A dear friend recently commented on a picture of my sourdough routine and said “I miss bread.” I felt exactly the same way after half a year of being gluten free. I went without bread or breaded things, or things made with wheat for months. My body loved it and I felt a massive difference. I was clear headed, skinnier, more energy, more motivation, less munchies. It was only when going without them, I realized how often I ate things like scones, muffins, pizza, and breaded deep fried shit. By resolving to eliminate bread out of my diet, I eliminated a lot of garbage that was ultimately responsible for making me feel ill/sad/lazy too. After reading a bit and looking into the nutrition side, I found out that the villain is not necessarily gluten or bread itself, but the real culprit is actually the industrial version of white flour and fast acting yeasts that are in lots of processed/prepared foods. It’s a new hybrid frankenstein variety that’s used because it returns higher profits and can withstand huge loads of herbicide and pesticide chemicals sprayed on them. Chemicals that stay on/in the plant and get refined through the whole process, making it into our bodies after all. It’s sprayed on the wheat right before harvest! It’s true that even small amounts of ingested RoundUp causes major health problems, some of which the scope is not yet known. Unfermented, this flour converts to sugar right away causing our glycemic index to bounce out of whack and begins a negative chain reaction in our brains. Heroin, white flour, sugar, cocaine, corn starch, all ultra-refined white powders that used to be a plant at some point, and all cause the exact same effect on the human brain: havoc and mayhem.
So, that’s cheap “enriched” all purpose every-day modern flour, germ on or off (whole wheat/white).
Good news, though! There is such a thing as flour milled from ancient grains that haven’t been sprayed with inflammatory-cancer-causing chemicals (ie. organic) and when paired with fermentation to convert away the glycemic-spiking sugars, you can actually make a pretty healthy bread. I found out you can even get sprouted organic ancient grains now, majorly boosting the level of flavour and healthiness. This is the key, though. Unless you know the baker and trust their commitments to organic and safe fermentation, AND have a steady supply every week, you’ll basically have to make it yourself. It is surprisingly cheap, actually damn-near free. My dear friend Amanda who owns a cafe shared some of her sourdough culture with me, and I hope to keep it alive forever. There are breads made from cultures that are hundreds of years old! Maybe my offspring will bake their bread using this same starter from The Vault.
Anyway, I am still choosing not to eat items made with cheap flour. In my mind, if I return bread to the category of sacred magic and ferment/bake it myself, I can still keep feeling good and being healthy while still also enjoying bread. Since making 2 loaves of sourdough every week requires care and dedication, this means I will have no choice but to cherish each slice with deep appreciation and a sense of connectivity to my precious food.
If anyone wants to see details or amounts of ingredients, HMU
