Nutritionist: Eating natural yeast bread will not cause bloating

Influenced by the health trends in Europe and the United States, Chinese people are gradually becoming more accepting of natural yeast bread with a stronger chewiness. Nutritionists say that the main nutritional value of natural yeast bread lies in the raw materials, and its own nutritional value is limited. However, due to its longer fermentation time, it can make the hydration of carbohydrates more complete, reducing the chance of bloating after consumption.

Nutritionists say that bread made with natural yeast has a long fermentation time, which makes it easier for the stomach to digest and less likely to cause bloating than regular bread. (Photography by Huang Zhiwen)

The yeast used for making bread on the market can be divided into two types: "commercial yeast" and "natural yeast". Commercial yeast, also known as "artificial yeast," is a common powdered leavening agent. It is made by extracting a single strain with higher activity from a variety of natural yeasts for microbial cultivation, and then drying it into powder. The advantages of commercial yeast are stable fermentation conditions, fast speed, and the ability to maintain consistent bread quality.

However, since only a single yeast strain is used for fermentation, the taste of the bread produced is relatively monotonous. Moreover, because the dough fermentation time is too short, the carbohydrate decomposition process is not complete, and the baked bread is prone to aging and collapse after being left for a long time. Therefore, many businesses will add additional artificial bread improvers to maintain the elasticity of the bread.

Xu Jiaqing, a nutritionist from the nutrition group of the Luji Branch of the Changhua Christian Medical System, said that many people mistakenly believe that natural yeast cultivated with natural ingredients has more nutritional value than commercial yeast, but when it comes to bread, the real nutritional value lies in the raw materials and ingredients used, including flour quality, sugar, olive oil, fruit, etc.

The role of natural yeast in bread is mainly to help add special flavor and aroma during the fermentation process, making the baked bread richer and more layered.

However, since natural yeast has a longer fermentation time, it helps to completely break down the starch and carbohydrates in the dough, which is beneficial to gastrointestinal digestion and makes it less likely for people with sensitive gastrointestinal tracts to experience bloating after eating.

As for whether natural yeast bread can lower the glycemic index of diabetic patients better than ordinary bread, nutritionist Xu Jiaqing pointed out that it still depends on the individual's bread consumption and the comprehensive judgment of the sugar, fiber and other ingredients in the bread.