Integral, sourdough or marraqueta, which is the healthiest bread?

Flour, yeast, water and salt, it’s bread. This favorite food of Chileans that accompanies each meal, whether for tea, lunch, breakfast, snack.

If there is one food that cannot be missing in any Chilean home, it is bread. No matter what neighborhood, time or variety we choose, the figures confirm that our country is the first consumer on the continent and the second in the world.

According to data from the Chilean Federation of Industrial Bakers (Fechipan) Andhe average consumption of bread in the country is between 88 and 90 kilos per inhabitant, being surpassed only by Turkey and Germany in the world. In Latin America, we are by far the number one.

Argentina, Peru and Bolivia have an approximate consumption of 30 kilos per capita, that is to say three times less than us. To make these calculations, the presentation that each country makes at the Congress of the International Union of Bakers and Confectioners, UIBC (for its acronyms in English).

Although they are widely consumed, there are those who limit their intake and that of other carbohydrates when trying to have a healthier diet or lose weight. Although a low carbohydrate diet may be beneficial for some, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends consuming 250 grams of bread per day . But which bread is better or healthier?

According to Samuel Durán, nutritionist director of the Master of Public Health Nutrition at the University of San Sebastián, whole wheat bread is healthier to eat because it is rich in fiber. But what is really important is the way of consuming the bread, more than the type.

“You need to consume about 25 grams of fiber a day. According to the latest national dietary survey, men consume 12.5 grams of fiber and women 11.5, that is, we meet half of the fiber requirement,” says Durán.

Consuming fiber has important health effects : prevents diseases such as colon cancer, helps maintain a good body weight, increases stool volume, improves intestinal transit, helps the bacteria that live in the intestinal microbiota to be healthy, regulates appetite, among others.

Thus, the consumption of fiber is essential in the body. “Whole grains are the biggest contributors of fiber to the diet, and last are fruits and vegetables, which people think are the biggest contributors but are actually whole grains, and among whole grains, bread is a very important source of fiber, especially when it comes to whole grain bread” explains the nutritionist.

Here are some of the best healthy bread options that Samuel Durán suggests consuming:

The definition of sourdough is a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeasts made from flour and water. Culture requires human intervention for it to succeed. Fermentation is a natural process, but to keep it from rotting, the right conditions are created for it to stay consistent, puff up, and achieve a crispy crust and complex flavor.

The nutritionist recommends wholemeal sourdough bread because, in addition to all the benefits that fiber brings to the body, sourdough increases the accessibility of nutrients.

According to Colorado State University leaven contains more minerals than the intestine can absorb, Unlike commercial baker’s yeast, sourdough organisms can quickly break down the phytate complex, a molecule that sequesters calcium, sodium, zinc, and magnesium.

“This fermentation that happens in sourdough, what it does is improve the absorption of iron, calcium, magnesium and zinc thus making whole wheat bread more nutrient dense,” he notes.

It is also recommended for those who control their blood sugar. A University of Guelph study in Canada, found lower glycemic responses than whole grain breads.

Whole wheat bread is made from whole wheat flour, which means it the grains remain intact when making bread. It may also contain other grains, such as oats, barley or rye, which can add nutritional diversity to the diet.

The cereal grain consists of three main parts: the endosperm, the germ and the bran, where many vitamins and minerals are found. When making white bread, manufacturers remove the germ and bran and use only the endosperm, omitting important vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytonutrients, which prevent cell damage. Instead, wholemeal bread preserves the germ and bran.

Durán mentions the importance of looking at the ingredients if you’re buying packaged whole-wheat bread. “It is important that the consumer, if they are interested in whole wheat bread, look for one that is made with whole wheat flour, regardless of its color, but that they look for its ingredient which is 100% whole wheat flour or it’s whole wheat bread.”

If a product is really complete, Whole wheat flour must be listed as the first ingredient and no other type of flour, such as enriched wheat flour used to make white bread.

The marraqueta is a hard temptation to resist. It’s not for nothing that 70% of Chileans choose it over other types of bread, according to Fechipan. Although it does not have a great fiber contribution, since it is made from refined flour, it has other characteristics that, according to Durán, position it in third place.

“It’s low in fat since they usually don’t add butter. That would be healthy from a fat standpoint, not a fiber standpoint. Explain.

Among the benefits of marraqueta we can mention that it does not contain cholesterol, it is low in total fat, it does not contain saturated fat, it is low in carbohydrates and sugars.

So in the accessibility of people, the marraqueta is not a bad option, after all the bread itself does not make you fat but rather the quantities and the accompaniment that make you fat.

Bread is part of a healthy diet in almost every diet in the world. Historically, it was part of a healthy dietbut as long as it is consumed in moderate amounts also associated with what we add to bread.

Eating bread with tomato or avocado is not the same as eating bread with pâté or a hamburger with hallulla. It’s also not the same to eat untoasted or lightly toasted bread as it is to eat heavily toasted bread. The nutritionist explains that toasting bread increases levels of acrylamide, which is carcinogenic “Therefore, we can have very fantastic bread from a nutritional point of view, but if we like extremely toasted bread, we generate compounds that are not healthy.”

Regarding the quantities, Durán explains that it is difficult to indicate the quantity of bread to consume because it depends on the body, physical activity, purpose, etc. An athletic person and a sedentary person can consume completely different amounts. There are even people who can live without bread and there is nothing wrong with that.

However, Durán indicates that in Chile the bread is fortified with iron, with folic acid and is with restoration of B-complex vitamins Therefore, stopping eating bread, if not replaced with other foods containing these nutrients, could be a bit complex for your health. Durán’s conclusion is that bread should be able to be an integral part of the diet, taking care of the quantities and accompaniments.