Suffering from “Carbophobia”?
By Ann Matthews and Bill Snider

For years, fats have been labeled nutritional enemy number one. The current USDA Food Pyramid illustrates this perfectly: Americans are advised to eat 6-11 servings daily from the bread, cereal, rice and pasta group, while using fats and oils only “sparingly.”

Savvy eaters have long understood that the story is far more complex. “Good” fats like those in fish, olive oil, and walnuts, can actually improve cholesterol levels in the blood. Fats once thought to be “not bad” like margarine and other partially hydrogenated oils, are now recognized as artery-clogging killers. Formerly “bad” fats like butter and eggs are regaining their historic place in the diets of healthy people.

Now the pendulum is swinging too far in the other direction. Thanks to the popularity of low-carbohydrate diets like the Atkins Diet and the South Beach Diet, more and more people are concluding that fats are “good” and carbohydrates are “bad.” No doubt, low-carbohydrate diets have helped many people lose weight, at least in the short term. And a growing body of research seems to indicate that these higher fat diets aren't causing adverse health reactions, as many had predicted.

But it's not fair to tar all carbohydrates with the same brush. Naturally processed grains and other carbohydrates have played a critical role in human survival since the dawn of agriculture. Simply eliminating this whole class of foods from your diet denies you access to convenient sources of vitamins, minerals, fiber and energy.

Certainly, the fluffy white sandwich bread that most of us were raised on—and its cousins buns, biscuits and bagels—offers little more than an instant sugar rush to our bodies. A baker friend of ours refers to these products as “air-whipped wheat candy” because the manufacturers of many commercial breads no longer bother with letting their products rise—they just beat air into dough until it resembles a loaf of bread and bake it off. This saves time and money, and consumers who were raised on gummy white bread can't tell the difference.

More surprisingly, whole grain breads from the supermarket may not be any healthier than white bread, and for many people, may in fact be worse. (Leaving aside the breads that are essentially caramel-colored white breads.) Whole grains contain high levels of phytic acid, which can make them difficult to digest and can block absorption of some of the minerals that make grains so healthful.

Two time-honored baking traditions - natural leavening and sprouting - offer the keys to healthful carbohydrate consumption.

Natural leavening is the process that was used to make bread for centuries before the development of commercial yeast. It takes advantage of a symbiotic relationship between certain strains of yeast and bacteria that occur naturally in the air and on grains. Much like the fermentation processes that produce beer, sauerkraut, cheese, or naturally cured sausages, natural leavening jumpstarts the digestive process, helping to convert complex molecules into forms that are more readily accessible to the body.

When this “wild” yeast feeds on flour and water, one byproduct is carbon dioxide gas. Gently kneaded and properly shaped dough contains sheets of gluten that trap this gas and voila! you get light, airy loaves without the addition of commercial yeast. It takes a lot more skill and time, but the final result is bread that can be paired with soup or salad to form a nutritious and deeply satisfying meal.

Natural leavening is often known as “sourdough,” but we find that term can be very misleading. Naturally leavened breads should not taste “sour” unless designed to do so, as in certain San Francisco sourdoughs. Instead, they should offer only the rich, nutty flavor of wheat.

Many of us have forgotten what wheat really tastes like. Try this experiment at home: taste a bite of a naturally leavened bread, and then a bit of your favorite supermarket brand. Which is more complex? Which tastes more like grain? What does that strange chemical aftertaste come from?

Another method used for centuries to process grains before eating is soaking or sprouting. This process also neutralizes phytic acid and other anti-nutrients that can cause mineral deficiencies and intestinal problems. A number of health-oriented bakeries produce breads made directly from sprouted grains. Often named with a biblical reference that reflects the long history of sprouting grains, these breads are typically dense and flavorful with the sprouted grains remaining visible in every slice.

A handful of bakeries, including Simple Kneads, are making breads and other pastries from grains that are first sprouted, then dried and milled. This creates a flour that can produce baked goods more similar in taste and texture to those made with unsprouted flours.

As in all things, moderation is key. By all means shun the bun when dining out, toss out all those refined breakfast cereals, and never eat carbohydrates that have been bleached whiter than your clothes. When a slice of buttered toast or a hunk of crusty bread is what you need to round out your meal, choose breads made from grains that are organically grown, minimally processed, and naturally leavened or sprouted.

Ann Matthews and Bill Snider are co-owners of Simple Kneads Bakery. As victims of the dot.com bust, they decided to pursue their vision of the good life with work that is hands-on, fills a basic human need, and is enticing to all the senses. 336-370-4446.