June 4, 2018 - 1:19pm
Does long fermentation reduce carbs by breaking down starches?
Does long fermentation reduce carbs by breaking down starches?
It seems crazy as I post this. But since I have been baking sourdough using an extended ferment (total fermentation of 18 hr @ 77F), I am not gaining weight. I’m eating at least 5 thin slices a day and haven’t been gaining weight. In the past, when eating other less fermented breads, this amount of bread would have increased my weight. I’ve been eating this extended fermentation bread for about 5 months now.
Whatever is going on, I hope it continues...
Dan
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The first step in the breakdown of starch is to form glucose, a carbohydrate. This does not help you. Then the glucose ism transformed to carbon dioxide and alcohol. But there is plenty of starch left otherwise there would be no bread! So the answer is really that long fermentation does not significantly reduce the carbohydrate content.
Ford
Too bad, crazy thought.
Maybe my metabolism is changing. Whatever it is I hope it continues :-)
I have become a huge fan of SD breads that have been fermented to the max. The dough is extremely delicate, but the flavor is perfect for me.
Dan
No thoughts are crazy. Keep thinking, but don't worry if you do not get the answers.
I too am a fan of sour dough. I have made my own starter and that is the leavening that I use for my bread.
I am getting a problem with my weight. It is probably due to inactivity. My physician tells me to get some exercise, but I don't do it.
Ford
Dan, I'm finding the same results. I make a fry bread with commercial yeast that I ferment to about 18 hours. I also make a SD boule with rye starter that I also ferment for about 18 hours. Yesterday I had a 2 slice SD cheese sandwich, slice of SD w/WW (200 gr) with peanut butter and a frybread muffin & pork sandwich. I lost weight today. I think it's more the long ferment rather than yeast type but I'm guessing.
Tom
slice of yeast bread roughly equals 1 teaspoon of sugar. But there is a very slight difference between SD and yeast bread. The LAB in SD are also converting sugar into acid as well as the yeast converting sugar to ethanol and CO2. There are at least 10 times more LAB than yeast in SD, sometimes 50 to 100 times more, so SD does end up with slightly less carbs in the end but a diabetic won't know much difference.
Sprouted grain SD breads also have a bit less carbs than SD too because the sprouting seed also metabolizes some sugar before it becomes flour. This is why I make a lot of sprouted SD bread. Every little bit of less sugar is a plus.
I’ve been planning to try sprouting and then grinding the grains. Thi may be a catalyst I need to get starter.
Dan
... the rate of peristalsis in addition to the chemistry of metabolism. If intake is greater than output over a given period, could the accumulation of residual ingested food not be relative to weight gained? A sidebar to this could be "extended fermentation" of another sort that is best avoided, especially in good company!
It is my understanding that long fermentation actually does break down the complex carbs. It's important to distinguish complex from simple carbs. A study out of Clemson University addresses this issue. While there ARE starches (carbs) remaining after the fermentation process, the majority are simple carbs (starches). This is important because complex carbs are digested as sugar but simple carbs are digested as vegetables. I know many people who have converted to sourdough, omitted refined sugars and other bread products and have lost weight effortlessly. I personally have lost over 55 lbs. For what it's worth, "the proof is in the pudding, or in this case the sourdough". If you made the change and are losing weight, that's hard to argue with. I make all things sourdough. Bread, muffins, biscuits, pizza crust, waffles, pancakes . . . . . It is a wonderful way to lose weight in a healthy way. Good lucik!
You are confirming what I’ve come to believe. I’ve always watched my weight, but I love to eat good food. I eat small portions of SD often during the day. It seems the longer and warmer the fermentation, the easier it is on my body. I can still gain weight, but not as easily as before :-)
Dan
Other things that have helped me also is to follow Donna Schwank's Trilogy. I was also checked recently (after the weight loss of 55 lbs but kind of stagnated . . .) and am being treated for insulin resistance. I have several friends that are diabetic and they respond extremely well to the sourdough and Trilogy. If they go off, then their numbers come in very bad. I have also found portion control to be important as you have indicated. I've found people to help with my emotional eating issues which I've found to be equally important. Wish weight loss was simple.
I got my first Kefir grains this week! And I am an avid fan of home made yogurt. Maybe fermented veggies in the future.
Dan
I've always really enjoyed breads, but a few years ago I had to cut them off from my diet. I was gaining weight very fast. Today I got back to my normal weight and after discovering the sourdough I returned to eat bread, although I still eat only on weekends. The issue of digestion is indisputable, it is very different to eat a loaf or a natural fermentation pizza, all my friends and family when they eat sourdough for the first time comment this. When I started I did a survey to see what was known about the sourdough glycemic impact on our bodies and found that some studies have already shown that it is significantly less impacting than other breads, here one of the studies I saw at the time and I got Find it again now, but if I'm not mistaken there are more. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28290296
If I had to bet, I would bet on that being the cause for this difference you noticed.
It was interesting that they claimed, “einkorn bread induced the least disturbance in carbohydrate homeostasis and the greater satiety”. Satiation is important. When we get that full feeling, we can easily stop eating.
According to my continued and ongoing experiment, my body handles sourdough MUCH BETTER than other breads. It also seems true that the longer the bread ferments the greater the health benefits, IMO. This is one experiment that I hope to conduct up to and including my very last day on this planet ;-) Hey, somebody has to be the guinea pig...
Dan