Some Good Reasons for Choosing Yeast-Free Sourdough Bread

Ideal for Diabetics because it has low Glycaemic Index (GI) 

Here’s a little gem of a nutrition nugget for people with diabetes. White bread, as we all know, is the quintessential enemy of good blood sugar control. Along with white potatoes and table sugar, white bread sits at the top of the no-no list. However, when lactic acid (produced by natural lactobacillus) is added to bread dough, it does two things –– changes the flavor to the tangy, delicious bite of naturally leavened bread and mediate the glycaemic impact of all that white wheat flour. Naturally leavened white bread is better than ordinary prepared yeasted white bread , and of course a naturally leavened whole grain bread will still rank highest on the health meter and lowest in glycaemic response. 

Beneficial for Candidiasis

It’s the fermentation, partly from lactobacillus, that makes eating good quality bread an aid to digestion of all complex carbohydrate foods including other grains, beans, and

vegetables. It helps restore the functioning of the digestive tract, resulting in proper assimilation and elimination. These beneficial bacteria help control candida albicans, whereas baker’s yeast is a pro-candida organism. This is a brown bread that truly is "the staff of life" as it enhances the whole immune system.

Ideal for Osteoporosis.

 Prevention of mineral deficiencies such as Rickets and Anemia (Calcium, Magnesium, Copper, Iron & Zinc) and bone loss.

In the book Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon she tells us that: "All grains contain phytic acid (an organic acid in which phosphorous is bound) in the outer layer or bran. Untreated phytic acid can combine with calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and especially zinc in the intestinal tract and block their absorption. This is why a diet high in unfermented whole grains may lead to serious mineral deficiencies and bone loss. Soaking allows enzymes, Lactobacilli and other helpful organisms to break down and neutralise phytic acid. As little as seven hours of soaking in warm acidulated water (sic) will neutralise a large portion of phytic acid in grains.

Better Digestibility

During the process of soaking and fermenting, gluten and other difficult-to-digest proteins are partially broken down into simpler components that are more readily available for absorption. If the fermentation process continues for long enough and the requisite bacteria are present then most if not all of the gluten may be broken down. This would explain why some gluten-intolerant people can digest naturally leavened bread without any symptoms of gluten allergy.

Suitable for  people with wheat allergies

People with allergies to commercially yeasted breads may not have the same sensitivities to naturally leavened whole grain bread. The cause may be either the wheat and/or the yeast. Often, people who are sensitive to yeasted white bread do not react to whole wheat bread. Others, who are sensitive to whole wheat bread, do not react when the leavening used is natural sourdough starter.

Modern Breads as a Potential Cause of Cancer

You may be surprised to learn that conventionally yeasted breads have been linked to cancer. True sourdough bread is naturally fermented. It is yeast free and requires several hours to rise before baking. In contrast, conventionally yeasted bread uses a high concentration of an isolated yeast strain to make bread rise within minutes. In an article, published in 1984 in East-West Journal, Ronald Kotsch describes why conventionally yeasted bread contributes to disease.

"In (conventional) yeast fermentation, the starch cells of the bread actually explode. The patterns they form are identical to those of cancer cells. According to French researcher Jean Claude Vincent, the bio-electrical energy of the dough also is identical to that of cancer cells."

German and Swiss researchers concur with Vincent that this fast-acting yeast sends an electrical message to the body for the cells to mimic this exploding replication. This is cancer. Beyond these facts, sourdough bread may win you over by its taste alone. It is wonderful, chewy, old-world bread.