From the OP - thanks again @daisymae. I was just testing this out (once more) and believe that sourdough is the secret ingredient for low glycemic index bread.
This represents a fundamental change in cosmology for me, as I had believed for 10 years that the key is bread color - so a simple rule I’d been using was: ‘the darker the bread, the lower the glycemic index’ but it didn’t seem to work all the time.
Thanks to this thread, I’ve been experimenting with sourdough vs nonsourdough, and just this morning I had two slices of a sourdough rye bread, and was pleased to see a very gradual blood sugar response. While when I eat regular rye bread I get a much more rapid increase in blood sugar.
I would expect that darker grains generally are also (usually) better, and I haven’t tried a sourdough made with white flour. That will be next.
eta: just read the more recent posts in this thread … thanks @Mariethm !
I agree that bakehouse bread is easier on the post-prandial blood glucose level. I live within walking distance of Zingerman’s Deli, in Ann Arbor, and their breads are naturally leavened. No added yeast - just a starter. I suspect that using faster yeast messes with the gut microbiome, but I have no proof. So, I shell out $8 for a loaf of rye or $14 for a loaf of cherry walnut bread, give less insulin and enjoy the hell out of it.
Insanely jealous you are so close to Zingerman’s. I went to college there and lunch at Zingerman’s was the biggest treat. We send gift baskets from there as thank yous and occasionally to ourselves…! THE BEST!!! Interesting to speculate about yeasts.
Yeasts and starters or lack of and BG levels for me seems a nonissue. For a constant comparison all using white flour, quick breads ((chemically leavened), matzos (no leaven), yeast bread and sour dough all need the same bolus for grams eaten.
Sourdough varieties are more acidic because of the natural fermentation of the starter. I read this passage in Think Like a Pancreas by Gary Scheiner (chapter 9) and couldn’t stop thinking about it!
Acidity in food lowers the rate of digestion. This is why sourdough bread has a much lower GI than regular bread. Research has shown that adding acidity in the form of vinegar (straight or in dressing or condiment form) can reduce the one-hour postprandial blood sugar rise by as much as 50 percent.
If anyone knows what the acidity/GI research is, I’d be fascinated to know more. For now, I take it as a great excuse to enjoy a kombucha with a meal.
What!!! I knew there was a reason I really, really liked you! (ha ha!) When were you there? What did you study? Where did you live? So great! Send me a PM if you’d like – go blue!!
Haha, yes, that’s it!! Once a Michigander, always a Michigander!!! I lived all over central campus during my time there, but never in a dorm! I majored in computers so I spent most of my time at NUBS which I’m sure no longer exists! I am thinking you were in sports of some sort given your great fitness!!
Ha! I was as far from an athlete as I could be, just turned into someone who liked to move a lot once I had kids. (Have you always been an athlete?) At Michigan I always lived in dorms (was an RA then an RD) – lived in Alice Lloyd then at Bates on North Campus. I haven’t been back to AA in ages, but loved it there.
Yep, those dorm names bring back memories!! Me either, haven’t been to AA in ages, but also loved it (lucky @mremmers!!)! I’ve been a runner since grade school, but never competitive other than in school. Agree, good to stay in motion!!!
I’ve lived in Ann Arbor since 1968. Those were the days. The town has seen a lot of change over the years and I’m struggling to keep up my enthusiasm, to be honest. But every time I see the students protesting something or another I have a flashback moment and the youthful energy keeps me engaged. College towns are like that.
