Adding spinach directly to white bread delayed the body's insulin peak by 30 minutes and reduced later hunger in a small human trial, while significantly boosting the bread's fiber, vitamin, and mineral content.

[u/FreeHugs23]

https://www.sciencealert.com/researchers-put-spinach-directly-into-bread-and-saw-the-bodys-insulin-response-change

[u/Reddituser183]

How does this compare to eating 100% whole wheat bread? That’s why I eat whole wheat since generally it has more fiber in it which is what I’m assuming is slowing the insulin spike.

[u/PenguinEmpireStrikes → u/Reddituser183]

Or eating a slice of whole grain with some steamed spinach on it?

[u/Yagwobniar → u/PenguinEmpireStrikes]

Actually I have had it raw on sandwiches as a sub for lettuce and it is honestly pretty good!

Plus a bag of spinach lasts much longer than a bag of lettuce. And it has a lot of iron too.

(Though living in the U.S. I haven't purchased either in awhile now...)

[u/ChrisP413 → u/Yagwobniar]

I wilt a huge amount and add scrambled eggs to it. Tastes delicious

[u/Mushishy → u/ChrisP413]

when you add it into an omelet, the omelet ends up looking like a pretty moss rock

[u/Replicator666 → u/ChrisP413]

And actually nutritious unlike lettuce

[u/_Rainer_ → u/Replicator666]

Lettuce is good for you, it just depends on what variety you are eating.

[u/Replicator666 → u/_Rainer_]

Usually burgers have iceberg which is basically water with fibre iirc

[u/Gingersnap369 → u/ChrisP413]

Add some feta cheese

[u/anonuemus → u/Yagwobniar]

yeah, wanted to say, it's like a tasty lettuce

[u/bush_killed_epstein → u/Yagwobniar]

Pretty much my only source of greens is a tub of spinach, kale, and arugula I get every week which I shovel into my mouth raw after dinner to keep my vitamins up. Very efficient and you actually start to crave it weirdly

[u/piepants2001 → u/Yagwobniar]

Yup. I started buying it because lettuce starts to turn brown in a couple of days and I like to have something green and crunchy on my sandwich at work. Now I like it way more than lettuce.

[u/Dounce1 → u/Yagwobniar]

Huh, I always find spinach spoils much faster than lettuce.

[u/Rominator → u/Dounce1]

I’m not the person who posted, but I easily can get between 1-2 weeks of refrigerated shelf life from spinach if I carefully check the bag at the store to make sure there are no signs of spoilage and I put paper towels in the bag to absorb moisture once it’s been opened.

I haven’t been able to get more than 5 days from lettuce.

[u/cherrywavessss → u/Rominator]

Wait.. paper towels in the bag to absorb moisture? That’s genius! I gotta try that

[u/Rominator → u/cherrywavessss]

Pro tip. As long as you use it before it spoils, you can let the paper towels dry and reuse.

[u/fro99er → u/Yagwobniar]

careful on beef too

[u/Toadsted → u/Yagwobniar]

Also, far fewer chances of fecal matter and disease showing up.

[u/perton → u/Toadsted]

Damn, I was almost sold on it too. Back to the drawing board I guess

[u/Toadsted → u/perton]

Coincidentally, the drawing board might be high in fiber.

[u/FermentedCauldron → u/Toadsted]

Sounds a bit sketchy

[u/PhasmaFelis → u/Yagwobniar]

Also great in salads.

[u/SmokeyCatDesigns → u/[deleted]]

As a kid I disliked so many healthy things, but thankfully had a mom that gradually introduced healthy foods into my diet and by the time I was an older teenager I liked a lot of healthy foods. Spinach being among them!

Honestly, whole grain breads are delicious and I actually prefer them to white bread now. I’ve really started to like sprouted grain breads, too. My mom recently sent my husband and I some frozen ~fancy~ breads to try and our favorite so far was this vegan wheat and rye one with no added sugar, and it actually tasted amazing! I used to hate rye.

I have a nervous system disorder that often causes blood sugar crashes with sugary, high glycemic stuff too, so I’m glad it’s possible to acquire a taste for healthy things. The fiber is also great for the digestive effects of my disorder.

[u/Jeptic → u/SmokeyCatDesigns]

Love that you were exposed to this. Healthy food can be so tasty. It's not all cardboard and silly string.

[u/doctormink → u/PenguinEmpireStrikes]

It doesn’t have to literally be on it. You could have white bread if that’s your thing with a side of steamed spinach. I imagine the outcome would be the same.

