It’s reputed to improve gut health, be easier to digest and be better for the waistline, which is why so many are prepared to pay more than £4 for a sourdough loaf. But could that costly bread be a con?
Dubbing it ‘sourfaux’ or ‘pseudough’, the team behind the Real Bread Campaign claim that supermarkets and commercial bakeries are cashing in on the bread’s popularity by producing inferior loaves that lack these supposed health benefits.
Here, with the help of Darshna Yagnik, a senior lecturer in immunology at Middlesex University, we explain how to tell if your loaf is the real deal – and other faux health foods, from honey to kimchi, to watch out for.
SOURDOUGH
The slow fermentation process – five to seven days – required to make sourdough is key to producing its health benefits. This involves a live sourdough starter culture, a mixture of flour and water that’s slowly fermented at room temperature and regularly fed. The process produces enzymes that naturally break down gluten in flour into smaller molecules, making the bread easier to digest.
Fermentation also produces vitamin B12 and amino acids, molecules that combine to form protein, the building block of tissue and bone. Protein can also improve the body’s ability to metabolise glucose.
Real sourdough bread can take up to a week to make
But some supermarkets are speeding up the process, cutting fermentation to just 3.5 hours by adding yeast and additives – and losing some benefits.
‘The longer you ferment, the more the beneficial bacteria increases,’ explains Dr Yagnik.
To tell if it’s the real deal, ‘look for air bubbles in the bread, the result of carbon dioxide released during long fermentation’, she says – and check the ingredients. Proper sourdough contains only water, flour, salt and the sourdough starter. If it contains yeast or additives, it’s sourfaux.
MANUKA HONEY
Its potent anti-inflammatory and antibacterial benefits make this popular for everything from warding off bugs to soothing burns.
Made from the nectar of the native antipodean Manuka tree, it’s rich in a natural compound methylglyoxal (MGO), which reduces the ability of bacteria to spread and grow.
Manuka honey is highly prized for its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties
‘The higher the MGO rating number on the pot, the higher the strength,’ says Dr Yagnik. Studies have also shown that Manuka honey activates white blood cells to kill bacteria, helping clear wound infections, and has antioxidant properties (meaning it helps prevent cell damage).
With some pots costing up to £50, it’s no wonder other makers have jumped on the Manuka bandwagon. ‘The main risk is the product being diluted with cheaper honeys when packed by third parties overseas,’ says Dr Yagnik.
All honey contains MGO but non-Manuka varieties have considerably less, so health benefits will also be fewer.
Look for pots that say they’ve been packed in New Zealand and carry a gold ‘Tested Certified Manuka’ symbol, advises Dr Yagnik. For Australian Manuka honey look for AMHA (Australian Manuka Honey Association) labelling. In addition, pure Manuka honey will have been made from the nectar of a single flower – if labelled ‘multifloral’, it’s not pure.
KOMBUCHA
Said to help boost immunity and maintain a healthy digestive system, this vinegary fermented health drink is traditionally made from tea, sugar and a culture called SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast).
These ingredients are left for ten to 20 days to ferment, producing probiotics (the gut microbes that play a vital role in digestion and our immune system). The live product needs to be stored in the fridge to prevent carbonisation – where the live probiotic cultures continue to feed on the sugar and produce carbon dioxide, and ‘ultimately decreasing in numbers when the “food” runs out’, says Dr Yagnik. As well as reducing the benefits, it makes it vinegary.
Kombucha tea is said to boost immunity and keep your gut healthy
However, some manufacturers pasteurise their products to make them easy to store at room temperature – this involves heating the kombucha ‘to kill bacteria that could spoil the product’, says Dr Yagnik.
But this also ‘inevitably kills vast amounts of healthy, friendly bacteria too, cancelling out their health benefits’.
To get the real deal, make sure it’s in the chilled section and check the label: it shouldn’t have a long shelf life (it typically lasts five to eight months, compared to many more months with some soft drinks). It should also say it’s ‘raw’ and ‘unpasteurised’.
BROWN BREAD
This is one of the cheekiest ‘fakes’. We’ve been told that brown bread is healthier than white – but while this is true of wholemeal bread, you should pay attention to what you’re really getting if you pick up a loaf of ‘brown’ bread, warns Dr Yagnik.
Wholemeal bread – made with the whole wheat kernel – contains important insoluble fibre (good for bowel movements) plus B-vitamins, proteins, minerals and antioxidants which help boost our immune system.
Wholemeal bread is healthy – but not all ‘brown bread’ is as good
Meanwhile, the flour used to make white bread is more refined and lacks essential B vitamins, iron and roughage.
However, some loaves made this way are marketed as ‘brown’ – after manufacturers add a caramel colouring and top up B vitamins, she explains.
‘Although you might assume they’ve been made with wholewheat flour, they are actually made with refined white flour (commonly listed as simply wheat flour),’ says Dr Yagnik. Check the label to ensure it says wholewheat or wholemeal. If it simply says ‘brown’ make sure wholemeal is the first ingredient on the list.
KIMCHI/SAUERKRAUT
Kimchi and sauerkraut are both types of pickled cabbage, popular because they’re a good source of probiotics.
But while some brands or recipes potentially offer billions of good bugs in every serving, others may provide barely any. So how can you tell the difference?
‘When prepared, both sauerkraut [generally just cabbage and salt] and kimchi [often also including carrots, radishes, garlic and chilli] are packed tightly into a jar and left for weeks – even months – to ferment,’ says Dr Yagnik.
Kimchi is a type of picked cabbage, but look for versions in the chilled section of the supermarket which have ‘live’ on the label
This fermentation process creates carbon dioxide as the vegetables break down – which in turn helps to produce those powerful probiotics.
However the carbon dioxide produced can, once again, mean shelf life is an issue – so some manufacturers may choose to pasteurise the product, says Dr Yagnik.
‘With pasteurisation you will still get the fibre benefit – both typically containing around 2g of fibre per serving – but the process kills off both good and bad bacteria, leaving substantially fewer,’ she adds.
Anything canned will also have lost probiotic benefits – high temperatures used in canning kill all microorganisms and their spores which could spoil the product.
‘For proper raw sauerkraut or kimchi, look for products kept in the chilled section that say “live” on the label.’
If the label says it contains vinegar or preservatives this also means it won’t be live as these change the pH balance, killing the probiotics, adds Dr Yagnik.
If it bubbles slightly when opened, this also shows bacteria are live and fermenting.
