At Health + Healing we’re fans of all the food groups. Quite often what makes a food unhealthy versus healthy is what’s been done to it. Bread for example gets a bad rap with a lot of fad diets these days. All those carbs and dreaded gluten, tsk tsk. Yet for millenia civilizations relied on bread to nourish people. Is bread really bad? The thing is, the bread that fed our ancestors is very different from the bread we find on our grocery store shelves. For example, while a traditional loaf of bread contained only about four ingredients (flour, yeast, water, and salt), the ingredients of a modern store bought loaf can often go over ten items including copious amounts of sugar & chemical additives to soften, color, and preserve shelf life. While all of these additives appeal to the modern pallet they also leave bread hard to digest and nutritionally lacking.
On the flip side, a true sourdough (a lot of store brands use flavoring to mimic the characteristic tang) uses fermentation to unlock the nutritional potential in our baked goods. Fermentation increases the pre and probiotic properties to help feed and maintain a healthy gut. Sourdough has a lower glycemic load than other breads making it a useful tool for helping balance blood sugar. Meanwhile, it may offer hope to those who are sensitive to gluten. The fermentation process alters the enzymes in wheat, helping us to break down gluten. It’s thought that it may even help moderate the allergic response. Those who are sensitive to gluten but miss their baked goods may want to talk to their doctor or dietician about sourdough. So with all of those health benefits how do you know if what you have in your hands is a true sourdough?
Well, you can definitely make your own or you can purchase some of the awesome sourdough products we offer at Health + Healing. When you are out and about shopping though there are some rules to help you find the real thing. The ingredient list should be short and the ingredients easily recognizable. The first ingredient should always be a whole grain flour. Yeast is a no-no. Instead you want to see a cultured flour starter, though the wording for this might vary from brand to brand. Happy hunting!