HOW SPROUTED GRAIN BREAD CAN BENEFIT YOUR HEALTH-min

HOW SPROUTED GRAIN BREAD CAN BENEFIT YOUR HEALTH

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Sprouted grain bread is one of the healthiest bread you can add to your diet. Bread forms part of a heavy breakfast and is a staple food for many all over the world.

There are many varieties of bread made with different ingredients, including barley, wheat, and oat. The common types include whole-wheat, sourdough, leavened and unleavened, and sprouted grain bread. Sprouted grain bread is made with grains or whole-grain seeds that have been soaked in water and allowed to germinate or sprout into plants. Compared to other bread made from unsprouted grains, these varieties have a wider array of beneficial nutrients. As a matter of fact, sprouting makes it easier to digest nutrients that are readily available in the grains. This article discusses the benefits of including sprouted grain bread in your diet.

Have Higher Nutritional Value

Generally, bread is made with ground grains or flour. Whole-grain bread is made with the entire grain, including germ and endosperm, while white bread is made from part of the grain. When the grains used to make white are ground or processed, key nutrients like protein, fiber, minerals, and vitamins, are removed. Sprouted grain breads on the other hand, are made with the full grains just like the whole-grain breads but their nutritional value goes far beyond comparison. Both sprouted grain and whole-grain breads contain amounts of fiber and other nutrients. To compensate for the lost nutrients and reduce the risk of deficiencies, white bread is enriched with vitamins and minerals. The better part of sprouted grain breads is that they contain added grains and legumes compared to other common bread varieties. A good example is that of Ezekiel 4:9® Sprouted Whole Grain Bread which is made of sprouted lentils, wheat, barley, spelt, and soybeans. For that reason, sprouted breads will provide more macro-and micronutrients than other breads made from wheat or barley alone. Lastly, the sprouting and addition of legumes in sprouted grain breads packs whole protein including all the nine essential amino acids.

May Promote Weight Loss and Improve Blood Sugar Control

Sprouted grain breads can help you lose weight and put blood sugars in check – all thanks to their low carb content. The sprouting process breaks down the starch in grains, thus lowering their carb content. For example, 110 g of a 12-grain bread provides up to 44 g of carbs, while the same amount of sprouted grain bread provides only 34 g of carbs. What’s more, studies indicate that sprouted grain breads scores lower on the glycemic index than other bread like sourdough bread. A Glycemic index is a tool used to measure how quickly a particular food raises the levels of blood sugar. It is for this reason that many diabetic patients use sprouted grain bread because it cannot raise their blood sugars quickly. Lastly, sprouted grain bread is low in calories as their grains had absorbed water during the sprouting process.

Low In Gluten and Can Be Tolerated By Many

Gluten is a type of protein found in grains like wheat, oats, barley, spelt, and rye. The chewy texture of bread you feel when eating it is due to the content of gluten. Gluten has been debated, with some criticizing it for its negative effects on health. It is said that this family of proteins can lead to increased bowel permeability, irritable bowel syndrome, and other adverse health problems in some people. The sprouting process is said to decrease gluten content in some grains like wheat by up to 47% making the grains tolerable to people sensitive to gluten. It is worth mentioning that sprouting does not fully remove gluten from grains. It would help if you completely avoided sprouted grains containing gluten if you have celiac disease or are allergic to gluten. Instead, you can opt for sprouted grains that don’t contain gluten, like quinoa, rice, and corn.

Sprouted Grain Bread May Protect Against Chronic Diseases

The sprouting process is said to increase the levels of antioxidants like vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta-carotene. Antioxidants are stable compounds that have the ability to protect your body from damages caused by free radicals, which are harmful molecules associated with oxidative stress. This is a condition that occurs when free radicals accumulate in your body and can lead to chronic conditions like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. Eating foods high in antioxidants like sprouted grains may help reverse these complications. Studies suggest that sprouting grains like amaranth increases antioxidant levels by over 300%, flavonoids by 213%, and the levels of phenols by 829%. You may want to replace regular bread with sprouted grain bread to increase your antioxidant intake.

Sprouting Process Increase Nutrients

Sprouted seeds contain complete protein, that is, all nine amino acids. For this reason, sprouted grain bread is better than whole-grain bread in terms of protein content. For example, a single serving of 12-grain bread provides only 11 g of protein while that of sprouted grain bread provides up to 15 g of protein. Additionally, sprouted grain bread is high in fiber than regular bread. Studies indicate that sprouting brown rice boosts fiber content by 6% and for 96 hours by 13%. What’s more sprouting also increases vitamin C and E, beta-carotene, and other key nutrients.

Sprouting Decreases Antinutrients

Antinutrients are contained in plants. They are not good for your health as they can inhibit the action of digestive enzymes or interfere with the digestion of some nutrients by binding to them. While cooking makes grains and legumes more digestible, it does not eliminate antinutrients. Phytic acid is the common antinutrient that persists even after cooking. This antinutrient inhibits the absorption of magnesium, iron, zinc, calcium, and other important nutrients. When grains and legumes are sprouted, phytic acid content is significantly decreased, ultimately increasing by up to 50% the absorption of iron.

Conclusion

Sprouted grain bread is made with grains that have germinated. The sprouting process increases nutrient content in grains and legumes. Therefore, adding sprouted grain bread to your diet is a healthy way of increasing your intake of antioxidants and other beneficial nutrients.

Ksenia Sobchak

Ksenia Sobchak, BA (Hons) Fashion Communication: Fashion Journalism, Central Saint Martins

Ksenia Sobchak enjoys blogging on fashion, style, lifestyle, love and CBD areas. Prior to becoming a blogger, Ksenia worked for a renowned fashion brand. Ksenia is a contributing author to leading fashion, lifestyle and CBD magazines and blogs. You can bump into Ksenia at her favourite cafe in South Kensington where she has written most blogs. Ksenia is a staunch advocate of CBD and its benefits to people. Ksenia is also on the panel of CBD reviewers at CBD Life Mag and Chill Hempire. Her favourite form of CBD are CBD gummies and CBD tinctures. Ksenia is a regular contributor at leading fashion, lifestyle as well as CBD magazines and blogs.

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