Bread is often confused with other carbohydrates, but Dr. Chintal Patel recently shared a video encouraging consumption—but under one condition.
In a viral clip shared to Instagram @drchintalskitchen, a general practitioner, from London explains why you should always freeze bread before eating.
A 47-year-old man told Newsweek: “Bread is a type of starchy carbohydrate, ideally starchy carbohydrates should make up about 25 percent of your plate for a balanced meal. I would focus on the quality of the bread, as well as the quantity.”
TikTok/@drchintalskitchen
During the clip, which has 2.3 million views, he explains that freezing the bread overnight and then reheating it changes the molecular structure of the starch in the bread.
“This is a type of starch that feeds gut bacteria (and) helps build a healthy gut microbiome,” he said, adding “it also lowers the glycemic index of bread.”
Patel says: “Regular, mass-produced, ultra-processed bread is broken down by the body very quickly into sugar. The speed at which carbohydrate foods are broken down into sugar is known as the glycemic index. Mass-processed bread will have a higher glycemic index than wheat bread so it can increase blood sugar levels faster.
“However, when you freeze or refrigerate bread, or other starchy carbohydrates like rice, potatoes and pasta, for 12 hours and then reheat or bake it, you change the molecular structure so that it contains more resistant starch. This increases the glycemic index of that slice of bread the same, especially for diabetics.
The most popular type of bread in the United States is wheat or multigrain. In 2020, this dough staple was consumed by 192 million Americans, according to Statista. It is followed by white bread consumed by more than 135 million Americans and bran bread is the least preferred.
Should You Eat Bread Every Day?
According to 2017 research published in the journal Nutrient, people are consuming fewer food products. The study found that ready-to-eat bread, rolls, tortillas and cereal consumption made up less than 15 percent of all calories in the US consumer’s diet.
These statistics may not surprise many as bread is often thrown away by dieters. Country Life Natural Foods, a wholesale and retail distributor website states that store-bought bread is made with many ingredients such as artificial fertilizers, pesticides, high-yielding wheat varieties, preservatives, and enzymes used by wheat farmers and driven by industrial bread. company to meet growing consumer demand and keep bread fresher.
Patel said Newsweek that daily bread consumption depends on the individual’s overall diet, showing that there is no harm in adding a slice of bread to a healthy and balanced diet. In fact, studies show that the Mediterranean diet is the best to follow and includes eating bread every day.
What Bread Is Best?
There are many different types of breads ranging from those made from whole grains to processed breads with many added additives.
Patel said Newsweek: “Ideally try to avoid or reduce the mass of ultra-processed bread that often contains lots of additives to increase shelf life etc. Try to eat bread made from whole grains that are higher in fiber. This can be wholemeal wheat bread or bread made with alternative whole grains or sprouted whole grains, such as Ezekiel, pumpernickel or rye bread.
“My personal favorite is whole grain sourdough. or if you can make whole wheat bread, you know exactly what’s in it. It’s easier than you think.”
Instagram Reacts
So far, the May 15 video has nearly 40,000 likes and 990 comments—many from users who have frozen their bread, but for various reasons such as saving money.
“Always freeze my bread / but also because it takes me forever to get through the bread! I don’t know if I’m doing good!” said one man.
Another wrote: “Freeze bread, make sandwiches in the morning, perfect for lunch, no ice packs needed.”
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