Expert reveals the secrets of fake food: From brown bread and 'sourfaux' to honey - is YOUR food actually healthy?

It’s reputed to amended gut health, beryllium easier to digest and beryllium amended for the waistline, which is wherefore truthful galore are prepared to wage much than £4 for a sourdough loaf. But could that costly breadstuff beryllium a con?

Dubbing it ‘sourfaux’ oregon ‘pseudough’, the squad down the Real Bread Campaign assertion that supermarkets and commercialized bakeries are cashing successful connected the bread’s popularity by producing inferior loaves that deficiency these expected wellness benefits.

Here, with the assistance of Darshna Yagnik, a elder lecturer successful immunology astatine Middlesex University, we explicate however to archer if your loaf is the existent woody – and different faux wellness foods, from chromatic to kimchi, to ticker retired for.

SOURDOUGH

The dilatory fermentation process – 5 to 7 days – required to marque sourdough is cardinal to producing its wellness benefits. This involves a unrecorded sourdough starter culture, a substance of flour and h2o that’s dilatory fermented astatine country somesthesia and regularly fed. The process produces enzymes that people interruption down gluten successful flour into smaller molecules, making the breadstuff easier to digest.

Fermentation besides produces vitamin B12 and amino acids, molecules that harvester to signifier protein, the gathering artifact of insubstantial and bone. Protein tin besides amended the body’s quality to metabolise glucose. 

But immoderate supermarkets are speeding up the process, cutting fermentation to conscionable 3.5 hours by adding yeast and additives – and losing immoderate benefits.

‘The longer you ferment, the much the beneficial bacteria increases,’ explains Dr Yagnik.

To archer if it’s the existent deal, ‘look for aerial bubbles successful the bread, the effect of c dioxide released during agelong fermentation’, she says – and cheque the ingredients. Proper sourdough contains lone water, flour, brackish and the sourdough starter. If it contains yeast oregon additives, it’s sourfaux.

MANUKA HONEY

Its potent anti-inflammatory and antibacterial benefits marque this fashionable for everything from warding disconnected bugs to soothing burns.

Made from the nectar of the autochthonal antipodean Manuka tree, it’s affluent successful a earthy compound methylglyoxal (MGO), which reduces the quality of bacteria to dispersed and grow.

‘The higher the MGO standing fig connected the pot, the higher the strength,’ says Dr Yagnik. Studies person besides shown that Manuka chromatic activates achromatic humor cells to termination bacteria, helping wide coiled infections, and has antioxidant properties (meaning it helps forestall compartment damage).

With immoderate pots costing up to £50, it’s nary wonderment different makers person jumped connected the Manuka bandwagon. ‘The main hazard is the merchandise being diluted with cheaper honeys erstwhile packed by 3rd parties overseas,’ says Dr Yagnik.

All chromatic contains MGO but non-Manuka varieties person considerably less, truthful wellness benefits volition besides beryllium fewer.

Look for pots that accidental they’ve been packed successful New Zealand and transportation a golden ‘Tested Certified Manuka’ symbol, advises Dr Yagnik. For Australian Manuka chromatic look for AMHA (Australian Manuka Honey Association) labelling. In addition, axenic Manuka chromatic volition person been made from the nectar of a azygous angiosperm – if labelled ‘multifloral’, it’s not pure.

KOMBUCHA

Said to assistance boost immunity and support a steadfast digestive system, this vinegary fermented wellness portion is traditionally made from tea, sweetener and a civilization called SCOBY (symbiotic civilization of bacteria and yeast).

These ingredients are near for 10 to 20 days to ferment, producing probiotics (the gut microbes that play a captious relation successful digestion and our immune system). The unrecorded merchandise needs to beryllium stored successful the fridge to forestall carbonisation – wherever the unrecorded probiotic cultures proceed to provender connected the sweetener and nutrient c dioxide, and ‘ultimately decreasing successful numbers erstwhile the “food” runs out’, says Dr Yagnik. As good arsenic reducing the benefits, it makes it vinegary.

However, immoderate manufacturers pasteurise their products to marque them casual to store astatine country somesthesia – this involves heating the kombucha ‘to termination bacteria that could spoil the product’, says Dr Yagnik.

But this besides ‘inevitably kills immense amounts of healthy, affable bacteria too, cancelling retired their wellness benefits’.

To get the existent deal, marque definite it’s successful the chilled conception and cheque the label: it shouldn’t person a agelong support beingness (it typically lasts 5 to 8 months, compared to galore much months with immoderate brushed drinks). It should besides accidental it’s ‘raw’ and ‘unpasteurised’.

BROWN BREAD

This is 1 of the cheekiest ‘fakes’. We’ve been told that brownish breadstuff is healthier than achromatic – but portion this is existent of wholemeal bread, you should wage attraction to what you’re truly getting if you prime up a loaf of ‘brown’ bread, warns Dr Yagnik.

Wholemeal breadstuff – made with the full wheat kernel – contains important insoluble fibre (good for bowel movements) positive B-vitamins, proteins, minerals and antioxidants which assistance boost our immune system.

Meanwhile, the flour utilized to marque achromatic breadstuff is much refined and lacks indispensable B vitamins, robust and roughage.

However, immoderate loaves made this mode are marketed arsenic ‘brown’ – aft manufacturers adhd a caramel colouring and apical up B vitamins, she explains.

‘Although you mightiness presume they’ve been made with wholewheat flour, they are really made with refined achromatic flour (commonly listed arsenic simply wheat flour),’ says Dr Yagnik. Check the statement to guarantee it says wholewheat oregon wholemeal. If it simply says ‘brown’ marque definite wholemeal is the archetypal constituent connected the list.

KIMCHI/SAUERKRAUT

Kimchi and sauerkraut are some types of pickled cabbage, fashionable due to the fact that they’re a bully root of probiotics.

But portion immoderate brands oregon recipes perchance connection billions of bully bugs successful each serving, others whitethorn supply hardly any. So however tin you archer the difference?

‘When prepared, some sauerkraut [generally conscionable cabbage and salt] and kimchi [often besides including carrots, radishes, ail and chilli] are packed tightly into a jar and near for weeks – adjacent months – to ferment,’ says Dr Yagnik.

This fermentation process creates c dioxide arsenic the vegetables interruption down – which successful crook helps to nutrient those almighty probiotics.

However the c dioxide produced can, erstwhile again, mean support beingness is an contented – truthful immoderate manufacturers whitethorn take to pasteurise the product, says Dr Yagnik.

‘With pasteurisation you volition inactive get the fibre payment – some typically containing astir 2g of fibre per serving – but the process kills disconnected some bully and atrocious bacteria, leaving substantially fewer,’ she adds.

Anything canned volition besides person mislaid probiotic benefits – precocious temperatures utilized successful canning termination each microorganisms and their spores which could spoil the product.

‘For due earthy sauerkraut oregon kimchi, look for products kept successful the chilled conception that accidental “live” connected the label.’

If the statement says it contains vinegar oregon preservatives this besides means it won’t beryllium unrecorded arsenic these alteration the pH balance, sidesplitting the probiotics, adds Dr Yagnik.

If it bubbles somewhat erstwhile opened, this besides shows bacteria are unrecorded and fermenting.