Get Your Sprout On!

Make your sandwiches healthy and delicious with sprouted bread!

Did you know that sprouted grains are easier for the body to digest and absorb? The sprouting process also provides the bread with live digestive enzymes that can help the body to breakdown the bread more efficiently and absorb all of the wonderful vitamins and minerals that go with it. Because sprouted bread is considered a live food, you can find it in the refrigerator or freezer section of your local grocery store.

With so many grain-free, gluten-free and elimination diets out there, many people believe that bread may be an unhealthy thing to include in their diet.

However, bread may not be the problem. Perhaps, it is the way our bread is processed that is the ultimate issue.

According to researchers, bread has been a staple in many households and cultures across the world for thousands of years. Years ago, we never heard the word “gluten” or heard about people suffering from gluten intolerance. Now, it seems it is all around us and many people are trying to avoid bread and wheat at every turn.

So what made the bread we used to consume years ago so different from the bread we are consuming today? It’s quite simple. The original bread we considered a staple in our diets was homemade, and from “the source.” It also contained just three ingredients–milled grains, water, and salt. That’s it!

These simple ingredients were then combined to form a dough and left to rise for a few days at room temperature. The combination of salt, milled grains, and water then created a fermentation reaction causing the bread to grow and expand. If you have ever seen the process of making homemade bread, you may notice that after a day or two the dough starts to bubble and move in front of your eyes. This is due to the live cultures, bacteria, and enzymes that the bread naturally produces. These live digestive enzymes can actually help the body to breakdown bread easily and efficiently.

However, the bread we find today is highly processed to increase shelf life and contains a number of ingredients the body can’t recognize, digest, or absorb—hence why we have a difficult time breaking it down. And when making our own homemade bread, we now tend to use fast rising yeast to make the bread making process faster. This short cut does not allow the bread to go through its natural fermentation process and produce helpful digestive enzymes and healthy gut bacteria needed to for proper digestion and absorption. Which we then term “food intolerance.”

It may look like bread, but it isn’t bread. I “wonder” what it really is?

When it comes to whatever it is you are consuming—ask yourself what is the source? Where is it coming from? What’s involved in the process? And most importantly, how does it make you feel even hours after you eat it?

Remember that just like calories are not created equal—the same is true of bread.

If you feel inspired to make your own bread from scratch—go for it! If not, sprouted bread is a great option! (A couple good brands are Food For Life Ezekiel, Alvarado St Bakery and Angelic Bakehouse) Check out these fun sprouted bread sandwich ideas below.

The Ultimate PB & J

Spread virgin coconut oil and organic natural peanut butter (PB Love Co.) on a piece of toasted sprouted bread. On another piece of toasted sprouted bread, spread with organic apple butter and top with sliced banana, blueberries, cacao nibs, silvered almonds, sliced strawberries and a drizzle of raw local honey. Combine two pieces of bread to form and sandwich and there you have it—the ultimate PB & J.

The BALT (Bacon, Avocado, Lettuce, & Tomato)

• Lamb bacon, cooked (Find at local health food store or farmer’s market)
• Avocado, sliced
• Lettuce
• Tomato, sliced
• Avocado Oil Mayo (or use extra virgin olive oil mayo)

Assemble ingredients on a piece of toasted sprouted bread. Sandwich with another slice of toasted sprouted bread and voila!

Save

Save