Latest news with #bread
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Zoe guru Prof Tim Spector reveals the healthiest supermarket loaves - eating the right one could ward off colon cancer
Nutrition guru Professor Tim Spector has revealed the type of bread he eats every day for optimum health. Many of us will be guilty of grabbing a meal deal for lunch, but according to Prof Spector these meals are the worse invention ever in the name of convenience. Regularly eating ultraprocessed food including white, packaged bread from the supermarket has recently been linked to increased risks of colon cancer, with new studies suggesting diets high in these foods could raise the risk of dying from the disease by more than a third. But, according to Prof Spector, if you choose the right loaves, the pantry staple can be great for your gut health. Writing in the Telegraph, Prof Spector advised looking out for loaves that are high in fibre, boast short ingredient lists, are free from additives and low in sugar. He said: 'The top-selling breads all tend to have a nice healthy label promoting vitamins or fibre, some seeds scattered on top and they tend to look brown. 'But you're never going to be able to tell from the appearance or the front of the packet if you're buying healthy bread. 'Instead you need to look at the ingredients list on the back of the label. There, you're looking for a high percentage of fibre in your bread (ideally over 6-10 per cent) and as little sugar as possible.' Prof Spector added that loaves made with rye or spelt flour and wholegrains like ats are best. He also suggested avoiding products with lengthy ingredient lists, especially those that contain additives like emulsifiers and palm oils. According to the Zoe guru, added vitamins are another red flag, which often point to refined flours that may have been dyed to make the loaf appear better for you. Currently there are no regulations stopping companies from slapping 'wholegrain' or 'freshly baked' labels on their loaves, even if dyes have been added to the product, he explained. 'If it's baked on the premises, supermarkets don't have to share the ingredients in it,' he added. 'This category includes breads that have been made in a factory, kept frozen for up to two years in warehouses and then thawed out and baked in-store. 'They're full of sugar, packed with artificial ingredients and won't fill you up. 'Even sourdough is sadly often added as a "fake" ingredient to sell the product', he added. 'I know this is a really difficult food for people to work their way around and I don't think people should stop eating bread, but if you're just a bit fussier about the bread you eat, you can actually improve your health a lot.' Prof Spector said that he mostly eats sourdough rye bread that he makes himself, with wholemeal flour, rye flour, malted flakes, water, salt, a sourdough starter and some mixed nuts and seeds. 'It's free from from additives and preservatives, full of high quality grains, is high in fibre and fills you up—meaning you eat much less of it than you would a shop-bought equivalent,' the co-founder of Zoe added. When he doesn't have time to make his own bread, the health enthusiast opts for either Gail's rye and barley sourdough, or a pre-packaged long life German rye bread. He said: 'Whilst these don't look very appetising, they are nutritious and do the job until I can next make my own. 'I certainly wouldn't now buy the heavily processed supermarket bread that I used to, like white or even wholemeal sliced.' This comes as young diagnoses of bowel cancer, also known as colon cancer, are on the rise, having shot up by an alarming 80 per cent across the globe in the last 30 years. Scientists have suggested a host of factors are likely behind the phenomenon—from increased pollution to rising obesity and even invisible particles of plastic in drinking water. Now, experts believe eating a diet high in processed foods and refined carbohydrates—like packaged supermarket bread—could be an overlooked cause. It's because these types of foods are known to be low in fibre, the undigestable part of plant-based foods that has been proven to lower cancer risk. Other research suggests eating more fibre might help flush out cancer-causing 'forever chemicals'. Also known as PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), these toxic chemicals don't naturally break down in the environment. Instead, they leech from plastic containers and nonstick cookware into food and build up in vital organs, increasing the risk of organ failure, infertility and bowel cancer. The researchers, from Boston, believe fibre helps filter out excess bile from the digestive tract, which PFAS latches on to to get absorbed by the bloodstream. While mountains of research has demonstrated the deadly effects of forever chemicals on the body, the new study is one of the first to offer a scientifically proven way to get rid of the toxins, which were thought to live in the body forever. However, Dr Catherine Elliott, Cancer Research UK's director of research, told MailOnline: 'We need more high-quality research like this to help us uncover more about how our diet influences cancer outcomes. 'When it comes to food and cancer risk, our overall diet is far more important than any single food or ingredient. 'A healthy, balanced diet includes eating lots of fruit, vegetables, wholegrains, and healthy sources of protein like beans and chicken. 'Cutting down on processed and red meats, and foods high in fat, sugar and salt also helps.' Colon cancer, long considered a disease of old age, is increasingly striking people in their 20s, 30s and 40s in a phenomenon that has baffled doctors around the world. Over the last 30 years, young diagnoses of the disease have shot up by 80 per cent across the globe. Around 32,000 cases of colon cancer are diagnosed every year in the UK and 142,000 in the US.
