Whether the toast is golden or dark, the bread is frozen or fresh, the structure of the bread can change and affect your health.
Frozen bread
The glycemic response of bread (the rate at which starch breaks down into sugar) is different when frozen, thawed, and toasted compared to freshly baked bread.
This is a 2008 study by Oxford Brookes University, published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, blaming the fact that starch molecules change composition and become more resistant to digestion, senior lecturer. Dr. Sangeetha Thondre of. She majored in nutrition at the University’s Nutrition and Health Center.
The structure of starch is destroyed by the freezing process, making it difficult for digestive enzymes in the mouth and intestines to break it down, says Dr. Tondre.
“When you thaw the bread, these starches can’t be restored to their original state, and in fact, they’re harder to digest,” she adds.
For most people, this is a good thing. A high percentage of “resistant starch” may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes by allowing the body to slowly digest frozen bread, causing a milder blood sugar spike than freshly baked bread. Because there is. ..
That’s one of the reasons Dr. Michael Mosley, a Daily Mail columnist, loves to put bread in the freezer and toast it from the freezer, one slice at a time.
“Resistant starch means that less calories are absorbed by the body. Therefore, more calories are available to the microbiota (gut microbiota), which can nourish and multiply the” good bacteria. ” You can, “he says.
Freshly baked bread
The health benefit of freshly baked bread is its high water content. Dr. Sarah Schenker, a nutritionist, explains: “White flour is fortified with two water-soluble B vitamins, niacin and thiamine, in addition to iron and calcium.
“Higher water content enhances their absorption.”
Frozen and toasted bread slows digestion, but fresh white bread has a high glycemic index and is a useful source of energy before exercise. That is, blood sugar levels are converted to sugar faster and energy is supplied. For exercise.
The low levels of resistant starch make fresh bread easier to digest for those who may suffer from bloating and gas.
And white sliced mass-produced bread is categorized as “super-processed food (regular consumption is associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes)”, but naturally fresh from a local bakery. Bread is a nutritious option.
Staling pan
Old bread may not be very palatable, but it may be a healthy option — perhaps even lowering the risk of intestinal cancer.
In a 2017 study, researchers at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia baked white bread and left it at various temperatures for up to a week.
Next, we tested the ground sample and found that old bread crumbs had higher levels of resistant starch than fresh bread.
When gut bacteria feed on these starches, they convert them to fatty acids, which protect them from intestinal cancer, the researchers said.
These fatty acids also stimulate hormones that tell the brain that we are full.
Dr. Thondre says it’s better to age bread in a jar of bread than in the refrigerator, as the drier the bread, the slower the metabolism in the intestines.
Overcooked bread
Like freezing, toasting bread changes starch molecules, making them more resistant to digestion and less likely to cause a sudden spike in blood sugar.
A 2008 Oxford Brookes University study found that toasting fresh bread had a 25% lower glycemic response than fresh bread, but toasting frozen bread had an extra strain process in the molecules. Occurs and its response is reduced by almost 40%.
However, lightly toasted bread destroys some of the vitamin B, while burnt toast contains acrylamide, a compound produced in starchy foods by high-temperature cooking methods such as roasting, baking, and fried foods. It has been.
High levels of acrylamide can increase the risk of cancer.
Human studies are not yet definitive, but in 2017, the Food Standards Agency decided to change toast to golden yellow instead of dark brown or black to reduce acrylamide exposure as more acrylamide is found in dark areas. Recommended to cook.
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