I am reviving this topic from 4 years ago - because there is already some really interesting observations about sourdough bread which I didn’t know and which are very useful. Thanks @daisymae !
And @TomH and @CatLady here’s a place where we can continue our bread conversations.
I love bread and when I was first diagnosed back in 2010 the educators told me - you have to cut out bread, which was crushing for me. Since then, I have figured a few things out. You don’t have to cut out bread, but you have to be careful.
I have a few bakeries throughout the country that are almost pilgrimage sites for me - (Cheese board in Berkeley, Zacks in Miami for example). Glycemic indices of bread are highly variable - some are quite low (like earlier in this thread sourdough); others are extraordinarily high, and often it’s not easy to predict which is which.
Here are a few observations on bread and diabetes:
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Darker is better. If you have a choice between a white bread and a dark bread, usually the dark bread is lower glycemic. (Not always.)
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Denser is better. There’s probably some good reason for this, but I don’t know it. But if you get a really dense really dark bread (like those Danish or German ryes) those seem to have low glycemic indices.
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Bread bakeries are better than supermarkets. The bread is better and bakers are usually quite knowledgeable about their ingredients. So you can ask questions like: ‘what kind of flour is in this bread’
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Most bakeries are not bread bakeries Turns out most bakeries in the US are sweets bakeries. I have not found a sweet baked good with a low glycemic index. And just because it’s a bakery doesn’t mean the bread is good. The sweets bakeries will often have some home baked bread but it’s usually white and mushy - and has a high glycemic index. A bread bakery will have at least 3 types of bread for sale everyday.
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Pizza has never been good for my blood sugar. But I love it and try to eat in moderation - like half a piece at a meal.
My local bakery (called Iggy’s) has an “ancient grain” bread that has some spelt flour in it. I can eat a couple of slices of that and, with a proper bolus, it will show no change in my blood glucose, which is quite remarkable for me. They also have a good 7 grain. But their whole wheat bread will spike me.
I am spoiled and privileged in that I can buy bread from bakeries and don’t have to buy from grocery stores. I don’t know any good tasty low glycemic grocery store bread, but I’m sure there are some out there. Does anyone have any recommendations?