I tend to avoid writing (and reading!) articles on the health benefits of xyz, considering the vast majority of them to be based on studies funded by whatever industry is going to benefit. Blueberries, pomegranates, omega-3s, natural sweeteners … what else has been in the media lately? People need to prep with what’s available to them and within their budgets and space constraints.
But bread is a little different, isn’t it? Most preppers plan to be making and eating a lot of it. It’s called the staff of life for a reason. The Savior chose bread to be the emblem for His body when He instituted the sacrament among His apostles. It’s relatively cheap and easy to store the raw ingredients. There’s a lot of calories in them thar buckets of wheat.
However, one of the challenges we face is ensuring that the food we feed our families is healthy. The problem is that many preppers haven’t been able to get on the whole-grain bandwagon when it comes to making bread for their families. Whole grain bread tends to be denser, especially as we’re still learning to work with it, and sometimes the family just doesn’t like the taste. Some people don’t have grain mills, or the mill they have doesn’t grind the wheat finely enough. The list goes on.
Sprouted grain bread is touted as the healthiest
option. It’s a bit of work. Whole wheat bread, my family’s go-to for forever
and which I’ve been baking for the last fifteen years, comes in at second. No surprise there, other than maybe not
realizing that sprouted grain was healthier.
What absolutely floors me, however, is that sourdough bread, even if
it’s made entirely with white flour (though better if you can replace some of
the white with whole wheat flour) comes in at third place.[1] And then if you made the sourdough with whole wheat flour it would be even healthier.
I’ve been making sourdough bread exclusively since my friend Abby taught a group of us how to do it last month and shared her starter. I need never buy a loaf of San Luis sourdough or any other brand ever again. I’ve been able to keep the starter going and I’ve dehydrated some starter in case I ever mess up or someone mistakenly throws it out.
And while I would bake sourdough just for the phenomenal taste and ease of making it as compared to my other yeast breads, sourdough has a couple of impressive health benefits to keep in mind.
Gut issues
Sourdough by nature is the best choice for gut health not only due to the good bacteria that aid digestion and but also the forms of fiber that it contains.[2]
Sourdough has far less gluten (however, it is not gluten-free) and fructans, forms of carbohydrate, than regular yeast breads. It isn’t a solution for those who are celiac or otherwise require gluten-free diets, but it does work for those who are plagued by irritable bowel syndrome, gas, or bloating.[3]
Diabetes
For those who are diabetic, sourdough bread is a much healthier choice as it has a lower glycemic index—the acetic and lactic acids that slow the digestion of carbohydrates mean that the blood sugars don’t spike as much after eating sourdough as compared to yeast breads.
General nutrition
While yeast bread contains iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc, these minerals are bound by phytic acid and thus unavailable to the body. The fermentation process in making sourdough breaks down phytates that bind the minerals in regular yeast bread, making them available to the body.
In addition, sourdough exerts some anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects that are being studied further.[4]
Links to related posts:
Three Perfect Ingredients Sourdough Bread
[1] https://www.eatingwell.com/article/7899934/healthy-breads-you-should-be-eating-according-to-a-dietitian/
[2] https://www.eatingwell.com/article/8047267/best-bread-for-gut-health/
[3] https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/nutrition/is-sourdough-bread-healthy-actually-what-science-says/ar-AA1j3j68?rc=1&ocid=winp1taskbar&cvid=bb21fd8aa5bf47078751fd222c135263&ei=11
[4] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30036730/
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