Many people love to eat bread for breakfast, but the amount of starch often causes health concerns. To ease this concern, a doctor has shared tips to help you still enjoy bread without worrying about the harmful effects on your body.
Many people love to eat bread for breakfast, but the amount of starch often causes health concerns. To ease this concern, a doctor has shared tips to help you still enjoy bread without worrying about the harmful effects on your body.
Kunal Sood, a US-based interventional medicine specialist, has revealed a surprisingly healthy tip for eating bread. In a video posted on social media on November 28, the doctor explained: Freezing bread causes changes that can make it healthier, benefiting both the gut and blood sugar levels, according to the Hindustan Times.
What happens when bread is frozen?
According to Dr. Sood, freezing makes bread healthier. He explains: When bread is frozen and then thawed, some of the starch changes its structure and turns into resistant starch.
Resistant starch is a form of starch that the body does not fully digest. Instead of being broken down into sugar and absorbed, it acts like fiber, passing through the digestive system and becoming food for beneficial gut bacteria.
Freezing bread and then toasting it significantly reduces the glycemic response.
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Dr. Sood explains: The body digests resistant starch more slowly, which helps keep blood sugar levels more stable and less likely to spike after eating. This means resistant starch can support better blood sugar, improve digestion, and even potentially lower cholesterol.
What does science say about this tip?
One study looked at how freezing, thawing, and toasting bread affected the way the body processes glucose. Participants were asked to consume bread in different ways.
The results found that eating freshly baked bread caused the biggest increase in blood sugar, while freezing and then toasting bread significantly reduced the blood sugar response. This means that this simple trick could help reduce the spike in blood sugar after eating bread.
Specifically, freezing, thawing, and then re-toasting bread reduces the spike in blood sugar after a meal by up to 30% compared to freshly baked bread, according to Hindustan Times.
What happens when you bake bread after freezing it?
Toasting the bread after thawing further enhances the effect of the bread turning into resistant starch, says Dr. Sood. The slower digestion process not only helps control blood sugar levels but also supports gut health, he emphasizes.
Tips to make your bread healthier
In addition to the above tips for freezing bread, to make your bread healthier, pay attention to the amount you consume, the toppings you add, and the type of bread. Choose whole wheat bread, which is high in fiber and nutrients, and add protein like eggs, avocado, or spread with nut butter to keep your blood sugar stable and your hunger in check. Remember to watch your portion sizes and eat slowly!