nutritionist Pooja Makhija – Strolling along the bread aisle in a supermarket can leave you a little too confused. Between focacia, garlic and rye, the options seem endless. But multiple visits to the washroom after scarfing down a delicious sandwich is on no one’s to-do list.

As such, choosing the right kind of bread that supports your gut health is key to a good diet. In a conversation with Masoom Minawala on her podcast, celebrity nutritionist Pooja Makhija discussed the differences between regular and sourdough bread and what makes the latter superior. “Sourdough, I love.

Sourdough can be ragi, can be rye, can be anything. We are just using the sourdough culture and vastly reducing the gluten. Most breads are yeast-fermented; sourdough has a microbial culture that digests the gluten, the protein in the carb.

It fluffs it up, and therefore, we get bread. Because of this culture that we use, we reduce the gluten content vastly.

A regular slice of bread has about 14000 microorganism parts of gluten. A sourdough bread has only 200. It’s not gluten-free, but it has less gluten,” she shared with the host.

According to Deepika Sharma, personal fitness expert with a focus on functional nutrition, ragi and rye bread are both naturally high in fibre. Rich in slow-digesting carbs that help keep your blood sugar steady, it also contains arabinoxylans, “basically food for your good gut bacteria”. So it’s not just about sugar spikes, it’s also about how your gut holds up over time, said Sharma.

Sourdough, on the other hand, is more of a technique. According to her, like Makhija also mentioned, it can be made with rye, wheat, spelt, whatever flour you choose.

A sourdough avocado egg toast (Source: Freepik) A sourdough avocado egg toast (Source: Freepik) Sourdough vs ragi/rye bread “What makes it different is the wild fermentation. Instead of commercial yeast, it uses natural bacteria and yeast (mostly lactobacilli) that slowly break things down, including carbs and gluten,” she explained, adding that the process is what makes it easier to digest, lowers the glycemic load, and even reduces compounds that block mineral absorption.

“If you’re eating rye sourdough, that’s the sweet spot, you get both the grain and the fermentation benefits,” said Sharma. If it’s a basic rye vs a good white sourdough, then the sourdough often comes out ahead, especially if it’s slow-fermented and made with whole grains, she added. Dr Samuel Ayofemi Olalekan Adeyeye, Department of Food Technology, Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science, Chennai, added that what makes sourdough so popular among gut health fanatics is the fact that its natural fermentation process makes it healthier for the heart compared to regular white or whole-wheat bread.

Story continues below this ad Fermentation, he added, also produces prebiotics, probiotics, and short-chain fatty acids that improve gut health, reduce inflammation, and help regulate blood sugar and cholesterol levels. “By slowing carbohydrate digestion and enhancing insulin sensitivity, sourdough and other fermented foods can lower fasting glucose and HbA1c levels.

Additionally, their bioactive compounds contribute to reduced LDL cholesterol and anti-inflammatory effects, promoting overall metabolic and heart health,” he elaborated. And like Sharma previously mentioned, choosing whole-grain sourdough further boosts fibre intake, aiding digestion and maintaining healthy blood pressure.

Sourdough’s fermentation, driven by lactic acid bacteria and yeasts, also enhances heart and gut health through complex biochemical interactions. These microbes pre-digest carbohydrates and proteins, improve mineral absorption, and produce bioactive compounds such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), antioxidants, and peptides that support gut integrity and reduce inflammation, he added. Story continues below this ad Remember… To sum it all up, whole-grain sourdough is what you should pick from supermarket shelves, as its soluble fibre helps lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, while its lower glycemic index supports steady blood sugar and insulin levels.

The fermentation also enhances the absorption of minerals like magnesium and potassium, which are vital for maintaining a healthy heart rhythm and blood pressure, and increases the antioxidant content that protects cells from oxidative damage. DISCLAIMER: This article is based on information from the public domain and/or the experts we spoke to.

Always consult your health practitioner before starting any routine.