Gathered TablePeople on a diet often stay away from bread, specifically white bread, because of its high glycemic index or GI which can cause a spike in your insulin and sugar levels, leaving you hungry and tired. This is why many people look for ways that they can still enjoy their bread with no worries.
Some claim that freezing and toasting white bread has less sugar. Studies also discovered that white bread that is frozen and defrosted has a lower GI. But does freezing bread reduce carbs and sugar? How does it work if this is the case?
What Happens to Carbs in Frozen and Toasted Bread?
Carbs have always been getting a bad rap in the world of macronutrients because of the different possibilities and dangers it poses.
An increase in your body’s insulin level at the wrong time can spell bad news for your overall physique. However, increasing it at the right time, such as when you are enjoying your bodybuilding workout, can do almost some magical things to help you pack on muscle. The phenomenon is called the 3rd Law of Muscle.
The GI or glycemic index measures the effects of carbs on your body’s levels of blood sugar. Carbs that break down fast during digestion and quickly release glucose into the bloodstream have a high glycemic index. On the other hand, carbs that slowly break down also release glucose little by little into the bloodstream, which means they also have a low glycemic index.
White bread consumed alone has always been used as a standard reference for food for GI. Experts discovered that if you freeze or toast a piece of white bread, its glycemic index will change. However, many people don’t know or realize this.
During research in 2008, test subjects were given white bread and the standard glucose curve test was conducted. On other days, the subjects ate white bread that was frozen and thawed afterward. They also toasted the bread and tried combining freezing and toasting.
Results revealed that if white bread is frozen and thawed before eating it, the glycemic index is lowered by up to 31%. To put it simply, the carbs become slower acting. It basically seems that freezing starches can change things.
However, things only get better. When white bread is toasted, its GI is lower by up to 25% compared to plain white bread.
It means that if you freeze and toast white bread, it will let you enjoy eating bread that has up to 39% lower glycemic index.
What Happens If You Toast Frozen White Bread?
Toasting frozen white bread can help lessen its effects on your blood sugar levels. The GI or glycemic index is the rating system used for foods that contain carbohydrates. GI shows how fast every food can affect your glucose or blood sugar level if you eat that food by itself.
The good news here is that researchers have discovered that freezing, defrosting, and eating white bread can lower its GI by up to 31%.
It is due to the fact that the starch molecules present in bread can adopt a completely different structure as the result of the process of freezing and defrosting before toasting it.
The process essentially makes it harder for the enzymes to break down the starch into sugar. Better still, toasting the frozen bread rather than consuming it cold after it is defrosted can further reduce the GI, resulting in bread that has up to 39% lower GI than its fresh counterpart.
Can Everyone Eat Defrosted and Toasted Bread?
Experts state that people who suffer from common stomach problems such as IBS and bloating may notice that their symptoms get worse if they freeze and toast bread.
Baking bread will soften the wheat starch. It will harden if you cool it again, turning it into the so-called resistant starch. Bread of this type may be more difficult to digest for certain people and may even lead to gas and bloating, which are two of the common symptoms associated with IBS or irritable bowel syndrome.
If you experience bloating and other symptoms of IBS, it is best to avoid freezing the bread you will see and check if it can make any difference to your condition.
Ultimately, except if you are suffering from IBS, you might want to try freezing and toasting your bread first the next time you crave some white loaf. This will allow you to safely enjoy white bread knowing that it is better for your blood sugar levels compared to a fresh slice.
Aside from this, freezing bread is also a very convenient thing for people who cannot finish an entire loaf at once.
Can You Freeze All Types of Bread?
Yes, the idea of freezing bread to reduce carbs and sugar levels sounds very interesting. However, many people are probably not big fans of white bread at all. So, does this technique only work on other types of bread, such as whole grain bread or Ezekiel bread, for that matter?
Unfortunately, the research study was only conducted using white bread. It means that you are yet to see it tested on other types of starches. However, there is still a possibility that it might also be true for the healthier forms of bread products.
Tests are also yet to be done on brown bread, which means that remains yet to be known of freezing and toasting it will also have the same effects on its GI.
The Bottom Line
If you love to munch on some white bread now and then as a treat, don’t forget to toss the loaf inside the freezer first once you get home.
Also, if you find yourself stuck at your grandparents’ house during the upcoming holiday season and the adults are forcing you to eat the leftover turkey sandwich with Wonder bread, make sure you freeze it first and toast it afterward to lower the GI and even possibly lessen any of its negative effects on your physique.