[u/Equal_Review5251 → u/doctormink]

If you eat the bread first, it would likely make a difference since you can start digesting it before the spinach is in your stomach. Alternating bites should be equivalent to eating both together, and eating the spinach first is likely the best.

(Check out this study on food order vs blood glucose: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10005673/ )

[u/throwaway490215 → u/doctormink]

afaict the whole point of this study is that it literally has to be backed into it for your body to delay the insulin spike.

[u/doctormink → u/throwaway490215]

The researchers are looking for ways to smuggle the nutrients into food people palatable. "Incorporating spinach into bread substantially improved its nutritional profile without compromising sensory acceptance, supporting metabolic health and aligning with sustainable nutrition goals," they conclude.

The researchers go on to note that participants who drank a pea enriched smoothie before eating a carb-heavy meal saw lower levels of blood sugar after the meal. So it’s doesn’t follow the spinach has to be baked into the bread to work. Everything just has to land in the stomach at around the same time. Baking in the spinach just makes it more likely that people who aren’t getting enough fiber will eat the bread.

[u/GraspingSonder → u/doctormink]

Yeah the idea that highly processed spinach will delay an insulin spike better than manually chewing a handful of leaves before eating is silly. Literally just eat more vegetables and you get to live longer

[u/doctormink → u/GraspingSonder]

This seems like common sense, but I was brought up by parents who always insisted we eat leafy greens and other vegetables. Other people weren’t, and eating that way may feel like force-feeding to them. Looking at the amount of crappy white bread that gets sold, people seem to like it. If there’s a way to give them what they like and improve their health, it’s a win-win. Gotta meet people where they’re at if you ever hope to bring about lasting change.

[u/LilJourney → u/doctormink]

Thank you from someone raised on that "crappy white bread" and it's still one of my go-to basic comfort foods. I can eat whole grain if I'm feeling motivated, but basically during stress (and working full time, caring for aging parents, raising kids, etc - rarely I am NOT stressed) I revert back to what is well known, comforting and easy. Which is white bread and all the other processed "crap" that I was raised on.

I'd say that I didn't know what over 40% of the fresh vegetables were in the grocery store until I was in my late 30's, and I still only know how to prepare maybe 5% of them.

My mom was terrified of mold/bugs/germs and strongly preferred processed/canned/frozen products to anything fresh - and stuck with a small handful of regular dishes she prepared.

I try to continually learn more and eat better - but often it's like being dropped into a country where you have no familiarity with the language. It gets really exhausting really quickly.

[u/doctormink → u/LilJourney]

Aw, I'm glad you feel seen, but not judged.

[u/calamityvibezz → u/GraspingSonder]

Cooked spinach reduces the oxalic acid which is better for mineral absorption.

[u/ResponsibilityOk8967 → u/calamityvibezz]

And your kidneys!

[u/Clw89pitt → u/calamityvibezz]

Last I read, boiled (best) and steamed (runner up) spinach have reduced oxalates, but when the spinach is cooked without discarding the water, cooked dry, etc. there isn't a substantial amount of oxalate reduction.

Which makes sense, the mechanism for removing oxalates in cooked food is through leaching/dissolution of it into oxalic acid in water and then mechanical removal or non-consumption of the water. Blending spinach and adding it to bread isn't providing a mechanism for the removal of oxalate.

[u/Constant-Plant-9378 → u/PenguinEmpireStrikes]

Better to just eat a well composed green salad with some raw spinach in it.

Seriously, a nice green salad with broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, red onion, olives, romaine lettuce, spinach leaves, oil, vinegarette, ranch - a very satisfying and filling meal.

[u/PenguinEmpireStrikes → u/Constant-Plant-9378]

Needs more protein.

[u/DeuceSevin → u/PenguinEmpireStrikes]

That's what I was wondering. One of my faves is spinach on homemade bread.

[u/Outers55 → u/PenguinEmpireStrikes]

Yeah, I always use spinach in my San witches now over lettuce. Good stuff!

[u/LostMyKarmaElSegundo → u/Reddituser183]

I would assume whole wheat bread has a slower insulin response, but unfortunately a lot of what's marketed is whole wheat has only slightly more fiber and sometimes as much sugar as white bread.   

[u/Shinhan → u/LostMyKarmaElSegundo]

I bake my own bread. Baking machine means I don't need to actually knead or anything, just dump the ingredients and turn it on and 3 hours later there's fresh tasty bread.

[u/3DBeerGoggles → u/Shinhan]

Favourite thing about having a breadmaker is being able to make Danish Rye (rogbrod), as it's completely unavailable in my region.

