{"id":444259,"date":"2026-05-16T05:23:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T05:23:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/444259\/"},"modified":"2026-05-16T05:23:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T05:23:11","slug":"is-sourdough-really-better-the-biggest-bread-myths-debunked","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/444259\/","title":{"rendered":"Is sourdough really better? The biggest bread myths, debunked"},"content":{"rendered":"

Few foods are as universal as bread. It has accompanied humanity for thousands of years, crossing cultures, religions and continents, serving as the foundation of almost every cuisine in the world: placed on the breakfast table, tucked into a sandwich at lunch and sometimes closing out the day with a simple dinner.<\/p>\n

As humans evolved, bread evolved with them, gradually becoming an inseparable part of the daily diet. Its roots go back to prehistoric times, when people began grinding grains and baking basic mixtures of flour and water on hot stones. With the shift to agriculture, bread became a central part of the human diet and later a cultural symbol, from flatbreads in the Middle East to sourdough loaves in Europe.<\/p>\n

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Bread, an inseparable part of the daily diet <\/p>\n

(Photo: Shutterstock)<\/p>\n

Over the generations, bread not only fed entire populations but also reflected social, technological and economic differences, from white bread, once considered a luxury, to darker, coarser breads that were the food of the masses.<\/p>\n

\u201cBread is a basic food, found in almost every home. Almost anywhere we travel and walk into a supermarket, we\u2019ll find bread,\u201d says Shira Solo, a clinical and sports dietitian and lecturer at the Levinsky-Wingate Academic College. Yet, perhaps because of its huge popularity and daily presence, bread has also become the subject of many myths. Which claims hold up, and which do not?<\/p>\n

To determine which bread is healthiest, it helps to start with its basic ingredients. And, of course, not every loaf is made from wheat. \u201cToday, bread can be made from almost any grain, from oats to lentils and buckwheat, so the variety on the market is especially wide,\u201d Solo says.<\/p>\n

Still, in most cases, bread is made from wheat flour, and even there, the differences are significant. \u201cWhole wheat flour, for example, is made by grinding the entire wheat kernel, including the bran and germ, so it is richer in dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals. White flour, by contrast, is made without the bran and germ, and therefore contains fewer nutrients,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n

Beyond the type of flour, the preparation method also matters. \u201cBread baked at home or in boutique bakeries is usually based on a combination of flour, water, yeast or sourdough, and sometimes additions such as salt or oil, depending on the type of bread. <\/p>\n

“Industrial breads made in large bakeries often include preservatives, baking improvers and other ingredients meant to extend shelf life and improve texture. There is a very wide range here, and the differences between breads are very large.\u201d<\/p>\n

That brings us to the main question: Is it better to choose whole wheat bread or sourdough bread? Solo stresses that the central factor is the type of flour. \u201cWhat matters is that the flour itself is healthier. In our case, the healthier flour is whole grain flour, whole wheat,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

And what about sourdough? The answer is a little more complicated. According to Solo, sourdough is simply a baking method. \u201cTo make bread, we need leavening, and that can be achieved with yeast or with sourdough. Yeast creates rising through a biological process of \u2018respiration,\u2019 while sourdough is a more traditional method, relying on natural bacteria that develop in a mixture of flour and water and help the dough rise. Still, either method can be used with any type of flour.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Shira Solo. ‘The central factor is the type of flour’ <\/p>\n

(Photo: Racheli Hai Minian)<\/p>\n

That means, she says, the ideal combination is sourdough bread made with whole-grain flour. She says sourdough does have some benefits: Its fermentation process lowers phytic acid (a compound that can interfere with the body\u2019s absorption of minerals such as iron, zinc and calcium), which makes minerals more available, while the slower digestion may also help people feel full longer.<\/p>\n

Still, she notes that bread made with yeast is not inherently harmful. The confusion, she says, often comes from the association between sourdough and \u201cboutique\u201d baking. Such breads, made in small bakeries or at home, tend to be higher quality and contain fewer preservatives and baking improvers.<\/p>\n

\u201cBreads from larger chains tend to be more industrial and are usually not made with sourdough, so people often make that association,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n

