The bread eaten in Blue Zones is unlike the bread most Americans eat.  Most Americans eat bread that is made with bleached white flour that spikes insulin levels because it metabolizes quickly into sugar.  Blue Zone breads are made of a variety of whole grains such as rye, barley, or wheat.  These whole grain breads have higher levels of fiber and a variety of nutrients.  Some Blue Zone breads are made by a process that creates an acid which is the “sour” in sourdough.  This traditional sourdough bread lowers the glycemic load of meals which makes your meal slower burning and more likely to make calories available as energy instead of being stored as fat. Try eating 100% whole wheat or sourdough bread.

Sour on Bread

How?

• Make sourdough bread yourself.
• Try spouted grain bread which is among the most nutritious of foods.
• Choose whole grain rye or pumpernickel bread over whole wheat.
• If you can squeeze a slice of bread into a ball, avoid it.

Taken from National Geographic’s  “The Blue Zones-The Science of Living Longer”

I purposely do not bake bread since I love bread and choose to limit how much of it I eat.  A few slices of good sourdough with a bowl of steaming hot soup is delicious .  My favorite bread is Dave’s Killer Bread, 60 calorie 100% whole wheat, thin-sliced Powerseed-yum!