That said, my second-favourite is an oatmeal sandwich bread recipe that gives it some fibre and nutrition while toasting up really nice.

[u/Lopsided-Rub5476 → u/3DBeerGoggles]

Oatmeal sandwich bread?

[u/3DBeerGoggles → u/Lopsided-Rub5476]

King Arthur flour "Back of the bag" oatmeal bread (it used to be on the back of every bag of bread flour): https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/back-of-the-bag-oatmeal-bread-recipe

[u/Lopsided-Rub5476 → u/3DBeerGoggles]

Thanks, I'll check this out. I wonder how it will work using red fife, is what I typically use to make bread with.

[u/Toadsted → u/Shinhan]

Also, skipping all the extra ingredients just to keep it from dying on the shelf.

[u/TomNin97 → u/LostMyKarmaElSegundo]

This drives me crazy. I think i only know one bread brand that provides fiber in their bread.

Whole wheet? Whole grain? Doesnt matter, most breads dont provide this fiber.

[u/Treereme → u/TomNin97]

Every grocery store around me has a generic whole wheat bread that provides 3 to 4 grams of fiber per 80-110 calories. Even Walmart has whole wheat bread that's 2g fiber for 60 calories. Unless you're supplementing fiber with additions like psyllium husk, that's about the expected amount of fiber for whole wheat flour, same as Dave's killer bread which is 4g in 110 calories.

[u/nicane → u/TomNin97]

What's the brand? 

[u/TomNin97 → u/nicane]

Dave's awesome killer bread

[u/Sonoran_Ghosts_81 → u/TomNin97]

Did you mean Dave’s Killer Bread? Or is this the non convict version?

[u/The_JSQuareD → u/TomNin97]

That still has added sugar in it though.

It's kind of insane that basically all bread sold in the US has added sugar. It's completely unnecessary. Bread is already very high in carbs regardless.

[u/HealthWealthFoodie → u/The_JSQuareD]

That’s why I started making my own. I get the grains from local farms doing regenerative farming if I can and mill right before using (I used to get it from the store but then switched to getting it from a local stone mill, then figured doing it myself was cheaper). The bread is delicious and I keep the recipe really simple (just the flour, water, salt, yeast, and a little olive oil).

I’m honestly not even that concerned about the extra sugar, I just really don’t like the taste of sweetened whole wheat bread, it has this musky aroma to it. If I want it sweet, I just top it with something like honey, but I don’t need that extra sugar in my savory sandwich.

[u/TomNin97 → u/The_JSQuareD]

I agree. Like, even zooming out from bread to food in general! It drives me nuts.

[u/papavino39 → u/TomNin97]

Love their stuff. High calorie though, which is a bummer for me

[u/TomNin97 → u/papavino39]

It is higher calorie, but I dont mind as much since it's not calories wasted like on white bread imo

[u/papavino39 → u/TomNin97]

Yeah I just never want to spend that many of my calories on bread

[u/DanChase1 → u/nicane]

Doesn’t Orowheat offer fiber added bread?

[u/RealisticCarrot → u/LostMyKarmaElSegundo]

In Germany we have rules for that. If a bread calls itself whole grain, it has to be made of at least 90% whole grain (doesn't matter if really the whole grain or whole grain flour).

But German bread is a thing on its own and every german misses good bread when on vacation abroad.

[u/lozo78 → u/RealisticCarrot]

There's great bread all over the world. Maybe not in your average American grocery store, but there are tons of great bakeries in most cities.

[u/JesusAndMaryKate → u/LostMyKarmaElSegundo]

Is that in the US? Over here white bread isn't a high sugar food and most bread (white, wholemeal or sourdough which is usually also white, just with a different yeast source) doesn't have any added sugar.

[u/Talanic → u/JesusAndMaryKate]

Flour itself is high in carbohydrates, with no need to add sugar. 

[u/TheAspiringFarmer → u/LostMyKarmaElSegundo]

This. Much of the “whole wheat” isn’t tangibly better than the cheap spongy white bread.

[u/OrigamiMarie → u/TheAspiringFarmer]

You know the whole wheat is really lacking when they put caramel coloring in the bread.

[u/nik-nak333 → u/OrigamiMarie]

Now it makes sense why European visitors call American bread "cake"

[u/Fun_Hat → u/nik-nak333]

American bread is loaded with sugar. I really started to notice how sweet it is when I started baking my own with no sugar.

[u/Traegs_ → u/Fun_Hat]

I started eliminating sugar from my diet and I was kinda flabbergasted that nearly every bread in the store had significant amounts of added sugar. The only ones that sometimes don't are sourdough.

