Can Bread Actually Be Healthy For You?
Bread has become one of the most demonized foods in the last decade.
Many health-conscious people view it as “empty carbs,” a blood-sugar “bomb,” and something to be avoided entirely.
But here’s the truth.
Eating the right bread can actually support digestion, metabolism, and even gut health.
Before we discuss how that is possible, we need to understand why bread has developed such a negative reputation in the first place.
The Problem with Most Bread
Today’s bread sold in an average supermarket isn’t anything like what our grandparents ate.
It’s produced at lightning speed using refined white flour, preservatives, emulsifiers, and fast-rising yeasts.
This creates something that looks soft and fresh.
But inside is something that can hardly even be called bread.
The refining process removes most minerals, fiber, and genuinely beneficial compounds. ² So what’s left is some high-glycemic starch that leaves you hungry shortly after eating.
Short History of Bread
Bread wasn’t always something bad.
In fact, in the Bible, the bread God provided for his people (also called manna) was described as “like coriander seed, and its taste was like that of flat cakes with honey.” ⁴
The bread from the past was nothing like the chemically inflated bread we have today.
In many languages, the word “bread” was synonymous with food since it was genuinely nourishing.
It was simple and natural. It only had whole grains, water, salt, and natural leavening. ⁵
No preservatives. No refined starches. No rapid-rise commercial yeast.
When Speed Hinders Quality
Other than the ingredient list, there is one key difference that sets traditional bread and modern bread apart.
Traditionally, bread used a long fermentation technique ⁵. The dough would ferment for 12-24 hours.
On the other hand, industrial dough today often rises in under an hour. ⁷ And with this incredibly low amount of time, gluten and starches remain intact, making digestion much harder.
But the difference with slow fermentation is:
- It breaks down gluten,
- reduces phytic acid,
- improves mineral absorption, ⁶
and creates a lower-glycemic food, which is far easier on the gut. ⁷
What Actually Makes Bread Healthy
So if most bread today is ultra-processed, is there any bread that’s actually healthy?
Thankfully, yes.
And it’s actually much more straightforward than processed bread. Healthy bread usually only contains: flour, water, salt, and a natural leaven
That’s it.
Truthfully, in terms of how many ingredients a loaf uses, we can see that:
“Less is more.”
In addition, natural bread uses flour that’s stone-ground, allowing the nutrients to remain unharmed.
Unlike modern roller milling, where heat and friction degrade valuable oils and vitamins. ²
Interestingly, countries with strong artisanal bread cultures don’t experience the same metabolic issues associated with industrial bread.
How to Choose the Right Bread
So yes, bread can still be a healthy, enjoyable food. But unfortunately, it’s usually not that easy to find.
Here’s what you should look for when buying a loaf:
- Simple, natural ingredients.
- “Sourdough,” “naturally leavened,” or “long-fermented” on the label
- “Stone-ground,” “whole grain,” or “sprouted grain”
- No added sugars
- No seed oils
- No preservatives or emulsifiers
- Organic or heritage grains, when possible
- Avoid wheat, and aim for grains like spelt, rye, barley, or oats.
And what matters most is where you’re searching. Because sadly, there might not be any good bread left in many supermarkets.
So your best chance to find some good bread is at a local bakery or an artisanal production center.
The Healthiest Option
Nowadays, with healthy bread being rare and some sellers making false claims about their bread being “natural,”
It’s hard to be sure you’re eating a healthy loaf.
So here’s the best option:
Make the bread yourself… at home.
Imagine the control you get:
- You choose the quality and type of flour
- You decide how long to ferment the dough
- You avoid additives entirely
- You can use the grain of your choice (including gluten-friendly ones)
- You can make true sourdough that digests smoothly ⁸
A long-fermented, whole-grain, homemade loaf has a dramatically different effect on your health compared to supermarket bread. ¹
What the Budwig Center Team Does
At home, our family actually eats bread multiple times a week.
The bread we eat is homemade, slow-fermented, and made from whole grain (spelt).
We have found that with homemade bread, you feel more energy, your digestion is good, and it’s actually filling. Not to mention that it tastes amazing.
So no, we don’t avoid bread entirely. What we do avoid is the so-called “bread” sold in an average supermarket.
What We Have Learned
Bread isn’t the problem. Modern processing is.
Using whole grains, simple ingredients, and slow fermentation, bread can be nourishing and digestible.
So if you want to be healthy, you don’t have to give up bread.
You just have to choose what your body genuinely recognizes as real food.
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Sources
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. (n.d.) Carbohydrates. The Nutrition Source.
- Mayo Clinic Staff. (2024) Whole grains: Hearty options for a healthy diet. Mayo Clinic.
- World Cancer Research Fund. (2024) Ultra-processed food and cancer. WCRF International.
- Exodus 16:31. NWT.
- BBC Good Food. (2024) What is sourdough? BBC Good Food.
- Ameur, H., et al. (2021) Thirty years of knowledge on sourdough fermentation: A systematic review. Trends in Food Science & Technology.
- Curiel, J. A., et al. (2022) Nutritional benefits of sourdoughs: A systematic review. Current Opinion in Food Science.
- Cleveland Clinic. (2024) Is sourdough bread healthy? Benefits of sourdough bread. Cleveland Clinic.