Why weight watchers are choosing sourdough bread over regular bread | The Times of India (2024)

Bread is one of the essential breakfast items for most people, especially busy professionals who love themselves a quick bite to eat. For them, bread can be salvaging and time-saving.

However, if you're also someone who is looking to shed some kilos, bread isn't the best food, particularly white bread. But what about sourdough breads? Are they healthy, nutritious and weight loss-friendly? Let us find out.

Also read: Guide for busy people: Foods to eat everyday, as per nutritionists

The primary difference between a sourdough and a normal bread is that while a regular bread is kneaded with packaged yeast, sourdough bread is leavened with Lactobacillus bacteria and wild yeasts.

That said, to make a sourdough bread, you need a 'sourdough starter', which is prepared with a combination of bacteria and wild yeast mixed with flour and water, following which it is left to sit until the microbes ferment it. The sitting of the dough helps it rise.

Compared to a regular bread, the sourdough is thought to have more nutritional benefits due to the fermentation process it goes through. The sourdough, unlike other breads, contains lactic acid, which is said to neutralize the levels of phytates, since it lowers the pH of the bread. This is why it is believed that a sourdough bread has a higher level of available minerals than a regular bread.

Since sourdough bread is said to go through the fermentation process, many believe it may have several health benefits. Given that it contains beneficial bacteria and low phytates, some experts claim it makes sourdough bread easy to digest, while making it weight loss friendly.

Fermentation processes help in the production of special substrates called short-chain fatty acids, or SCFAs, which further aid in energy metabolism, lipolysis (fat metabolism) and appetite control.

According to the BMJ, studies have found that an increased production of SCFAs in the gut is associated with a decrease in diet-induced obesity.

Additionally, researchers have also suggested that sourdough bread enhances the growth of beneficial bacteria rather than undesirable microorganisms, which aids digestion and weight loss.

However, even a sourdough bread is high in carbs, which can limit your weight loss progress.

If you're looking to lose weight and have chosen to do it with sourdough bread, instead of choosing white flour, opt for whole-grain flour. The difference lies in the fibre-content in each. While a white flour contains 3.4 grams fibre per cup, whole-grain flour has 12.8 grams of fiber per cup.

High fibre intake of foods not only keeps digestive issues at bay, but also increases satiety and fullness, keeping unhealthy foods at bay and maintaining healthy weight.