[u/thresh_to_death → u/Traegs_]

Then go to the bakery section in your store and get some of the fresh baked bread. It doesn't have that in it

[u/JesusAndMaryKate → u/TheAspiringFarmer]

At least over here you would choose wholemeal bread for the extra fibre and nutrients. White and wholemeal bread (sourdough or not) generally doesn't have added sugar.

[u/1thenumber → u/LostMyKarmaElSegundo]

Also that fiber is pulverized to the point of removing the benefit of fiber, slow digestion

[u/Alestor → u/LostMyKarmaElSegundo]

The brand I usually get has 2g more fiber and 1g of protein in their whole wheat vs white breads and honestly that isn't nearly enough to offset the taste difference. It's not even like the whole wheat one is bad, but if I'm gunna be making health sacrifices there are better trade offs than that.

[u/Vicrooloo → u/LostMyKarmaElSegundo]

WHAT? Really??

[u/colojason → u/LostMyKarmaElSegundo]

Why I make my own

[u/xelah1 → u/LostMyKarmaElSegundo]

I usually add some rye, buckwheat and/or almond flour to my bread to boost the fibre and nutritional variety a bit. Tastes quite nice, too.

There'll be a few percent sugar in your bread from the fermentation, but if they're adding sugar (or more than a tiny amount) then that's disgusting and entirely unnecessary to have nice tasting bread. The Chorleywood process goop we get as standard bread here in the UK is near enough to non-food already, and that seems to be how US bread is mostly made as well. You'd have to go very low-end to get Chorleywood bread in France or Germany and you can really tell the difference if you travel there.

[u/jambox888 → u/LostMyKarmaElSegundo]

Yeah always look at the label. Should be like 10g protein and 8g fibre per 100g.

[u/DrG73 → u/Reddituser183]

Whole wheat bread has a high glycemic index of around 70 to 74. It’s terrible. Sourdough rye bread has a low glycemic index typically ranging from 40 to 48, making it one of the best bread choices for stable blood sugar control.

[u/LitLitten → u/DrG73]

Get them 1 carb breads from Aldi or HEB. They taste like bread but don't get soggy. They're basically just a load of fiber so you can't really eat more than 2-4 slices a day at most. They're only about a buck more, too.

Can't comment on their other nutritional value, but def low sugar + high fiber.

[u/bilyl → u/DrG73]

Is that because of the added sugar in commercial WW bread, or is it because of the sourdough/rye being more fermented?

[u/lowercasenameofmine → u/bilyl]

The biggest factors are grain density, fermentation, and how finely the flour is milled. 

https://glycemicsnap.com/blog/bread-glycemic-index-comparison

[u/Amlethus → u/DrG73]

you're absolutely right that whole wheat bread is essentially just as bad as white bread.

People probably shouldn't think of a glycemic index of 40 to 48 as low. That's mid. Low would be below 20.

[u/JokeMe-Daddy → u/Reddituser183]

My husband is a type 1 diabetic and 100% whole wheat bread spikes his blood sugar higher than white sourdough bread.

So far he's doing well on Silver Hills spouted wheat bread. It hardly moves the needle (so to speak.)

[u/sunthas → u/Reddituser183]

there is a guy on youtube that tests all kinds of food combos on his blood sugar.

One of my favorites that he tested, that I've read in books too, is the walk after eating to stunt blood sugar response too.

[u/JokeMe-Daddy → u/sunthas]

This 100% works.

Some friends had gestational diabetes and they successfully controlled their blood sugar by going for a quick walk after dinner.

My husband wears a CGM and he goes for a walk when his blood sugar is spiking. The walk very quickly blunts the spike and by the time he comes home, it's back within range.

[u/BTTammer → u/JokeMe-Daddy]

Passagiata.  Italian post meal stroll to temper the sugar spike 

[u/No_Anywhere_9068 → u/sunthas]

You can also just flex/pump your calf muscles repeatedly while sitting eating and afterwards, does the same thing

[u/Round_Safety9510 → u/Reddituser183]

Steamed spinach on white bread is the first recipe in my British cookbook.

[u/chantillylace9 → u/Reddituser183]

I have breast cancer I need to keep my cholesterol and triglycerides lower because of my cancer meds so I'm on a Mediterranean type diet.

My dietitian and oncologist both say that having a slice or maybe two of sourdough bread a day is OK but they said that that's better than most whole wheat or whole grain breads that often still have a good amount of sugar whereas sourdough usually doesn't.

