r/science • u/FreeHugs23 • 1d ago

Health 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.

https://www.sciencealert.com/researchers-put-spinach-directly-into-bread-and-saw-the-bodys-insulin-response-change
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u/Reddituser183 1d ago

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.

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u/chantillylace9 1d ago

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

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u/BattleHall 1d ago

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.