Make or buy bread: how to choose the most digestible?

Unless you have spent four months in a cave, it is almost impossible to have missed the flagship culinary activity of confinement: homemade bread making. Baguette, country loaf, wholemeal or cereal… If the French consume it from breakfast to dinner, it is first and foremost for the pleasure it provides (for 92% of them), and less for the qualities nutritional values ​​they attribute to it, according to a study by the Bread Observatory and the CSA Institute published in 2018.

Some think that it would make the belly grow, even swell, others testify to digestive problems until they contract gluten intolerance. Three nutrition specialists guide us in choosing the bread that is most compatible with our digestive system.

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Opt for a flour rich in micro-nutrients

This soft and fine powder happens to be the main and crucial ingredient in bread. On the market, there are different types, classified by numbers and generally indicated on the label of the baguette sold in commerce. T65, T80, T110… This value indicates the nutritional qualities of the flour. The higher this figure, the more the flour contains vitamins, minerals and fiber, so essential to the regulation of transit. This is why Christian Rémésy, nutritionist and former director of research at Inrae (1) advises against the consumption of bread made from flour below type 65, known as "white", because it has been refined beforehand. to remove the germ and the husk from the cereal.

The good compromise would be to opt for a semi-complete T80 flour, also called "black flour". "It is a flour generally used in organic bakeries because the grains have not been treated beforehand and do not contain pesticide residues or additives on arrival", explains nutritionist Christian Rémésy. “Some non-organic flours contain molecules that can stress the immune system and degrade intestinal permeability,” adds Professor Joël Doré, research director at Inrae and scientific director of MetaGenoPolis. You can also opt for T110, T130 (wholemeal) and T150 flours, but their strong taste is not suitable for everyone.

As for the selection of cereals, Angélique Houlbert, dietitian nutritionist (2), recommends diversifying them. “Wheat or spelled flours contain almost only insoluble fiber, known to be irritating to the intestine, she explains. It is better to mix them with flours from cereals containing soluble fibers, such as barley, oats or rye, which are very soft and satisfying.

To improve digestive work, Professor Joël Doré took this thinking further and designed a wheat bread baguette called Amibiote (€1.30, available at Monoprix or Système U) combining 7 plant fibers (1g per 100g bread), from cereals, plants, fruits and vegetables, playing the role of prebiotic to facilitate the assimilation of nutrients.

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Beware of gluten-free breads

“White wheat flour contains more gluten protein, says Angélique Houlbert. The latter are poorly digested because they are not degraded by the hydrochloric acid secreted by the stomach and the other enzymes of the digestive tract. Depending on its sensitivity to gluten, this can cause digestive ailments, acid reflux and abdominal pain such as constipation or diarrhea.

However, if you do not suffer from celiac disease, eating gluten-free breads is not the best alternative. “The manufacturing processes are still for the most part very artificial, with ultra-processed ingredients, notes Angélique Houlbert. Not to mention that some flours such as rice or corn are digested quickly but have a high glycemic index, which does not satiate and leads to snacking.

Yes sourdough, no yeast

A key step in the bread-making process, fermentation allows the bread to rise. The longer the latter, the more the nutritional components of the bread will be assimilated. To achieve this, bakers have the choice of using baker's yeast or sourdough. "Baker's yeast, derived from industrial beer, releases a lot of CO2 and causes the dough to rise too quickly, while sourdough contains lactic bacteria which will acidify the dough and activate enzymes", specifies nutritionist Christian Rémésy.

“This diversity of micro-organisms will be used on the one hand to predigest complex components, such as gluten, and to enrich the bacteria of our intestinal microbiota, adds Professor Joël Doré, from Inrae. Thus stimulated, certain bacteria would notably make it possible to strengthen the intestinal wall.

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Moistened and fermented seeds

Source of dietary fibre, vitamins and mineral salts… Chia, flax and even sesame seeds have almost as many varieties as virtues. This pushes us to favor “cereal” breads in the bakery. Only their actual nutrient intake does not grow in the raw. "These seeds have a cuticle that resists enzymatic attacks and therefore remain intact until the end of the digestive system", notes Professor Joël Doré.

To remedy this and benefit from their benefits, the nutritionist and former director of research at Inrae Christian Rémésy insists on the need to crush them and moisten them before adding them to the dough. He has also developed his own recipe, called "Granipain" from around twenty cereal seeds, legumes or oilseeds. “Such biodiversity ensures perfect digestion,” confirms the nutritionist. If this product has so far won only one bakery in the Tarn-et-Garonne, Christian Rémésy plebiscites in the meantime the breads with fermented seeds whose manufacturing process approaches "Granipain", but without the still equal.

(1) Christian Rémésy is the author of La Nutriecology, published by Editions Thierry Souccar, 320 pages, €19.90.(2) Angélique Houlbert is the author of The Best Way to Eat, published by Editions Thierry Souccar, 336 pages, €19.90.