Weekly TikTok Myth: Thawing Bread Makes It Healthier.
TikTok claims that freezing your bread makes it healthier. Various TikTok creators discuss how freezing your bread changes the bread's starch structure, making it more beneficial for diabetics and potentially keto-friendly. However, there are several major caveats to consider.
What the TikTokers Say
Multiple health-centric TikTok users claim:
- Freezing your bread alters the starch's structure (true).
- This modification reduces the bread's glycemic index by 31%, or 39% if you toast it (partially true, but only for homemade bread).
- A lower glycemic index is better for those with diabetes (partially true but not the full story).
- Therefore, freezing bread reduces the risk of metabolic disorders (possibly somewhat true but not entirely supported by existing research) or aids in weight loss (not proven).
Different TikTokers highlight various aspects of why freezing bread is healthy: some emphasize blood sugar management for diabetes, some focus on weight loss, and so on. The one who claims freezing bread makes it "keto friendly" made me laugh, as it's still bread, and primarily made of starch, whether you freeze it or not.
What is Resistant Starch, Exactly?
The major components of our diets are carbohydrates (carbs), fats, and protein. Carbs include sugars, starches, and fiber. Starch is the primary component found in so-called "starchy" foods like white bread, potatoes, and white rice.
Starch is comprised of glucose chains. Your body breaks down these glucose chains quickly when you eat them. But not all starch is created equal. There are several types of starch, and some of them take longer to be digested. These "resistant" starches can't be fully digested in your stomach or small intestine. Instead, we rely on the bacteria in our large intestine to break them down and produce nutrients we can absorb.
So what's the connection between freezing and resistant starch? Well, cooked starch in water takes on a new shape and is called "gelatinized" starch. After it cools, this gelatinized starch can be "retrograded," meaning it doesn't retain its original structure. This retrograded starch is harder to digest, making it "resistant starch type 3."
Frozen bread isn't the only food with resistant starch. Cooking and cooling rice or potatoes can produce it as well. In fact, many starch-containing foods naturally possess some resistant starch.
The Glycemic Index: An Explanation
The TikTokers frequently refer to the glycemic index (GI) in their arguments. The glycemic index is a value assigned to foods based on how much they increase blood sugar levels. It's determined using a process where a small portion of a food is consumed, then the resulting blood glucose levels are compared to a reference food. The reference food could be pure glucose or, sometimes, white bread.
If you're eager to maintain stable blood sugar levels, keeping an eye on the glycemic index of the foods you eat can help. For instance, the glycemic index is lower for brown rice than for white rice.
Resistant starch can indeed lower a food's glycemic index, and there are studies demonstrating that freezing bread boosts the amount of resistant starch in bread. However, there are some significant oversights in the TikTok advice.
Caveats to be aware of
Firstly, the study often mentioned by TikTokers that claims freezing bread reduces its glycemic index by 31% only found this reduction in homemade bread.
In addition, when the researchers tested store-bought bread, freezing it didn't significantly change its glycemic index. However, toasting it did decrease its glycemic index by around 18%.
The researchers surmised that the lack of a chain reaction in store-bought bread could be linked to dough conditioners and improvers, which are added to factory-prepared bread to help it mix better and prevent it from getting stale. These additives might accidentally impede the formation of resistant starch. Notably, the researchers only tested one homemade recipe and one type of store-bought bread, so there could be other factors at play.
TikTok users have been advertising a method to decrease bread's calorie content by freezing it, claiming it will result in a reduction of digestible substances. However, they don't clarify this hack is primarily applied to homemade loaves of bread. Many tutorials appear to be using store-bought bread, leaving room for confusion.
When it comes to the reality of this strategy, it's fair to say that it's unlikely to make a significant impact on your calorie intake. In a research study, a type of starch known as resistant starch was found in 1.1% and 1.3-1.6% of the dry weight of fresh and frozen bread rolls respectively. In a conventionally-sized piece of white bread, the differing amounts translate to merely 0.1 grams of carbohydrates. Given that carbohydrates typically provide 4 calories per gram, a reduction of roughly 0.4 calories is observed.
To give context, here's an example: The glycemic index is used as a measure of how much of a blood sugar spike occurs when a certain amount of carbohydrate is consumed. In this case, the glycemic index of a piece of French baguette is 95 (relative to pure glucose). However, when the same bread is paired with chocolate spread, the glycemic index plummets to just 72. This suggests that lowering the glycemic index isn't inherently healthier or more beneficial; altering the other food elements of the meal can have a greater effect. For example, if you choose to have your bread with butter instead of jam (or bread with neither), your blood sugar level will likely spike minimally in comparison to bread consumed alone or with jam.
When comparing similar items (such as selecting the healthiest vegetable), it's wise to consider broader concerns and not zero in on seemingly minor differences. It's more pertinent to think about how the bread fits into your overall meal, such as whether you're eating it in a peanut butter sandwich or a grilled chicken sandwich with veggies. The broader choice carries a much more significant impact than the slight adjustments in a bread's starch content.
If your main goal is to reduce the glycemic index of your food, consider including other components in your meal to achieve that result. For instance, pairing bread with butter is expected to cause less of an increase in your blood glucose levels compared to bread consumed alone or with jam.
From a broader perspective, remember that when examining similar options, it can be more advantageous to consider the overall context in which they are used. Instead of focusing on subtle details like the quantity of resistant starch in different forms of bread, shift your focus to the more substantial aspects of your food choices. How does your bread feature in your complete meal makeup? Is it served in a PB&J sandwich or a chicken sandwich with an assortment of veggies? The latter option carries a far greater importance than the minor, seemingly negligible changes in starch content.
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Source: lifehacker.com