CNA
4 days ago
- Health
- CNA
Why this bread shop owner keeps on baking even with 'pain in every joint'
"It's okay if I lose mobility in two fingers, I can still use the other three," said 55-year-old baker Dennis Lim, who suffers from severe arthritis with visible deformities to both his hands. Despite the chronic pain, Mr Lim still pushes through 16-hour working days, kneading and shaping each loaf bread with dedication and perseverance. "A good loaf of bread is one that's made with heart," said Mr Lim, who has been baking for 27 years.
CNA
4 days ago
- Health
- CNA
Kneading through the pain: Why this baker refuses to give up his craft despite severe arthritis
"It's okay if I lose mobility in two fingers, I can still use the other three," said 55-year-old baker Dennis Lim, who suffers from severe arthritis with visible deformities to both his hands. Despite the chronic pain, Mr Lim still pushes through 16-hour working days, kneading and shaping each loaf bread with dedication and perseverance. "A good loaf of bread is one that's made with heart," said Mr Lim, who has been baking for 27 years.
Telegraph
03-06-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Stop demonising bread, I eat it every day
I eat a slice of bread a day, either for breakfast or lunch. That may surprise you, as bread doesn't have the best reputation when it comes to our health – but it's misunderstood. It's one of the first things humans made – there are records of flatbreads going back some 14,000 years. So it's part of our culture; let's not demonise it but enjoy it. But, in some forms, it should be a rare treat (for me, that's when it's topped with marmalade). If you're having it on a regular basis like me, make sure that it's both tasty and good for you. My everyday bread – and favourite treat options Most days, I eat sourdough rye bread that I make myself with wholemeal flour, rye flour, malted flakes, water, salt, a sourdough starter and some mixed nuts and seeds like in the Zoe Daily30+ (I've shared the exact recipe below). It's got a really rich taste, a nutty feel to it, lots of structure and you know it's doing you good. It's heavy, dense and fills me up. It's free from additives and preservatives, full of high-quality grains, is high in fibre and fills you up – meaning you eat much less of it than you would a shop-bought equivalent. I often make more than I need and freeze it – slicing it thinly, so it's simple to take a couple of slices and toast as you need it. But if I don't have any, I'll buy something like Gail's rye and barley sourdough or the robust rye sourdough from M&S. Sometimes I'll pick up a pre-packaged long-life German rye bread. These don't look very appetising but are nutritious and do the job until I can next make my own. I certainly wouldn't now buy the heavily processed supermarket bread that I used to, like white or even wholemeal sliced; but I'll eat it if I'm at someone's house or travelling and it's really the only option available. They're full of sugar, packed with artificial ingredients and won't fill you up. Once you get used to healthier breads, these options no longer taste nice, either – they're very light, dissolve in your mouth and feel very sugary. But I don't always just stick to my healthy rye sourdoughs. My guilty pleasure is warm bread in restaurants, which is often quite sugary but delicious – options like homemade ciabatta and focaccia that I cover in extra-virgin olive oil. I've found that I'm not very good at saying no to it but as I don't go to restaurants every day, I see it as a treat. The healthy toppings – and ones to avoid I'm now completely turned off the classic sandwich and popular fillings. In my 25 years working as a hospital doctor, I'd buy a daily meal deal (in health terms, probably the worst possible invention in the name of convenience). Tuna and sweetcorn or cucumber with mayo on brown bread was my go-to, with a packet of crisps and orange juice. At the time, I thought this was a healthy option but it definitely wasn't – the bread was dyed and full of sugar and additives and I don't think it had a single wholegrain in it. And all that tuna is probably why I've got high mercury levels now. Instead, I now make much healthier