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Wholemeal, Multigrain & Sourdough: Know Their Nutritional Benefits

Are you looking to become more health-conscious of the foods you eat? Do you want to learn more about your daily nutritional intake? A good place to start is with your bread. 

Nowadays, there are many different bread options in addition to white bread, all with varying nutritional benefits. Out of the more ‘healthy’ alternatives, wholemeal bread, multigrain bread and sourdough bread are emerging as the more popular breads people enjoy. This is due to their various nutritional benefits as well as their unique taste.

Keep reading to learn more about wholemeal bread, multigrain bread and sourdough bread, and how they differ and may be nutritionally beneficial for you.

What are the nutritional benefits of wholemeal bread?

Wholemeal bread is made using milled flour, meaning it uses the entirety of a wheat grain to produce nutritional and grainy bread. Unique in its brown colour, wholemeal bread is known widely for its nutritional value, due to containing the bran section of wheat, and thus also incorporating high levels of fibre.

Its additional nutritional benefits include:

  • Having a low Glycemic Index of 39. The Glycemic Index measures how a carbohydrate food may affect an individual’s blood glucose levels – the lower the number, the more easily a food can be digested and absorbed into the bloodstream (versus causing blood sugar levels to spike). Having a low Glycemic Index means you can stay full on wholemeal bread for a long time, while also keeping your sugar levels steady.
  • Having diverse mineral availability. There are many different vitamins and minerals contained in wholemeal bread. This makes it highly nutritious to eat- especially if you are lacking in certain vitamins and minerals. These vitamins and minerals include iron, magnesium, selenium and zinc.

What are the nutritional benefits of multigrain bread?

Similar to wholemeal bread, multigrain bread is also known for being rich in fibre to promote smooth digestion. As the name suggests, it is made with a mixed variety of grains (such as rye, barley, maize, wheat, oats and soya) and has a unique texture due to the multitude of grains it contains. Depending on the types of grains used, multigrain bread can have varying tastes and also different nutritional benefits.

A few common nutritional benefits of all multigrain bread however, include:

  • Having high protein content. Protein intake plays an important part in a healthy diet, and helps your body build and repair muscles and bones to make necessary hormones and enzymes. It can also be used as an energy source for your body to run on. Eating multigrain bread may increase your protein intake to healthy levels.
  • Having high levels of fibre. Like wholemeal bread, multigrain bread contains high levels of fibre, meaning it is much easier to digest than regular white bread and healthier for your gut.

What are the nutritional benefits of sourdough bread?

Sourdough bread is an up and coming type of bread which is growing popular due to its health benefits. Due to its prolonged fermentation process, sourdough bread is deemed much healthier than regular white bread, as well as other types of bread as well. 

Its nutritional benefits include:

  • Being chemical-free. Home-baked or ‘real’ sourdough bread is chemical-free, meaning you don’t have to worry about any sort of unnatural food substance being absorbed into your body. Sourdough bread is made with only three ingredients – water, flour and salt, meaning it does not contain the additives, sweeteners or oils which other commercial breads may have.
  • Containing resistant starch. According to Healthline, resistant starch has many benefits to your health, such as lowering your blood sugar levels and improving insulin sensitivity.

Which bread is the right choice for you?

When it comes to choosing the right bread for you, it’s important to weigh up the nutrition value and benefits of each bread. Every individual’s body is different – meaning some nutritional benefits may make a more positive impact on your body than others.

For example, if you consistently have low protein levels, multigrain bread may be more beneficial to you versus other breads. The ‘right’ choice depends on your individual circumstance and as such, it is important that you do your research and discover which bread’s nutritional benefits may be best suited for your body.

If you are looking for further advice on the types of ingredients used in different breads and their potential nutritional benefits, speaking with a wholesale food supplier may be helpful. Knowing the ingredients as well as the baking process for these different types of breads may help you make a better informed decision on which bread is best suited for your body.

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