The Top Superfood of 2016 … Is a Baked Good?

Disclaimer: Results are not guaranteed*** and may vary from person to person***.

purple breadThe top superfood of 2016 may turn out to be a purple, baked good!

It’s not breaking news that for the last decade or so, refined foods have come under fire. White bread, dinner rolls, and hamburger buns cause the same reaction in your body as drinking soda or eating candy.

These starchy options are loaded with sugar that is absorbed too quickly in the bloodstream, causing sugar levels to skyrocket and your pancreas to pump out insulin. Over time, this can lead to plenty of weight gain and metabolic troubles like type-2 diabetes.

Why Purple Bread May Be the New Superfood of 2016

Now you probably don’t associate baked goods with superfoods, but a food scientist in Singapore may have developed the top superfood of 2016. He’s infused white bread with anthocyanins—antioxidants that can fight cancer—extracted from black rice, to create a bread product that is absorbed 20% slower than regular white bread.

The anthocyanins in the bread not only create some potentially interesting health benefits, but they also create an interesting visual: the bread comes out purple. Yes, purple bread. Anthocyanins are what give blueberries, grapes, and sweet potatoes their dazzling colors, and they can help prevent cardiovascular diseases and cancer, while playing a role in controlling obesity and type-2 diabetes.

With slower digestion rates and antioxidant benefits, purple bread could be the first baked superfood ever. Of course, this invention still requires a little more work so the benefits of anthocyanins in bread can be fully understood, but it’s promising. Though you’re unlikely to find it on your store shelves anytime soon, there are plenty of other white bread alternatives currently available.

Why You Should Eat Fiber-Rich Bread

Rye bread, pumpernickel, and whole-grain breads might not be packed full of anthocyanins, but they do absorb very slowly, provide good servings of fiber, and do a much better job at filling you up than white bread.

Purple bread may turn out to be the superfood of 2016—but in the meantime, when you’re looking for bread, select whole-grain options to maintain a healthy heart, reduce the risk of diabetes, and keep your weight in check!

Source for Today’s Article:
Marsh, J., “Purple Bread: A New Superfood?” CNN web site, March 18, 2016; http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/17/health/purple-bread/index.html, last accessed March 23, 2016.