This article was previously published on October 10, 2020 and has been updated with new information.
Have you ever heard of bread? It’s a rather strange name for a fruit that sounds like it might smell or taste like bread. Instead, bread is grown in tropical regions of the world and, like jackfruit, is a member of the mulberry family.first
The bread tree was originally found in Polynesia. People use the fruit to bake, bake or fry products, similar to how potatoes are used. Others dry the meat and grind it into a powder to make bread and pie crusts. The Polynesians brought these trees to Hawaii, as anthropologists believe it was colonized 1,000 years before Columbus reached the Western world.
By the time European explorers arrived in the Western world in the late 1700s, Polynesian settlers had established an agricultural system that supported hundreds of thousands of people.
More information about Breadfruit
The breadfruit tree thrives in tropical or Caribbean climates and can grow up to 85 feet tall, yielding up to 200 fruits per year. The fruit is round, oval or oblong and can be as big as a basketball. The outer skin is neon green and covered with bumps, hiding the firm flesh that one cooks like potatoes or bananas.2,3
A single bread produces enough fruit to feed a family of four. When the fruit is ripe, the inside is creamy white or yellow, soft. While it is a fruit, it is handled and cooked like a vegetable. The texture and flavor is like a potato, a lumpy bread, or an artichoke heart, depending on how ripe the fruit is and how it’s prepared.
Because of the bland taste, it benefits culinary creativity. As it ripens, it becomes sweeter, but it never reaches the sweetness of papaya or mango. The British are credited with spreading it beyond Polynesia.
Captain James Cook and botanist Sir Joseph Banks discovered the breadfruit in Tahiti and believe it could be the answer to Britain’s food challenges of the day. The tree was first exported to the West Indies, an expedition led by Lieutenant William Bligh from the infamous HMS Bounty.
Departing the West Indies from Tahiti, the lieutenant and members of the crew were loaded into a small boat and all the breadfruit trees were thrown on board. After returning to England, Lieutenant Bligh was promoted to Captain and led another expedition to Tahiti in 1791 in which he successfully brought the breadfruit tree to the Caribbean and Jamaica.
Although the plants thrived, the people did not like the food and only ate it when they needed it. Currently, breadfruit is grown in more tropical areas in Africa, Australia, Southeast Asia and South America. The tree can also be found in the US in Hawaii and South Florida.
The nutrient-packed fruit is a Hawaiian staple. The flesh of the grapefruit is high in antioxidants, calcium, carotenoids, and fiber. It also contains copper, niacin, magnesium, phosphorus and protein. Interestingly, despite being fruit, one cup provides 5% of the RDA for protein, 14% magnesium and 31% potassium.4,5
Could Breadfruit Be The Next Superfood?
Although it has been a traditional food for centuries, there is still a lack of clear scientific evidence supporting the health effects of bread. In a recent University of British Columbia study, scientists analyzed flour made from bread.6,7 The goals are to identify any health problems associated with bread flour as a sustainable source of nutrition and establish it as a functional food.
In the lab, using an enzymatic digestion model, they found that the protein in bread was easier to digest than the protein in wheat. Digested wheat flour was tested for cytotoxicity by applying it to caco-2 cells. These cell lines are used to analyze drug permeability, and they have been used for the past two decades “as a model of the intestinal barrier,” according to researchers from Italy.8,9
The researchers found no difference between wheat and bread in terms of cytokines and immune factors. When bread-based food was substituted for wheat in the diets of mice, they found no signs of illness, death or malnutrition associated with this change. The major bacteria and histology of the ileum were similar between the bread-fed mice and those fed wheat products.
No negative health outcomes were observed in studies with in vitro or in vivo models, and bread flour is a healthy alternative to other starches, the researchers concluded. for modern food.”ten
The combination of scientific evidence and the knowledge that bread crops are highly productive and easy to grow can provide health benefits and solve food shortages around the world. Susan Murch, Ph.D., is a professor of chemistry and one of the study’s researchers. She speaks:11
“Breadfruit is a staple crop of the Pacific islands with the potential to improve food security worldwide and reduce diabetes. Although people have survived it for thousands of years, lack of basic scientific knowledge about the health effects of a dietary bagel in both humans and animals.”
PhD student Ying Liu shared:twelfth
“Overall, these studies support the use of bread berries as part of a healthy, nutritionally balanced diet. Flour produced from bread berries is a gluten-free option, low glycemic index, rich in nutrients and complete protein for modern foods.”
