Diet guru Tim Spector reveals the ‘healthy’ supermarket bread that’s anything but – and the best type that’s free of chemicals linked to cancer

One of the country’s best-known nutritionists has warned shoppers not to choose ‘healthy’ sourdough bread when shopping at the supermarket.

While fresh versions bought from bakeries are full of gut-boosting bacteria, prepackaged sourdough on supermarket shelves often contains chemicals that have been linked to cancer.

So says renowned nutrition scientist Professor Tim Spector, founder of the popular Zoe diet app, who took to Instagram to issue the warning.

Prof Spector said many supermarket loaves are labeled ‘sourdough’ to trick us into thinking they are healthy.

Some products may also use terms like “high fiber,” he added. However, these claims are nothing more than a ‘health halo’.

In fact, these breads contain ‘various chemicals, including commercial yeasts, flavorings and emulsifiers to imitate the taste of real sourdough in much less time’.

Emulsifiers, which are used to add volume to food, can be found in a range of popular products – from cakes to children’s yoghurts.

However, experts have suggested that emulsifiers can ‘disrupt’ the separation between the fat layer and the water layer in the intestines, leading to holes in the protective intestinal wall.

This is thought to increase the risk of bacterial infections in the intestines, some of which are known to cause the development of colon cancer.

Microbiome expert Dr Alasdair Scott recently told The Mail on Sunday: ‘We think this process could be linked to bowel cancer.

‘Studies in animals confirm this, but not yet in humans. In humans it can be much more difficult to prove why exactly a tumor has developed.’

A healthier bread choice, Prof. Spector told his 665,000 Instagram followers, freshly baked sourdough, rye or spelled bread, purchased from a bakery.

“When I’m at home and have time, I like to make my own sourdough, usually rye with lots of seeds in it,” Professor Spector said.

‘If I have to go out to get some other bread, you look at the fiber-to-sugar ratio.

‘I would go for a lot of fibre, little sugar and, if possible, look for sourdough bread.

‘You’d better go to a bakery. I like to choose rye or spelled flour, because they are much richer in fiber.’

Adequate fiber intake is essential for protection against a range of digestive diseases, including colon cancer.

Health experts recommend that we eat about 30 grams of fiber per day (found in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, seeds and legumes). However, the average Brit only consumes about 18 grams.

Professor Spector added that traditional sourdough could even help the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) compared to industrially produced bread.

That’s because the methods used to make sourdough break down some of the gluten in the flour, making it easier to digest and causing fewer problems lower in your intestines.

Research has also shown that rye, a type of sourdough, appears to keep you feeling full longer compared to whole wheat bread.

Last year, a dietitian told MailOnline that consumers should look for the word ‘sprouted’ when buying their bread.

Sprouted bread is a type of bread made from ground whole grains of the wheat plant that have been left in a moist environment to germinate until they sprout.

This process makes the whole grain bread even more nutritious, because sprouting the grain increases the body’s ability to absorb the nutrients.

It means that sprouted wheat contains some vitamins and minerals than other whole wheat bread.

Sprouted wheat bread is also called whole wheat bread, as is any bread made from grains such as barley, oats, spelt, and wheat.

However, white bread is made from wheat flour that undergoes a milling process to remove most of the plant kernel, taking away most of the essential nutrients such as fiber and B vitamins.