The healthiest bread Brits can eat isn’t white or brown – it is in fact the more up-market sourdough and the reasons why are little-known.
Bread is a staple food in many countries and cultures across the world. This is no exception in the UK where we collectively buy around 11 million loaves every single day.
It’s tasty, filling and versatile, making it a popular addition to breakfasts, lunch and dinners. Not only this but it can provide some of the nutrients our bodies need as part of a healthy balanced diet.
That said, there is a huge range in types of bread out there providing varying levels of nutrition.
With this in mind an expert spoke exclusively with Express.co.uk about the best and worst types of bread you can consume for your health. Doctor Deborah Lee, from the Dr Fox Online Pharmacy, named which loaves to avoid and which to eat more of.
The worst bread for your health
According to Dr Lee, the least healthy type of bread is “unfortunately” the UK’s favourite. This is mass-produced shop-bought white bread. Approximately 876 million loaves of white bread are sold every year in the UK, and it accounts for 71 percent of all bread eaten.
But why is white bread bad for your health? Dr Lee explained: “It’s an ultra-processed food. When making white bread flour, the wheat grain is ground up and the bran and the germ are removed, leaving only the carb-laden endosperm.
“Stripping off these parts of the grain means the flour has far less fibre than whole grain (brown) flour, and also a much reduced vitamin content.
“We should all be eating less processed and ultra-processed food.”
She referenced a scientific review, published in the British Medical Journal this year in which the authors found that a high intake of ultra-processed food increases the risk of 32 serious medical conditions.
Dr Lee also warned about the effect it can have on your blood sugar.
“It’s high carb, with a high glycaemic load,” she said. “This means when you eat white bread, glucose is rapidly released into the bloodstream resulting in a spike in glucose levels. As the glucose level then falls rapidly, this triggers hunger and just makes you want to eat more food.”
She added: “Research has shown that eating white bread is addictive – it stimulates the pleasure/reward centres in the brain, in the same way for example, as the brain reacts to a dose of cocaine!
“After eating it, people experience dietary cravings. In one study, those who ate white bread ate 500 more calories when they had their next meal, than those who had had brown bread.”
Dr Lee also listed the following issues with mass-produced white bread:
- It lacks fibre and is a cause of constipation
- It contains preservatives
- It is often high in salt.
The best bread for your health
In contrast, she recommended eating more sourdough bread made with whole grain flour.
She said: “Sourdough is a special type of bread that doesn’t use yeast to rise. Instead, a starter culture is used which is a fermented mixture of flour, water and healthy bacteria along with wild yeast.
“The heat of baking destroys many of the healthy bacteria, but it still contains high levels of lactic acid, which acts as a natural preservative in the bread.
“It has a high fibre content and acts as a prebiotic – these are important food constituents that are indigestible, and provide a food source for colonic bacteria.”
According to Dr Lee it is also rich in vitamins and minerals including folate, niacin, calcium, potassium and magnesium.
Compared to white bread, it is also better for blood sugar levels.
“It has a lower glycaemic index – eating sourdough bread is less likely to cause a spike in glucose levels as it releases energy much more slowly than traditional white bread and has a lower glycaemic index,” she said.
However, she did warn that sourdough can also be high in salt – so always read the label.
Dr Lee added: “If you don’t like the taste of sourdough, it’s better to go for wholemeal instead of white bread, as you are getting the benefit of the whole grain.”