The bottom line: Even if bread is baked with yeast, that does not make it less healthy. \u201cWhat should guide us is the type of flour and whether preservatives, baking improvers and various flour-treatment agents are being used,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Bread in itself is not what causes weight gain, and it does not prevent weight loss. In fact, Solo says, it can even offer a certain advantage. Compared with other foods, such as rice, portion control is more precise. \u201cWith rice, there is much more tendency to drift, to take another spoonful, taste from the pot after it\u2019s cooked, and then very often you end up eating more than you planned,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n

With bread, by contrast, it is easier to set clear limits. \u201cBread can be measured. We know how much a slice weighs, and we know how much we ate. We define two slices for ourselves at breakfast, and it\u2019s easier to stick to that. It allows us to pay more attention to quantities and also feel full for longer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, she notes that in the end, the central factor in weight loss is total daily calorie intake. \u201cIf we eat bread but still end the day in a calorie deficit, meaning we consumed less energy than we burned, we will lose weight even with bread in the diet.\u201d<\/p>\n

That principle, she says, also applies to one of the most common questions about bread and dieting: whether it matters what time of day you eat it. Many people mistakenly believe that eating bread in the evening or at night leads to weight gain. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat is another myth,\u201d Solo says. \u201cThe time at which you eat bread is not what affects weight loss. What matters is total daily intake. \u201cIf we eat bread at dinner but still consume less energy over the course of the day than our body burns, we will remain in a calorie deficit and lose weight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here’s another myth. Not every dark bread is necessarily healthier, and sometimes appearance is misleading. \u201cThere are breads that have a dark color, but that can be achieved by using ingredients that add color, such as malt, molasses or caramel, which simply \u2018color\u2019 the bread,\u201d Solo explains.<\/p>\n

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Whole wheat bread. Color is not what counts<\/p>\n

(Photo: Shutterstock)<\/p>\n

In other words, even bread based on white flour, without whole grains, can look dark without offering any real nutritional advantage. That is why, she says, people should not rely on color alone. \u201cYou have to look at the ingredient list. With every product you buy, turn the package over and look at the fine print. It appears in small type, and many people don\u2019t read it, but that is where all the information is,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

The bottom line: Choosing bread should be based on what the product contains, not on its color.<\/p>\n

There is no research evidence showing that bread itself causes inflammation in the body. Still, Solo says, it is important to pay attention to which bread you choose. If the goal is to get the most nutritional benefit, it is better to choose breads based on whole grains, such as whole wheat, spelt or rye.<\/p>\n

The picture changes, however, when bread is made with white flour and loaded with less healthy additives. \u201cIf the bread is based on white flour and contains a lot of added sugar and trans fat, then alongside other foods that may raise the risk of inflammation, it can have an effect,\u201d Solo says.<\/p>\n

She also notes that what people spread on the bread matters. \u201cMany times the bread can be healthy, and the spread is what causes the harm,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

For that reason, it is important to look at the product as a whole: the type of flour, the ingredient list and the overall diet throughout the day. In the end, Solo says, inflammation is not caused by one food alone, but by a combination of factors and accumulated eating habits.<\/p>\n

This too is a myth. \u201cThat is not true,\u201d Solo says, explaining that the mere fact that bread is labeled \u201cgluten-free\u201d says nothing about its nutritional value. Gluten-free breads are made from other flours, but they are not always a better choice.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is possible to make gluten-free bread from healthy flours, but in most cases we see gluten-free breads based on potato flour or rice flour, ingredients that, nutritionally, have fewer benefits, fewer vitamins and minerals, and less fiber,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

In addition, she says, a wide range of additives is often needed to recreate the familiar texture of bread. \u201cOften, many stabilizers are used because manufacturers are trying to achieve a texture similar to regular bread. \u201cWithout gluten, which gives bread its elasticity, manufacturers often rely on other food industry additives to recreate the texture. In the end, that can make the bread less healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, she says there are exceptions. \u201cGluten-free bread made with quinoa, buckwheat or lentil flour, without all those baking improvers, can be healthy,\u201d she says. \u201cBut in practice, most products available to consumers are different. Most gluten-free breads sold in supermarkets are made with less healthy flours and do contain baking improvers and stabilizers.\u201d<\/p>\n

The conclusion, then, is clear: Gluten-free bread is not automatically healthier.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Few foods are as universal as bread. It has accompanied humanity for thousands of years, crossing cultures, religions…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":444260,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[163,85,46,543],"class_list":["post-444259","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nutrition","tag-health","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-nutrition"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/444259","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=444259"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/444259\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/444260"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=444259"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=444259"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=444259"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}