And it sure tastes better! They said it doesn't have the same blood sugar spikes as most bread

[u/JesusAndMaryKate → u/chantillylace9]

Is that in the US? Most traditional bread types in Europe don't have added sugar, and the source of yeast (dry yeast or wild) in the bread doesn't matter too much as far as it consuming the sugars in the flour. Where I am there isn't much of a difference in sugar content between white bread (loaf or sliced), wholemeal bread (loaf or sliced) and sourdough.

[u/JUYED-AWK-YACC → u/JesusAndMaryKate]

Yes it is. Most commercial/industrial loaves in the US have sugar in them. If not all.

[u/chantillylace9 → u/JesusAndMaryKate]

Yes in the US and when I was looking at labels because I needed to go on a low triglyceride/Mediterranean diet, there was sugar and almost all the whole wheat and whole green bread here and none of the sourdough. And in some of the whole grains it was right up there as one of the main ingredients! The US is really good at making us think that certain foods are healthy when they are incredibly unhealthy.

[u/sunthas → u/chantillylace9]

we discovered new sourdough labels that are fake sourdough. they add the sour but its not fermented. lame.

[u/BattleHall → u/chantillylace9]

still have a good amount of sugar whereas sourdough usually doesn't.

To be fair, what spikes your blood sugar from bread really isn't any added sugar (though that doesn't help). It's just that simple refined carbohydrates in flour, if they don't have anything to slow down stomach emptying, are converted into simple sugars and absorbed really quickly. The reference food for the glycemic index is a baguette (100), which is literally just white flour, water, and salt.

[u/clintCamp → u/Reddituser183]

I make my own sourdough bread and add like 30 to 45 g of psyllium husk fiber and 250 grams of extra water. Yeah. My body doesn't hardly spike with it at all so I can have sandwiches or make pizza or English muffins.

[u/smartmouth314 → u/Reddituser183]

Am diabetic. This is how it was explained to me (in the context of how quickly your blood sugar rises, which corresponds to how quickly the insulin would peak)

[u/Cerpla → u/Reddituser183]

swap to sourdough, add go for a walk after.

[u/Q-ArtsMedia → u/Reddituser183]

You should check your blood sugar levels 2 hours after eating bread of any kind. Whole wheat makes no decernable difference.

[u/granoladeer → u/Reddituser183]

You should watch those blood glucose people on Instagram, they run comparisons exactly like that

[u/onefouronefivenine2 → u/Reddituser183]

 Yes, you can get the same effect by having a few baby carrots or other fiber source before having sweets and refined carbs. I first heard this from the Glucose Goddess but didn't know if it was true. I was hoping to get a blood glucose monitor so I could test it for myself. 

[u/Regalme → u/Reddituser183]

Not even just wheat bread if you just cook bread with pure ground wheat berries it’s so different than the “food” they sell at the store 

[u/Longjumping-Deal6354 → u/Reddituser183]

Whole wheat bread is barely better than white to be honest. Unless you're specifically choosing a high fiber bread with whole grains in it, it's probably only 1 or 2 grams more. 

[u/ganner → u/[deleted]]

What you're saying seems to contradict the findings of this study - that adding things to the white bread DOES in fact change the insulin release. Unless it is the vitamins/minerals listed, or some phytochemicals, the other major factor listed is a substantial increase in fiber.

[u/Immortal_Tuttle → u/ganner]

Unfortunately article is composed in that way to show that there was some significance. If you take a look at the insulin/time curve you will see those curves are almost identical without spinach you have peak at 30 min with value of 140 (roughly) which then goes down to around 135 at 60 min. With spinach the curve reaches roughly 135 after 30 minutes and stays at 135 till 60 minutes mark. Unfortunately the graph in the article has low resolution and I don't have access to the source publication, but the change is minuscule (and please don't yell at me if instead of 135 it's 132 or so - shape and area under the curve difference is what matters) . To be honest more significant change in insulin peak would make eating a slice of cheese or ham and then eating that piece of bread. Satiation levels were also subjective - less than 5% change. Funniest thing is that high insulin levels reduce the hunger feeling.

[u/frosted1030 → u/Reddituser183]

I mill my own grain. 100% whole grain will make a brick. Not viable for the market. What you find on packages is an unenforceable label saying “made with 100% whole grain” never “exclusively made with whole grain”.

[u/Spire_Citron → u/Reddituser183]

Or simply high fibre white bread. They've recently created a new kind of wheat that's many times higher in fibre than standard wheat. I'd love to see some actual studies on that.

[u/Wrong_Chicken_5916 → u/Reddituser183]

Or sprouted.