Health effects of cereals
Capable of substituting flour for bread flour in toast and crust. While bread flour is gluten-free, wheat products are not. In previous years, only people with wheat allergies and celiac disease sought out gluten-free products. After adopting a gluten-free diet, they often report a return to good health.13
Gluten is a protein found in wheat and other cereal grains.14 When these proteins come in contact with water, they form an elastic bond that gives the bread its ability to hold its shape. Gluten can also be found in spelled barley, oats, rye and rye and can be hidden in processed foods under a variety of names, including malt or natural flavouring.15
Some people react negatively to only small amounts of gluten because their bodies identify it as a toxin. If left unchecked, consuming too much gluten can predispose a person to nutrient deficiencies along with neurological and psychological conditions. It can have negative effects on joints, liver, nervous system, and skin.16
Additionally, experts at the Celiac Disease Foundation believe that undiagnosed celiac disease can contribute to the development of “autoimmune disorders such as type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis (MS), dermatitis herpetiformis.” (itchy skin rash), anemia, osteoporosis, infertility and miscarriage)… Epilepsy and migraines, short stature, and bowel cancer.”17
As you can imagine, gluten intolerance can cause signs of stomach upset, including bloating, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Additionally, you may also experience anxiety, confusion, headaches, nausea, or joint and muscle pain. While gluten-free food options can help people with wheat allergies or celiac disease, you should approach these foods with caution.
I believe most gluten-free processed, packaged foods are glorified junk food because they’re some of the most ultra-processed foods in the store. They lack fiber, are often loaded with harmful sugars and salts, and include unhealthy fats in their ingredient lists.18
Whether you have a gluten sensitivity or not, nearly everyone can benefit from eating fewer whole grains that are high in starch. The ability to use bread and baking powder can help you reduce your exposure to gluten and the glycemic index of the foods you eat.
Your body needs fiber
Bread is high in fiber, much more important than science previously thought. In fact, just 1 cup contains 43% of the fiber you need for the day.19 A low-fiber diet can change your gut microbiome. In one study using an animal model, a low-fiber diet altered the gut microbiota, which is also passed on to offspring.20
In some cases, even after the mice were fed high-fiber meals, the intestines were still unable to recover with some severely depleted bacteria. Previous studies have confirmed that the human microbiome has changed over the course of history, as has the human diet.21 Overall, the researchers found that people who ate more plant-based foods had a more diverse gut microbiome.
Benefits of eating enough fiber include preventing leaky gut syndrome which also causes anxiety, joint pain, fatigue, and bloating.22 Food Integrity Now explains leaky gut syndrome this way:23
“The wall of the intestines is considered semi-permeable. This means that it only allows certain things to enter the bloodstream and blocks others from entering the bloodstream. For example, specific molecules and nutrients are allowed to pass through but are not allowed to pass through. toxins and large amounts of undigested food particles are blocked.
When you have leaky gut, the pores in your small intestine widen and this allows undigested food particles and toxins, which are normally blocked, to enter your bloodstream. These particles and toxins go unrecognized and the immune system goes into attack mode because they are not thought to be present in the blood. In essence, the immune system literally recognizes these undigested particles as dangerous. “
Fiber also has other health benefits. For example, researchers found an inverse relationship between fiber and heart attack, showing that people who ate a high-fiber diet had a 40 percent lower risk of heart disease.24
As I wrote before, fiber can slow down inflammation and brain aging that negatively affects your function. In particular, a low-fiber diet can be harmful to older adults, as they are more likely to produce butyrate, a nutrient that helps delay brain aging.
Sustainable crops can affect global health
Grapefruit is a sustainable, high-yielding, low-glycemic crop that could provide an answer to the growing problem of food shortages around the world. It also grows easily in the right climate. With winter fast approaching in the Northern Hemisphere, maybe it’s time to think about dramatically reducing your food bills by growing an organic indoor garden.
As the cost of organic production increases due to demand and issues related to the pandemic, many people have started gardening their own backyards and container gardens. If you think fall is the time to hang up your gardening gloves, you might want to reconsider as you can have a good February harvest of spinach, beets, and carrots. Many herbs and vegetables can be grown indoors with full light.
You’ll enjoy the benefits of winter gardening, including saving on grocery bills and ensuring that the produce you’re harvesting is from organically grown non-GMO seeds. Before diving in, take some time to plan out your garden.
Some plants grow well with an extended growing season, while others are planted in the fall for an early winter harvest. Still others do best in indoor container gardens. Gardening is good for your health in other ways, as it’s a simple way to de-stress and get a little exercise, which each of us needs.
