Let’s talk gut health and a well balance diets relationship with sourdough
You may not know this, but many foods contain natural medicines – it’s a message we’ve been sharing with you for a while now, particularly Aidan’s enthusiasm for teaching, sharing all that he knows about the role authentic artisan made sourdough plays in a healthy lifestyle.
It’s been a big conversation, and that conversation just started to get a whole lot bigger, and perhaps a little louder too. Fear not; we’re not about to rant, all we’ll do is gently advise and guide you with a little knowledge so that you can make informed decisions about the importance of artisan made sourdough when it comes to a healthy gut and a well-balance diet.
Aidan has busily baking sourdough for over 30 years, long before it ever became fashionable. Those years of knowledge, shared learning, and research have motivated him to try to help everyone understand that sourdough is important in their diet. That the factory-made loaf so many of us eat is a demon in disguise and causes real issues in terms of health and well-being.
Real bread has no additives, no hidden ingredients, no crumb softeners, no processing aids that can be hidden away in the ingredients list, and no sugar, which are all ingredients found in the type of breads you should be avoiding – fearful of what it will do to your gut.
Many people were initially intrigued by all the noise surrounding sourdough, perhaps even you! So many felt compelled to try it, often inspired by menus and mates. However, this curiosity soon became a real need, driven by the desire to eat better and feel better.
Over the years we’ve has so many conversations with customers of all ages, who prior to eating proper sourdough breads described feeling sluggish, bloated, suffering with tummy pains, and had really low energy levels.
But as more evidence comes to light it’s clear that mass manufactured breads are the real culprit – the additives and nasties they contain really aren’t good for you and this is a simple fact that can no longer be brushed aside as the importance of fermented foods, including real sourdoughs in a balanced, healthy diet becomes more apparent, especially the incredible impact they can have on your overall health.
The importance of a balanced diet should go without saying but let’s enlighten you a little…. Your diet should revolve around the seasons and include essential fibre, vitamins and minerals.
And one major source is real bread, the type of bread our ancestors made, your granny more than likely made with no added artificial yeasts, just a simple wild yeast, organic flour, wholegrains and , ancient grains. Packed full of vital vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, which all play a role in a healthy body and healthy gut. your immunity, weight management, mental well-being: mood swings and physical energies.
The simple fact of the matter is that we aren’t getting enough fibre in our diets, and that’s primarily because for more than half of UK families, 50% of their diet is ultra-processed foods. What’s more concerning is that only 25% of them understand what ultra-processed foods are. The food industry has hijacked the fibre message and uses highly processed fibre in their products like retrograded corn starch. This combination of poor education regarding our diets and the questionable ethics of the food industry has brought us to a point where diet has become the most significant cause of illness and bad health.
The recent and significant growth in the artisan sector has been a beacon of light for many small bakers. Many consumers now consider modern processed bakery products as a bad choice. Recently, a significant amount of scientific research has been published on the gut microbiome particularly a recent article by Euromonitor, dedicated to health and nutrition, shared knowledge gathered from a recent study carried out in 2020. Which firmly demonstrated that naturally leavened whole grain bread plays a substantial roll in delivering fibre that the body can process to gain the total nutritional value and benefits. For the modern consumer, the message about eating more fruit and vegetables has always been clear. The truth is that artisan sourdough bread contains everything the new demand for health and higher fibre consumption require.
www.worldbakers.com/euromonitor-reveals-2020-trends-bread-claims-its-spot-in-healthy-diets/
You’re going to be hearing more and more about “mood food” as this conversation gains deserved momentum. Our relationship with food has pretty much everyone’s attention globally and as this new founding understanding begins to influence our food buying decisions going forward it will also longer term influence our health and overall wellbeing.
You might have realised we’ve been giving a great deal of attention to how we described bread – we like to refer to it as your bread prescription! You’ll frequently hear us speak about the health benefits of each loaf as we explore our sourdough menu with you. The health benefits of many of our loaves are just incredible, from our wholemeal with scalded bran, to our Danish Rugrød and emmer they’re just packed with all the essential fibre, vitamins and minerals, your body needs.
If you want to learn more, sign up to our newsletter, follow our social feeds or take the plunge and join in with one of our sourdough masterclasses as we embark on a shared journey of discovery to help you benefit from a healthier body…
If you would like to learn more, join us on our forthcoming workshops https://lovinglyartisan.com/learn/
Sharing a little health and happiness
Aidan & Catherine x
Food stories and photography by Artisans & Co Ailish Adams and Catherine Connor
