Sourdough, Brown, Or White: What's The Healthiest Type Of Bread?

Dietary advice provided by registered dietitian Jo Travers, also known as The London Nutritionist.

Though a dietitian previously told us that wholegrain pasta is a little healthier than the “plain” kind, she doesn’t think it’s an all-or-nothing issue. “The best choice depends on individual preferences, digestive tolerance and the overall balance of the diet,” the expert said.

But what about bread? 

Sourdough may be best, but there are caveats 

Speaking to HuffPost UK, registered dietitian Jo Travers said: “There are definitely healthier (and unhealthier) types of bread.

“The healthiest ones are high fibre sourdough breads, made with a sourdough starter and slowly fermented. This gives the microbes time to alter the flour to make it healthier.” 

Fibre has been linked to decreased heart disease, cancer, and even dementia risk, though 90% of us aren’t getting the required 30g a day.

And true sourdough has a lower glycemic index than those made with commercial yeast, which may be a better choice for those with diabetes.

But, Travers said, there’s a caveat: “Beware supermarket and non-artisan sourdoughs as these aren’t usually made [the traditional] way.

“They may have a small amount of starter, but they generally have yeast added to speed the process up, which means you don’t get the benefits.” 

Some doctors have expressed concern about “sourfauxs,” or bread which is labelled sourdough in supermarkets but which does not rely on a traditional starter to rise. Look for terms like “added yeast” on the packet to spot them.

Is wholegrain bread always better than white?

To complicate this, though, sourdough is often made with white flour. Travers said, “Fibre is really important, but wholegrain is best because the grain is left fairly intact, which isn’t the case with the 50/50 type breads or brown breads.

“So yes, I would say that wholegrain is probably always healthier than white (except if you are anaemic and trying to increase iron. In this case, you would want white rather than brown or wholegrain).”

But, she added, the case is “quite nuanced” as, “It’s a difficult toss-up between white sourdough and wholemeal seeded because the latter is higher in fibre, but the former might have less of an effect on blood sugar and may be beneficial to gut health, so [seeded wholemeal bread, wholemeal bread, and white sourdough] are potentially equal.” 

The healthiest breads, ranked by a dietitian

Tavers ranked the healthiest breads in this order, from most to least healthy:

1. Wholemeal seeded sourdough with different types of grains like spelt and rye (“lots of different fibres”),
2. Wholemeal sourdough,
3. Seeded wholemeal bread, wholemeal bread, and white sourdough,
4. Supermarket seeded multigrain (“actually not usually wholegrain despite having different types [of grain]”),
5. Brown, non-sourdough bread,
6. 50/50 bread,
7. White, non-sourdough bread.