Bread: a food to be consumed with wisdom

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Extract from the article: Bread, the result of baking a simple dough made from wheat flour, water and salt, is a fundamental food in many cultures, including Togo where the baguette is highly prized. Bread is not made by freezing, but by yeast or sourdough fermentation. Altho

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Bread, the result of baking a simple dough made from wheat flour, water and salt, is a fundamental food in many cultures, including Togo where the baguette is highly prized. Bread is not made by freezing, but by yeast or sourdough fermentation. Although often trivialized, bread deserves particular attention in terms of its composition and its role in the daily diet.

In Togo, consumption of wheat-derived products rose from 18.5 kg per capita in 1994 to 33.6 kg in 2020.

Nutritional benefits to watch

Bread provides complex carbohydrates, a prime source of energy for the body, brain and nervous system.  It also contains vegetable proteins such as gluten, fiber (especially in wholemeal breads), B vitamins (B1, B6) and minerals (magnesium, phosphorus, potassium).  The sodium content of bread is notable (around 650 mg/100 g).  This has led nutritionists to recommend a reduction in the amount of salt in all types of bread.

Thanks to their high fiber content, wholemeal breads promote intestinal transit and help regulate blood sugar and fat levels.

As dietician Binetou Cheikh Seck (Senegal) points out, bread has its place in a balanced diet when consumed in appropriate portions and with a preference for the most nutritious varieties.  In recent years, in several countries, "a very commendable effort has been made to promote local cereals, which will eventually reduce wheat imports.  Today, in some bakeries, you can find corn bread, mille bread, cassava bread, sweet potato bread, cowpea bread, which is a needle miner, sorghum bread and soya bread too", she explains.

In Togo, the local bread flours used to make bread are known for their richness in nutrients, giving them a nutritional quality that wheat flour lacks.  The local bread flours used to make local bread are cassava, sorghum and soya.

How much bread is good for you?

Wholemeal breads are preferable for their superior nutritional benefits and better digestibility for some people.

Jean ELI