Happy you year
Hello to 2023!
Happy new year! We hope you’ve had a joyful and relaxing festive season and that you’ve started 2023 in good health and happiness.
Here at Lovingly Artisan HQ there’s fresh paint in the air as we launch into January: we’re giving our Bread Store a spruce-up in readiness for a year that’s going to be full of new launches and BIG developments. Watch this space – it’s going to be a busy one.
A new year so often starts with resolutions, and bread sometimes gets put on the naughty list. And, yes, that breaks our hearts, because handmade real bread is one of the oldest and most nutritious forms of sustenance known to man.
We know, and you know, that not all breads are created equal. But sometimes it’s great to hear it from an expert. We’re really lucky to count Manchester-based nutritionist Kate Roberts among our regular customers, so we asked her to explain why high-quality bread deserves pride of place in the New Year’s healthy, enjoyable diets.
It’s all about balance
“Carbs are often a target when people are on a health kick and looking to reduce their energy intake,” says Kate, who specialises in providing evidence-based nutrition and lifestyle advice at her practice in Greater Manchester. “But carbohydrates are central to a healthy, balanced diet because they’re the primary source of energy to our brains and bodies.”
Rather than cutting carbs, she says, we should be looking to eat better carbs.
“When you eat artisan bread, which contains high-quality ingredients such as organic and wholegrain flours, you are getting more bang for your buck. As well as essential starchy carbohydrates, you are getting more vitamins, more minerals and more fibre than you’d find in a mass-produced sliced-white loaf – and you’re also getting none of the preservatives and other artificial things that get thrown into bread that’s made very quickly.”
Taking it slow
The traditional sourdough process, which uses wild yeasts and lactic fermentation to leaven bread naturally over 24-48 hours, is another reason Kate loves the loaves she buys from our Altrincham Market Bread Store. “A lot my clients who say they can’t stomach ‘normal’ bread report that they do much better with sourdough,” she says. “The slow fermentation breaks down the gluten in the flour, making it gentler on your tummy and easier for your body to digest.” She stresses, however, that this doesn’t apply to people with Coeliac disease, an auto-immune condition caused by an adverse reaction to gluten.
Happy gut, happy you
Emerging scientific evidence, Kate says, is revealing connections between the brain and digestive system that suggest eating the right foods may have positive impacts on our emotional as well as physical wellbeing. “It’s early days, but there’s a lot of interest in the idea that high-fibre and prebiotic foods [which feed the friendly bacteria in our guts]
can help to keep the gut microbiome healthy and more diverse, and that may link to improved mental health and better mood.”
Happiness on toast
Like us, however, Kate doesn’t need science to tell her that a slice of sourdough toast can be just the sort of mood-boosting breakfast that January needs. “My favourite is Spiced Apple Sourdough,” she says. “I toast it, spread it with nut butter, grate an apple on top and sprinkle with mixed seeds, and sometimes I get some of my garden raspberries or foraged autumn blackberries out of the freezer to pile on top. I’ve turned a piece of healthy toast into a flavour sensation loaded with good fats, fibre, vitamins, minerals and all sorts of extra nutritional goodies.”
If you want to learn more, take a peek at Kate Roberts 6 Week Special – https://www.katerobertsnutrition.com/services
