour, yeast, water, and salt), and sourdough is God!
Try these 3 bread commandments and tell us what you think.
