Photo by: @sylvain_vernay

You may have heard a friend talk about how delicious sourdough bread is, right? Today, we learned from Authority Nutrition that sourdough bread has amazing health benefits! 

Low on the Glycemic Index

Diabetics can enjoy sourdough bread compared to other breads (especially commercial breads) because it falls lower on the glycemic index. This means that sourdough bread is less likely to raise your blood sugar levels although you should still eat it in moderation (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10).

But wait! There are more healthy benefits to eating sourdough!

High in Essential Minerals

Another great benefit of sourdough bread is that it contains a lot of the essential minerals the body needs for the best health. This bread has fiber, protein, iron, magnesium, zinc and potassium (11, 12). If you’re lacking in potassium intake, for example, you can prepare a banana sourdough bread since bananas are also high in potassium. Sourdough bread also contains folate (12).

Sourdough Bread Supports Probiotics

Sourdough's fermentation may also be found to have oligosaccharides that act as prebiotics in the body (13). These prebiotics are recognized to assist healthy probiotics that live in your intestines who actively boost your digestive system and immune system. In addition, this allows sourdough bread to reduce production of bad bacteria in the body as well.

The Acetic Acid Preserves The Bread

Another reason sourdough bread is healthy is that the acetic acid in it preserves the bread longer. As a result, the bread does not develop mold quickly and this means better tasting bread for you (14).

Offsets Presence of Phylates

The lactic acid that is present in sourdough bread reduces the presence of phylates (19). Phylates are not healthy nutrients and they often inhibit the proper absorption of minerals and vitamins into the body’s vital organs (20). When you eat sourdough bread, you don’t consume as many phylates as you would with other foods. In addition, some studies show that the lactic acid in sourdough bread causes the bread to give out antioxidants (16, 17, 18).

Sourdough Bread Assists Digestive Health

Sourdough bread is a fermented food and because of this, it helps your digestive system operate well (21). For example, sourdough bread can get your colon back in balance and if you combine the bread with other probiotic foods such as plain yogurt, your digestive system will work even better!

It Helps Boost Cognitive Health

The lactic acid in sourdough bread assists in cognitive health. This is because lactic acid prevents excitotoxicity, which comes as the result of too much glutamate. Excess glutamate contributes to overactive neurons and it leads to difficulty in converting food to energy in the body and brain. Excitotoxicity can be linked to mental disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and ALS (22). The lactic acid in sourdough bread also boosts orexin levels in the brain. This helps you regulate wakefulness and your appetite. When these things are inconsistent, a condition called narcolepsy occurs -- sourdough bread helps fix this (23).

Too much of anything is too much!

Although sourdough is now not only being recognized as a tasty bread but also a healthier one too. I am not a doctor, nutritionist, or have any professional background of that sort. These findings were discovered through my research and not intended as professional advice. I do recommend you to see your primary care doctor before embarking on any diet changes, although eating sourdough is widely available for everyone to enjoy in moderation! 

What do you think about these benefits? Share this post and Comment down below and we'll be happy to hear what you think and learned Bread Bosses!