Bread is often demonized along with many other carbohydrates, but Dr. Chintal Patel recently released a video encouraging its consumption – but under one condition.
In a viral clip shared on Instagram @drchintalskitchen, the London-based GP explains why you should always freeze bread before eating it.
The 47-year-old told Newsweek: “Bread is a type of starchy carbohydrate. For a balanced meal, starchy carbohydrates should ideally make up about 25 percent of your plate. I would pay attention to both the quality and quantity of the bread.”
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TikTok/@drchintalskitchen
In the clip, which has been viewed 2.3 million times, she explains that when you freeze bread overnight and then reheat it, the molecular structure of the starch in bread changes.
“This is the type of starch that feeds your gut bacteria (and) helps build a healthy gut microbiome,” she says, adding, “This also lowers the glycemic index of the bread.”
Patel said: “Regular, mass-produced, highly processed bread is broken down into sugars quickly by the body. The rate at which carbohydrate-containing foods are broken down into sugars is called the glycemic index. Mass-produced, highly processed bread has a higher glycemic index than whole grain bread and therefore raises blood sugar levels faster.
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“However, if you freeze or refrigerate bread or other starchy carbohydrates such as rice, potatoes and pasta for 12 hours and then reheat or toast it, you change its molecular structure so that it contains more resistant starch. This increases the glycemic index of the same slice of bread. This is particularly helpful for diabetics, for example.”
The most popular types of bread in the United States are whole wheat and multigrain bread. According to Statista, this doughy staple was consumed by 192 million Americans in 2020. Followed by white bread, consumed by more than 135 million Americans, and bran bread was the least popular.
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Should you eat bread every day?
According to a 2017 study published in the journal Nutrients, people are consuming fewer grain-based foods. The study found that consumption of bread, rolls, tortillas and ready-to-eat cereals accounts for less than 15 percent of all calories in U.S. consumers’ diets.
This statistic may not surprise many, as bread is often the first thing thrown away in diets. The website of one wholesaler and retailer, Country Life Natural Foods, states that store-bought bread contains many ingredients, including artificial fertilizers, pesticides, high-yield wheat varieties, preservatives and enzymes used by wheat farmers and distributed by industrial bread manufacturers to meet huge consumer demand and keep the bread fresher longer.
Patel said Newsweek that daily bread consumption depends on the individual’s general diet, which means that there is no harm in adding a slice of bread to a healthy and balanced diet. In fact, studies have shown that the Mediterranean diet is the best, and this includes daily consumption of bread.
Which bread is the best?
There are many different types of bread, from whole grain bread to highly processed white bread with many additional additives.
Patel said Newsweek: “Ideally, try to avoid or reduce mass-produced, highly processed bread, which often contains lots of additives to extend shelf life, etc. Try to eat bread made from whole grains, which have more fibre. This could be whole wheat bread, or bread made from alternative whole grains or sprouted whole grains, such as Ezekiel, pumpernickel or rye bread.
“My personal favorite is a whole grain sourdough starter. Or if you can bake your own whole grain bread, then you know exactly what’s in it. It’s a lot easier than you think.”
Instagram Reactions
So far, the May 15 video has nearly 40,000 likes and 990 comments — many of them from users who already freeze bread, but for other reasons, such as saving money.
“I always freeze my bread, but also because it takes me forever to finish a loaf! I didn’t know I was doing something good!” said one person.
Another wrote: “Freeze the bread, make sandwiches in the morning, perfect for lunch, no ice pack needed.”
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