Doctor reveals genius hack to make white bread healthier
It has developed a reputation for being the unhealthiest type of bread – full of additives and lacking essential nutrients.
But now a doctor has revealed a method to make white supermarket bread much healthier.
In a TikTok video shared with his 5.2 million followers, Dr. Karan Rajan, a surgeon who worked for the NHS in Britain, recommended freezing the bread, defrosting it and then toasting it.
This, he explains, can make the glycemic index of one slice two times lower.
Glycemic index, or GI, is a term used to describe how quickly carbohydrates affect your blood sugars. Foods with a low glycemic index release sugar slowly into the bloodstream, keeping you feeling full for longer.
Diets rich in high GI foods, such as sugar and white bread, have been linked to an increased risk of diabetes and obesity.
Lowering the glycemic index of the bread means ‘it is broken down more slowly, causing a more gradual rise in blood sugar levels’. said Dr. Rajan.
‘If you take a slice of white bread and then freeze it, thaw it and re-toast it, you can almost double the glycemic index of the bread.
‘This all happens because more retrograde starch is formed. Retrograded starch is a form of resistant starch that is beneficial for gut health because it behaves more like a fiber.”
White bread has long had a bad reputation for its effect on health, compared to other breads.
Fiber in foods decreases the rate at which it is digested, leading to a slower and more stable release into the bloodstream.
Not only is this beneficial for digestion, reducing the risk of conditions such as colon cancer, it also balances hunger hormones, making you less likely to reach for snacks between meals.
In his video, Dr. Rajan recommends other ways to increase the amount of sugar-stabilizing starch in foods.
This includes eating green, unripe bananas – which contain 20 times more resistant starch than the brownish, overripe alternative.
He also advises that when chewing an apple, you eat a core – minus the seeds – because this part is full of ‘millions of microbes’ that help keep your intestines healthy.