Bread is an everyday staple food, which we get to enjoy in many forms: freshly baked from the baker, packaged for sandwiches, as a bagel etc. Since it’s a food choice we make so often, we need to be well informed and make the best choice for us and our families, if we don’t want to eventually harm our bodies. As you already know, white bread made from refined white flour is not healthy neither for our gut microbiome and immune system nor for our silhouette. White flour is made be removing the bran and the germ from the grain, leaving only the endosperm. This process “steals” most or all of the fiber, vitamins, and minerals found in the grain, with the remaining endosperm providing quick, easily digestible carbohydrates, but not much else, which is not something you’ll find a dietitian often suggest, especially in people with chronic inflammation, chronic pain and autoimmune diseases.
This is not the only thing, though, we must know about bread. So let’s see 4 essential tips that will let you make the best choice and enjoy bread in your diet without second thoughts.
Prefer real whole wheat bread
As mentioned before, white bread is a no-no in our everyday nutrition. But picking any “dark bread” you’ll see on the shelf won’t do. You must check the ingredients and take a look at the first one on the list. If you see “whole wheat flour” first, then it means this bread is made totally or mostly by whole-wheat flour, so it’s probable a good choice. If the first ingredient is white flour and the second is whole-wheat flour, then this means that this bread is made mostly by white refined flour so leave it and go for the next one. If you get it from the baker, you must trust him that the whole-wheat bread he’s baking is indeed made by mostly whole-wheat flour. Even better, prefer bread that’s 100% whole-wheat either from the baker or packaged. If it’s packaged, check to see if it says 100% whole-wheat and if so, pick it, as it’s lower in fat, with no cholesterol, rich in fibre, protein, minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, phytochemicals and resistant starch. These nutrients ensure better balance in your gut microbiome, better immune system and protection against cardiovascular diseases, strokes, diabetes, obesity and certain types of cancer. If you want to bake it yourself, don’t hesitate to use whole-wheat flour. It’s true that such flours may provide a heavier and not easy to rise bread, but try it and maybe use small quantity of regular flour to help it.
Mind the sodium
Most bread products contain more than enough sodium, which is added so as to control yeast, as well as taste. If you consume three servings of whole-wheat bread every day, you may want to know that each serving reaches about 200mg of sodium, which adds up to 600mg of sodium for three servings, equal to 1/3 of our sodium daily dose. This means that again you must check the labels and prefer breads with the lowest amount of sodium or talk to your baker so that he’ll inform you on that matter.
Look for special nutrients
Besides being 100% whole wheat and low in sodium, your bread could have other healthy characteristics. You can look, for example, for a bread that’s made of organic yeast and ingredients (like wheat) produced with no chemicals and synthetic fertilizers. It may be produced with filtered water, which means that you avoid harmful substances and heavy metals like mercury. Furthermore, you can check out to see if it has low content in sugars, if it is enhanced with nutrients like omega-3 etc. All these apply to packaged breads and you’ll need to check their labels to make the best choice. You can also try spelt whole wheat bread, which is easily dissolved in water and helps absorb its nutrients, while it contains mucopolysaccharides which help support the immune system.
Try gluten-free
If you suffer from celiac disease, an autoimmune disease in the small intestine, you already know that you can’t eat gluten, which is a protein found in wheat, spelt, rye, barley and whatever is produced by them (bread, pasta, crackers, baked goods, cereal etc). But, even if you don’t have this condition, gluten may affect gut microbiome, with some people being more sensitive to it than others. Research has shown that gluten can have long-term effects in gut microbiome, which you may want to avoid. Maybe you should try some gluten-free bread and see if you can notice any benefits on your health.
Resources
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5310957/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6722563/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7353361/
Find out more tips about your everyday plant-based diet and see autoimmunity and health protocols that will benefit you in www.feedyourimmunity.com.
