Felix Lopez Elorza, president of the Andalusian Society for the Study of Food Intolerances and specialist in clinical biochemistry, recommends eating sourdough and slow fermentation bread, as these are less intolerant to consumers.
Currently, there is a trend that is becoming popular: to stop eating bread. The reason given is that “it is bad for you and makes you put on weight”. However, bread is one of the primary and most important elements in our diet. While it is true that we should choose healthy bread, we should not neglect its consumption, says López.
Sourdough bread is the bread that was eaten fifty years ago, a bread that did not make anyone sick. It was nutritious and fought perfectly against the food shortages experienced in Spain. The current version of this food is not very nutritious in comparison and breaks the glycemic index, assures the biochemist.
Bread is an indispensable food in any diet, but only if it is an adequate one. The problem is that socially this food is not being given the utmost importance it has.
Dr. Felix Lopez gives us 3 keys to identify a healthy and quality bread:
- It is essential that it is golden brown.
- It must maintain its sponginess for up to six days after baking.
- When sliced, it should not crack.
What is sourdough and why is it healthier?
The concept of sourdough has gained great importance lately in the gastronomic field, but what exactly is sourdough? It is a dough that contains a set of enzymes capable of fragmenting wheat proteins, so that when you eat a sourdough bread you consume small fractions of these macronutrients. López Elorza, however, clarifies that if the bread’s sourdough is of poor quality, it can harm our organism by not allowing the proteins to be digested correctly.
Despite the importance of this element of bread, it should be noted that it is not the only aspect to take into account. It is important to make sure that it is a slow fermentation bread, which allows the proteins to be converted into amino acids, easier to be absorbed by our digestive tract. The same thing happens with sugars, which are destroyed by fermentation, allowing a diabetic person to consume it.
The differences, then, are that one bread is more industrial and poorly elaborated; the other is artisanal and healthy. The current breads are difficult to digest by our organism and provide an excess of proteins and sugars.
How to recognize healthy bread?
According to Jorge Pastor, R&D&I director of Novapan/ Panishop, the aspects that a healthy bread should have are the following:
- Appreciable sensory values in terms of flavor, aroma, crust color and crumb structure.
- Reduction of gluten to improve digestion.
- Greater satiety compared to the one not made from sourdough, thanks to the combination of lactic acid and fiber.
- Lower glycemic index that will allow diabetics to consume it.
- Higher nutritional capacity for our organism.