At around £1 each, the Happy Tummy Loaf certainly has a lot to prove.
But according to the baker, the combination of 15 ingredients and the elaborate baking process can alleviate the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
She even claims it cured hers.
The bread, known as ‘Magic Poo Bread’, is sold for £22 by the Irish Happy Tummy Company, which aims to ‘make bread better than medicine’.
Fans include Gwyneth Paltrow’s wellness brand Goop — who once described it as “legendary” — and American actress Goldie Hawn.
However, nutritionists have urged those seeking better digestive health to be wary of marketers’ “weasel words” that aren’t based on science.
Happy Tummy Company founder Karen O’Donoghue developed her signature bread over 18 months after her IBS turned her into a “clogged mess”
The Happy Tummy Loaf retails for £22 and contains 16 ingredients, including alternative flours, nuts and seeds, as well as apple cider vinegar
The Happy Tummy Loaf is described as a ‘2 Day Soaked Wholegrain Chia Teff Loaf’.
The ingredients include alternative flours such as buckwheat and teff – a type of grass seed – as well as chia seeds, ground flax seeds, nuts, eggs, lemon juice, cinnamon and apple cider vinegar.
According to the company’s website, the baking process, which takes up to two days, allows “the grain varieties, nuts and seeds to soak and germinate before being (baked) so that they enter your intestines ready to digest and provide you with maximum nutrition.” to give’.
Per slice it contains about 10 g of fiber – an essential nutrient for healthy digestion – and 11 g of protein.
In comparison, a standard whole-wheat bread from the supermarket contains only about 3 g of fiber and 4 g of protein per slice.
The NHS recommends that adults should have 30g of fiber per day, meaning two slices of The Happy Tummy Loaf provide two-thirds of your daily fiber intake.
Happy Tummy Company founder Karen O’Donoghue developed her signature loaf more than 18 months after her IBS left her growing up like a “clogged mess.”
“I gradually envisioned that one day I would feel free from all the tensions on my body through a food-based solution,” she says on the company’s website.
“And once I discovered this solution, I couldn’t wait to share it with everyone.”
Potential customers are encouraged to take out a bread subscription “to make sure your gut gets into a routine.”
And with an estimated 13 million IBS sufferers in the UK and over 25 million in the US, there are plenty of potential buyers.
IBS can cause painful or distressing symptoms, such as stomach cramps, bloating, diarrhea, and constipation.
Scientists are still trying to figure out the exact cause of IBS.
There is no cure, but the NHS says dietary changes can help.
While eating more soluble fiber — which is found in foods such as oats, peas and beans — is recommended for IBS sufferers experiencing constipation, those who struggle with diarrhea are told to cut back on high-fiber foods.
Happy Tummy Company isn’t the only bakery to claim its bread has significant health benefits beyond regular bread.
Mim Habits, a Spanish company, has launched a range of £15 loaves in the UK, billed as the ‘first bread designed by scientists to help restore your gut health’.
Fans of the bread include Gwyneth Paltrow’s (left) and American actress Goldie Hawn (right)
It claims its sourdough can help improve sleep, boost the immune system, lower blood pressure and reduce stress by affecting the gut microbiome, the collection of bacteria, viruses and other microbes that live in the digestive system.
But nutritionists have warned people to take such claims with a grain of salt.
Professor Tom Sanders, an expert in nutrition and dietetics at King’s College London, explained The times: ‘I’ve looked at the links to claims for these breads and they are made up of marketers’ weasel words and not based on robust science.
‘From a nutritional point of view, there is no difference with regular bread, except that some of these traditional breads have no useful vitamins added, such as folic acid.
“Consumers should look at the nutrition label and not believe the hype.”
In general, he urged people to choose breads with a lot of fiber and little salt for their health.’