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It’s a loaf story, baby, just say, “yes.”
Taylor Swift, 35, has been candid about her latest carbohydrate obsession — and it could be a slice of salvation for your health.
“Sourdough has taken over my life in a huge way,” Swift shared on an episode of her fiancé Travis Kelce’s “New Heights” podcast. “I’m really talking about bread 60% of the time.”
Sourdough, a bread made from flour, water, salt and a starter, doesn’t require the yeast or chemical additives that are used to make conventional bread rise.
Swift revealed that her sourdough experimentation has yielded inspired loaves, such as lemon blueberry, cinnamon swirl and funfetti, “because the girls love everything rainbow.”
Kelce’s personal favorite? Regular, with blueberry as a runner-up.
Swift’s lauded loaves even managed to make a cameo in her music video for “The Fate of Ophelia.”
The sourdough sat on a plate on a “Parisian” tablescape, alongside a peach and a string of pearls.
Swift gushed to viewers that filming the music video was “a really important day.” “My bread is a star,” she enthused.
To make a show-stopping sourdough, the starter — a mixture of flour and water — is left at room temperature for roughly a week to undergo a fermentation process that produces natural bacteria and yeast.
During fermentation, proteins in the flour are broken down into peptides. Studies suggest that these peptides can help inhibit the action of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE).
This enzyme constricts blood vessels, contributing to elevated blood pressure. This is the exact mechanism targeted by some blood pressure medications.
The same study revealed that sourdough made with certain strains of lactic acid bacteria tends to have higher levels of these inhibiting peptides and a compound called GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), known to have a calming effect on the nervous system.
Translation? Serving yourself a slice of the sour stuff could help support healthier blood pressure.
Sourdough also functions as a prebiotic that feeds good-for-us gut bacteria. A healthy gut microbiome is associated with reduced inflammation and improved metabolic health, both of which are linked to a lower risk of heart disease.
Adding to the glad gut tidings, sourdough’s slow fermentation process breaks down some of the gluten and starch, making it easier to digest and less likely to cause bloating.
The fermentation of sourdough also lowers the glycemic index of the bread, meaning that sugars are released more slowly into the bloodstream, which helps prevent spikes in blood sugar levels.
This quality makes sourdough a better bread for people managing diabetes or insulin resistance.
Fermentation also helps flour release minerals, such as iron, zinc and magnesium, making it easier for the body to absorb them, while reducing phytates and other compounds that can bind to minerals and interfere with their absorption.
Each slice of sourdough contains around 80 to 100 calories and 1 or 2 grams of fiber.
To that end, sourdough bread made from whole grains is rich in soluble fiber, which is essential for lowering cholesterol levels as it binds with cholesterol in the digestive system, thereby reducing the amount absorbed into the bloodstream.
This fierce hit of fiber also promotes healthy gut bacteria and keeps the bowels moving.
In comparison, bread made from refined grains, such as white bread, is broken down by the body in a manner similar to its processing of sugar, ultimately raising LDL (bad) cholesterol levels.
