Today’s sliced bread often contains so many more ingredients than what our ancestors ate that it is now considered an ultra-processed food.
This doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad for us.
There are many definitions of what makes a food ‘ultra-processed.’ The most common is the Nova classification, developed by researchers at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil. It separates foods into four groups:
- Unrefined or minimally processed foods like vegetables or meat with no additives;
- Culinary ingredients from natural sources, but which have been milled or processed, such as flour;
- Processed foods, or those made by combining ingredients, such as homemade or bakery breads; and
- Ultra-processed foods. These are either industrially processed in a factory or include ingredients not typically used in the home, such as additives.
Since most sliced bread is made using the Chorleywood process, invented in the 1960s to produce bread faster on an industrial scale, this would technically make it an ultra-processed food.
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The process involves more rapid mixing and more yeast, along with the addition of solid fats, emulsifiers and ascorbic acid. This allows more water and lower-protein flours to be used, alongside the use of a vacuum to control the proving process. This creates the soft, fluffy bread we buy from the supermarket.
Although this process has enabled affordable, consistent bread, there are growing concerns about how healthy it is. This concern is partly fuelled by mounting evidence linking ultra-processed foods and health problems like heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers.
However, researchers still don’t know if eating ultra-processed foods directly causes these health conditions. Nor do they know if only specific ingredients within these foods are to blame.
Bread’s position as an unhealthy, ultra-processed food has also been challenged. Some researchers argue the Nova classification’s definition of “ultra-processed” is oversimplified, leading many foods to be lumped into the same category despite containing vastly different ingredients and going through different processing methods.
It’s true that supermarket bread contains emulsifiers, and some emulsifiers have been linked with health problems, but typically bread only uses mono- or diglyceride fatty acids as emulsifiers, which have not been linked to disease risk.
It’s also worth noting that during the long fermentation processes used in traditional bread making, similar compounds to these two emulsifiers will actually be made by the yeasts and bacteria in the dough. These emulsifiers are used to improve the texture and, alongside hard fats like palm oil, help extend the bread’s shelf life.
Despite similar concerns, the sugar in modern supermarket bread may not be as bad as many think. Sugar is used to help the yeast ferment and rise before baking. As such, most bread contains two to four grams of sugar per 100 grams. Some of this is naturally occurring as a result of the proving process. However, this may vary depending on the brand.
The most important issue might not be whether bread is classed as ultra-processed or not. The levels of salt in shop-bought bread could be more of a problem.
Salt is used to even out how bread rises and give a consistent texture, but the amount of salt in different bread brands can vary from a teaspoon per loaf (similar to most homemade recipes) to four teaspoons per loaf.
Look out for sodium levels on the label, and aim to purchase bread with less than 0.3 grams of sodium per 100 grams.
Brown bread (such as wholegrain) goes through a similar production process as white bread. The main difference is that some fibre is either retained or added back into the flour.
Fibre is important for maintaining healthy bowels. Bread that contains seeds or bits of grain may have the added benefit of taking longer to digest. This can make you feel full for longer.
Sourdough is another favoured option, with many saying it’s healthier because it uses more traditional baking processes. There is evidence that traditional French breads, which are slowly fermented and made with a sourdough starter, raise blood glucose and insulin levels less than typical sliced loaves. As with higher fibre versions, this could mean they keep us feeling fuller for longer.
But many supermarket breads labelled “sourdough” may not be traditionally made. One of the problems is lack of a legally recognized definition for sourdough bread. In some countries, it contains flour, water and salt, with maybe a little oil, but in others it can contain yeast and even additives.
If you’re looking for a real, traditional sourdough loaf, check that it only contains flour, water and salt.
– Dr. Duane Mellor is an award-winning registered dietician and science communicator at Aston University.
