Mediterranean Diet Bread
By this point, you've probably heard more than your fair share of negative comments regarding bread: It leads to foggy thinking! I will give you dementia! It makes you fat! On the other hand, Mediterranean diet bread is not off-limits if you subscribe to the Mediterranean diet school of thought (or if you just like carbohydrates and are looking for an additional excuse to consume them).
According to Christy Brissette, RD, owner of 80 Twenty Nutrition in Chicago, "Bread is a classic element of the Mediterranean diet." Bread is a staple food in the Mediterranean region. Whole grain flour that had been stone ground was used to make handmade pita bread and pitas, which could be eaten on their own or dipped in olive oil, bean, or yogurt dips.
Mediterranean Diet Bread
Of course, not all loaves are equal. "When you think about the health advantages of the Mediterranean diet, think traditional: Go for whole grain rather than processed grains," she adds. "When you think about the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet, think olive oil." To summarise, whether you are following the Mediterranean diet or not, the kind of bread that is best for your health is traditional whole grain bread. Brissette states, "Whole grains include fiber, antioxidants, and phytochemicals as well as B vitamins, vitamin E, iron, and magnesium." [Citation needed] [Citation required] Regular consumption of whole grains has been associated with a reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and some forms of cancer.
Keri Glassman, MS, RD, CDN, co-founder, and CEO of The Nutritious Life Studio CEO, agrees; however, she adds an interesting twist. She claims that sprouted bread, such as Ezekiel bread, is her go-to choice since it is produced with whole grains and has no sugar. "I always opt for sprouted bread," Glassman claims that sprouted bread is often made using sprouted whole grains or legumes, both of which increase the total amount of protein in the bread.
Mediterranean Diet Bread
According to Glassman, these two considerations are essential when selecting which bread to put in your shopping basket, and this is true regardless of the diet that you decide to follow. According to her, a significant number of bread includes sugar and chemicals such as hydrogenated oils. She advises that rather than putting sugar in bread, one should "keep their sugar for something like a chocolate chip cookie they've been yearning for or a piece of fruit."
Regarding other components that should be avoided, Glassman recommends keeping an eye on the salt content; a lot of pre-packaged sliced bread contains a lot of sodium. (Here's a helpful hint: Aim for less than 200 milligrams, and you'll get extra points if you can keep it under 100 milligrams.) According to Glassman, soybean flour or isolated soy proteins is another component that often appears in products. "An excessive amount of soy in our diet is not healthy, particularly processed soy, so that is something to stay away from when it comes to bread."
Mediterranean Diet Bread
"On some packages, it just says "wheat flour." That is just meaningless. Flour is always made from wheat." —says Keri Glassman, a registered dietitian, and certified nutritionist.
To address her second concern, choosing an option that contains whole grains will provide you with the most significant number of nutritious advantages. Despite this, the most important thing you can do is to make sure that the loaf you buy consists only of whole grains and that it is not simply whole wheat bread. "On some packages, it just says "wheat flour." That is just meaningless. Every kind of flour is made from wheat, "Glassman states. Brissette recommends looking for a brand with at least three grams of fiber per slice to guarantee that each meal provides the maximum amount of sustained energy.
Nobody is going to be surprised in the slightest to learn that the experts' least favorite bread is. Glassman asserts that white bread is the worst since it consists entirely of artificial sugar. Sugar, canola oil, and dry preserved yeast are used to prepare traditional white bread, and the dough is then left to rise. Also, don't be deceived by multigrain bread since it's just "white bread in disguise," as Brissette points out. "People believe it makes them healthier, but all that "whole grain" really implies is that the bread contains a variety of grains. Not all of them are made with entire grains."
Stick to whole grain bread made with actual ingredients, and your body will eventually acknowledge that the food you are putting into it is the greatest thing that has happened since, well, you know.
Jessie Van Amburg contributed additional reporting as well.
You could try this gluten free prebiotic banana bread or this long-fermented Mediterranean diet bread if you need some bread.