You know, bread has copped it’s fair share of flak over recent years. Diets such as the paleo diet and the ketogenic diet have vilified bread and all grain based foods as evil incarnate – be sure to wear a necklace of garlic cloves and carry a bottle of holy water if even entering into the same room as a loaf of bread! However a healthy diet is about moderation and balance, and should encompass a variety of different foods including for most people some grains. There is an important distinction though between our modern interpretation of grain based foods (think fluffy white bread and sugar laden breakfast cereals) and the way humans have historically consumed grains – enter sourdough bread.
Fun fact – most bread consumed in the past was in fact true sourdough prepared through the fermentation of the starchy components of flour by bacterial cultures. It was at the court of Louis XIV of France in 1668 that yeast was first introduced as an alternative to traditional sourdough culturing in order to speed up the process of bread making. At the time there was a considerable backlash to the idea of this new method, with many fearing a loss of both taste and nutrition (as it turns out both of these fears were absolutely justified).
The main benefts of traditional sourdough bread are an increased absorption and utilisation of the nutrients found in bread, as well as a reduction in the phytic acid ‘anti-nutrients’ which can limit mineral absorption and cause gastrointestinal inflammation. Furthermore, I frequently see food sensitivity reactions to yeast in many of my patients, and a true sourdough bread avoids the use of yeast entirely. There is even some suggestion that traditional sourdough bread may be tolerated by those with coeliac disease!
When purchasing sourdough bread, be sure to question whether it has been prepared with a starter culture over many hours, and also make sure it does not contain yeast. Many breads sold as sourdough still include yeast and have not been properly fermented prior to baking. Vinegar is also often added to give the ‘sour’ taste associated with sourdough bread (although once you are familiar with the flavour of true sourdough you will never be duped by a fake imposter again).
If you want to attempt your own sourdough, be sure to buy a starter from a reputable source (I like the Health Kulcha sourdough starter sold in Australia), or if you are lucky you can inherit one from a friend. Activating a culture takes time and patience (up to 5 days to get it started) but once up and running the reactivation process only takes a couple of hours (you need to reactivate before each loaf of bread). There are many recipes available, but I like to keep it simple and make a spelt sourdough with only the activated starter, spelt flour, water and salt. I also cheat and use a breadmaker (don’t tell the purists!) which works just fine and makes the process much easier.
As always, although sourdough bread is a much healthier alternative to modern varieties moderation is still key. A healthy diet should contain a variety of vegetables and fruits, some lean meat (with a preference for clean fish), healthy fats in the form of olive oil and avocado, nuts and seeds, and some properly processed legumes (if tolerated).
So eat your sourdough bread (but not too much) and let go of the ‘bread guilt’.
In wellness,
James