high-fibre open sandwiches at home with whatever I have in the fridge. If I'm in a hurry, I would opt for cream cheese topped with sauerkraut or kimchi. I've just done a new study for my book Ferment, which is out in September, and we tested Philadelphia cheese that counts as a fermented food as, surprisingly, it contains live microbes. We could be snobby and say it's mass-produced but, ultimately, fermented food improves your digestion and gut health and we don't eat enough of it – though I prefer to buy a cream cheese from my local delicatessen that tastes better (but I'm not too proud to buy Philadelphia). If I have more time, I would drizzle my toasted bread with olive oil, spread over some hummus (either regular or beetroot) and top with jarred artichoke hearts, as well as some sauerkraut or kimchi. As a treat, I love dipping bread into olive oil and balsamic vinegar – that's something the British don't do enough of. Not only does it taste fantastic, the dips are full of healthy fats, which counteract some of the sugar in the bread. It feels like a luxurious thing to do but may have some benefits. Ultimately, many of us choose the easy route and have the same single-ingredient sandwich most days that we spend an estimated £48,000 on over a lifetime. As well as being unhealthy, it reduces the diversity of plants you are eating, depriving your gut microbes of a treat. So it's important to look for new ways to enjoy our sandwich. The UK's more popular fillings – like ham and cheese, BLT, prawn mayo – are all pretty rubbish for our health. Instead of always having our bread with meat, try to think of veggie options you could make. Most people like hummus and have it in their fridge but most don't think to put it on a sandwich. Try to be more adventurous. How to pick a healthy supermarket bread It's pretty hard to find good healthy bread in most supermarkets. The top-selling breads all tend to have a nice healthy label promoting vitamins or fibre, some seeds scattered on top and they tend to look brown and may even mention the word sourdough on the front of the packaging. But you're never going to be able to tell from the appearance or the front of the packet whether you're buying healthy bread because there's no agreed legal definition for the words wholegrain, or freshly baked, and dyes are often added to bread to make them appear healthier than they are. Sourdough is sadly often added as a 'fake' ingredient to sell the product. If it's 'baked on the premises', supermarkets don't have to share the ingredients in it and this category includes breads that have been made in a factory, kept frozen for up to two years in warehouses and then thawed out and baked in-store. It creates a lovely smell in the shop but will do little for your health. Instead, you need to look at the ingredients list on the back of the label. There, you're looking for a high percentage of fibre in your bread (ideally over 6-10 per cent) and as little sugar as possible. It's also important to try to avoid too many ingredients, especially red-flag ingredients like emulsifiers and palm oils. If vitamins have been added to the loaf, it's often a sign that the bread isn't healthy. Adding vitamins is a legal requirement in the UK for bread that is made with refined (non-whole) wheat flour. A lot of the vitamins out there come from big factories overseas, often made using modified microbes, and there are real concerns about whether they actually contain what the labels say. The combination of ingredients like salt, sugar and fats in unhealthy loaves are designed to make them very easy to overeat, which is known as hyperpalatability. If you go for a healthier option with lots of fibre it will actually fill you up – you'll eat less and feel fuller. Loaves made with rye flour, spelt flour or wholegrains are best. Another good sign is that it has a short ingredient list. I know this is a really difficult food for people to work their way around and I don't think people should stop eating bread, but I do think everyone should be trying to select a bread that is healthier than the one they're eating at the moment. If you're just a bit fussier about the bread you eat, you can actually improve your health a lot.
