Freezing bread for gut health: Here's what science says about the viral social media trend

If there's one trend on social media that's as easy to follow as breathing, it's anything related to food. Influencers have made it an art to pick ingredients available at home and turn them into drool-worthy recipes that at least look aesthetic. If the latest trend in the culinary corner of social media is to be trusted and followed, then it seems the easiest way to make your bread healthier is by freezing it.

A viral social media trend

Yes, according to a now-viral post on Instagram, freezing your bread and then eating it is the best way to consume it.

"If you take a bread and freeze it. And then you take a slice and toast it, that bread is ten times healthier than it was when you froze it."

How so? Well, according to the video, "what happens is that carbohydrate in that bread turns into a fibre called resistant starch, which our gut bacteria love. It's like the best food, but also, what happens is it lowers the calories. So you not only get a bread that is healthier for your gut, but also lowers blood sugar, and lessens calories." The doctor suggested doing the trick with sourdough bread and whole-grain bread.

What does science say?

Well, in a rare turn of events, it looks like science agrees. In a study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, ten healthy subjects evaluated white bread in four different storage and preparation conditions, including fresh, frozen and defrosted, toasted and toasted after freezing and defrosting. The blood glucose was lower by 39% in the homemade white bread that was frozen, defrosted and toasted as compared to the commercial one.

Why does this happen? The change in temperature causes some of the carbohydrate to convert into resistant starch. This starch resists digestion in the small intestine and rather travels to the large intestine, where it feeds the 'good' gut bacteria. Thus, it affects the glycaemic response and insulin sensitivity and also boosts gut health.

Interestingly, not only bread, but resistant starch can also be found in other cooked and chilled starch foods as well, such as potatoes, pastas and some types of rice. It provides nutrients to the microbes living in the colon, improves insulin sensitivity and also lowers cholesterol, thus being healthy for the body's metabolism.

While the method is proven, it has not been deeply evaluated for its repercussions. For now, the takeaway remains that when it comes to bread, it's better to freeze and eat, as it will help the body digest it positively and also lower the blood sugar levels.