Telegraph
02-06-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Seven clever ways to use up stale bread
While we might all be aware of the need to minimise kitchen waste, there are some everyday foods which, despite our best intentions, still end up hitting the bin more often than we'd like. According to London's largest food redistribution charity, The Felix Project, bread tops the charts of Britain's most wasted foods with an astronomical 24 million slices of bread tossed out every day. There's plenty we can do to prevent it turning mouldy. Jason Geary, master baker at Jason's Sourdough, says that storing bread correctly is key to keeping it fresh: 'Bread bins or paper bags are the best options, allowing the loaf to breathe while keeping excess moisture at bay.' He explains that keeping bread in plastic bags, as many of us do, isn't ideal as it traps moisture and 'encourages condensation, leading to a sad, soggy loaf or an unwelcome bout of mould'. Staleness can be swerved, too. If you do discover your loaf has lost its bounce, Geary suggests a simple way to revive it: 'Sprinkle the crust with water and warm it in the oven at 180C for five-to-10 minutes. This reinvigorates the crust and softens the interior, giving your bread a second lease of life.' And as for those old slices at the end of a loaf (be it sourdough, seeded, or good old white sliced) that need saving from the bin, give them a delicious new purpose with these resourceful ideas. Flavoured croutons While plain croutons are great for adding crunch to soups and salads, there are plenty of ways to make them more exciting. Cut thick, sliced stale bread into cubes (or tear up pieces of flatbread or pitta) and toss with oil, spices and herbs, then bake at 180C for 10-15 minutes until crunchy and golden brown. Try using shop-bought infused herb oils or make your own – sprinkle some olive oil with cumin seeds and chilli flakes, say, or rosemary and lemon zest, and warm in the microwave for one minute. Leave to sit for a few minutes before using. Panzanella A classic Italian bread salad is a wonderful way to use up open-textured leftover bread such as ciabatta or sourdough. I like to lightly toast the torn bread under the grill for a few moments first, before tossing with lots of roughly chopped tomatoes, some black olives and maybe some caper berries or red onion, along with lots of seasoning, olive oil and red wine vinegar, finishing with soft herbs, such as basil or parsley. Make it more of a main meal by adding some prawns or mozzarella, or try this sardine panzanella recipe. Tear-and-share garlic bread This is my favourite way to use up the off-cuts of any bread including the heels of baguettes and the random rolls that always seem to be clogging up the freezer. Many supermarkets take a similar approach – slicing end-of-the-day bakery baguettes and ciabattas and stuffing them with garlic and butter to resell as frozen garlic breads. Begin by stirring together a mix of grated or torn cheese (another chance to use up those leftover nubs and ends) – I like a blend of mozzarella and a flavourful cheese such as mature cheddar or comté – along with some crushed garlic and chopped soft herbs such as parsley and chives. The bread pieces don't need to be a regular size or thickness, but cut them to roughly the same height as the ovenproof dish you're using. Butter the bread, then sandwich pieces together into the dish, sprinkling the cheese mix between the slices. Cover with foil and bake at 200C for around 30 minutes, removing the foil for the last 10 minutes, so the top can become golden and crusty. Muhammara A mezze platter staple, this Middle Eastern dip of roasted red peppers and breadcrumbs is easy to make by whizzing up 50g of stale white bread, torn into pieces, with a garlic clove, a handful of walnut halves and half a jar of roasted peppers, until coarsely blended. Add olive oil, salt, ground cumin and lemon juice to taste. Swirl the mixture into a shallow bowl and serve with a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds or crumbled feta, and toasts or flatbreads for dipping. Cheesy bread and butter pudding Bread and butter pudding is a satisfying way to use up half a sliced loaf – but it doesn't have to always be served for dessert. I love a savoury cheesy version with grainy mustard for lunch or dinner. Make up simple cheddar sandwiches with a generous spread of mustard (or Marmite); ham, sliced tomato and finely sliced spring onion all make welcome additions, too. Cut the sandwiches into triangle quarters and arrange in a heatproof dish before pouring over eggs beaten with milk and a splash of cream. Top with a little extra grated cheese and leave to settle for a few minutes before baking at 180C for 40 minutes or so, until golden and set. Cinnamon toasts Butter slices of tired white, wholemeal or fruit bread and cut them into quarters. Cook in a non-stick frying pan for two to three minutes on each side until crisp and golden. Stir a little ground cinnamon into some icing sugar and sift this liberally over the top. Eat immediately. Fabulous with sliced strawberries or some lavender, or flowering thyme from the garden. Trifle sponge fingers Run out of sponge fingers for your trifle or tiramisu? Brioche, with its gentle sweetness, makes a good alternative, stale or otherwise. I like to give it a light toast first for a little extra flavour or, if you're making individual portions, slice brioche finger rolls into discs; they look pretty in glass dishes.
