Why is Sprouted Bread Better?
Why is Sprouted Bread Better? collection
Sprouted Bread vs Regular Bread: A Slice-by-Slice Comparison
Article How Does Sprouting Grains Boost Fibre in Sprouted Bread?
Dietary fibre is an important part of a healthy, balanced diet,1,2,3 but most people don’t get enough. Learn why total, soluble and insoluble fibre matter to your overall health. Explore some of the best high-fibre foods—and find out how sprouted grain bread can help you eat more fibre and close the fibre gap with one simple swap!
The Fibre Gap and Why It Matters to 90% of North Americans
The percent Daily Value for fibre in the Nutrition Facts is calculated based on 28 grams in both Canada and the United States. But fibre needs vary by age and sex.*
Current daily recommendations are 25 grams for adult women and 38 grams for adult men.4
But statistics show most Canadian5 and American6 adults—up to 90%3—get half that much.7,5 And only 5% of men and 9% of women in the United States actually get enough.8
*See Appendix for age-sex group recommendations for total fibre for Canada and the United States
Dietary Fibre:
Soluble Fibre, Insoluble Fibre, and Why Both Kinds Count
Dietary fibre is a non-digestible carbohydrate that your small intestine cannot absorb. You can find it only in plant-based foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes.
Total dietary fibre is what you’ll find on the nutrition facts table, because that’s the number that matters most. But as “total” implies, it’s made up of two types of fibre added together: soluble and insoluble.9 Each one brings a unique set of benefits to the table—and most high-fibre foods have both types in varying amounts.
Soluble Fibre
Mostly found in fruits and vegetables, soluble fibre dissolves in water, and forms a gel in your gut that helps slow digestion and improve glycemic control (how your body manages highs and lows).7 This is why sweet fruits like apples and berries don’t cause the same spike in blood sugar as fruit juice and refined carbs.
Soluble fibre—especially beta-glucans from oats and pectin from fruit like apples—helps lower LDL cholesterol.6 Fibre in general helps support healthy gut flora. But soluble fibre ferments, becoming a prebiotic that feeds friendly gut bacteria.10 In turn, those good bacteria produce short chain fatty acids that nourish the cells in your gut10 and keep your digestive system happy!
Some of the best plant-based whole foods for soluble fibre include:11
Insoluble Fibre
Insoluble fibre is whole grains and cereals’ specialty! It adds bulk to help move waste through your gut and prevent constipation.9
Because it doesn’t dissolve or digest, insoluble fibre (like cellulose) is especially good at helping you feel full. That’s why it also links to a healthy body weight.
Some of the best plant-based whole foods for insoluble fibre include:11
Why Get Enough Dietary Fibre?
Here are five wonderful reasons to get plenty of fibre from whole grains, fruits, and vegetables:
Learn why meeting your recommended daily fibre goals is one of the best things you can do for your health.
The Sprouted Grain Fibre Bonus:
Why Sprouted Breads Help You Get More Fibre
Sprouting brings many benefits to healthy whole grains, unlocking better-for-you nutrition that’s easier to digest and gives you steady energy.
How can sprouted bread help you up your fibre game? Because sprouting wheat for as little as 12 hours increases total dietary fibre in the grain!16
Enzymes activated during sprouting do more than break down starches and make sprouted grains easier to digest—they also increase soluble fibre.16,17
Boosting soluble fibre content makes sprouted grains easier to ferment in your gut than unsprouted whole grains. So, diets rich in sprouted grains can offer all-star support for a healthy and diverse gut microbiome.
One more way sprouted whole grain bread can help you get more fibre?
It tastes better!
Taste and texture are the top barriers to enjoying whole grains for children and adults.18 Many people find traditional whole grain breads dry, bitter, dense, and hard to chew. And for those transitioning from white bread, the difference can be tough to get past.
How Much Fibre is in Two Slices of Sprouted Bread?
Getting more fibre doesn’t have to be a struggle—you can increase fibre intake the easy way with one simple swap (no fibre supplements required!).
How? Trade out regular bread and make your sandwich or toast with high-fibre sprouted bread instead!
You can get up to one third of your daily fibre in a single sandwich made from sprouted bread (depending on the variety and size of slice).†
Silver Hills Bakery’s highest fibre breads, Full Seed Ahead® and Omegamazing™, have 9 grams of fibre—32% of the nutrition facts’ daily value—in a 2-slice serving.
And even if begin your day with a single slice of sprouted whole grain toast for breakfast, you’ve got a delicious 4-gram (14% DV) head start on your fibre needs.
All without changing anything else.
† Check out the fibre content of all Silver Hills Bakery sprouted breads on our Nutrition Comparison page
Up Next: Try Sprouted!
If you’ve explored all six parts of our Why is Sprouted Bread Better collection, you understand how sprouting helps you get more nutrition from whole grains, and how sprouted stacks up to regular bread!
Now that you’ve got the WHY, find the best Silver Hills Bakery bread for you. Or check out our Try Sprouted collection to learn how to sprout at home.
Landed here first? Loop back to our What is Sprouted Bread collection to put this fibre-packed page in context!
Love learning? Get more sprouted inspiration from easy recipes to healthy living how-tos in your inbox—scroll down to subscribe now, or see why you should sign up for Silver Hills Bakery emails!
Silver Hills Bakery’s Sprouted Education Series:
What?
Part 1: The WHAT of Sprouted Whole Grains
Why?
Part 2: The WHY of Sprouted Whole Grains
Try!
Part 3: Now TRY Sprouted Whole Grains
Appendix:
Daily Nutritional Goals (USA)21
+ Adequate Intake (Canada):22
Total Fibre by Age-Sex Group
Total Daily Fibre Recommendations (g)
| Children | Canada | USA |
| (age-specified only) | ||
| 12 – 23 months | 19 | |
| 1 – 3 years | 19 | |
| 2 – 3 years | 14 | |
| 4 – 8 years | 25 | |
| Male | Canada | USA |
| 4 – 8 years | 20 | |
| 9 – 13 years | 31 | 25 |
| 14 – 18 years | 38 | 31 |
| 19 – 30 years | 38 | 34 |
| 31 – 50 years | 38 | 31 |
| 51 – 70 years | 30 | |
| 51+ years | 28 | |
| >70 years | 30 | |
| Female | Canada | USA |
| 4 – 8 years | 17 | |
| 9 – 13 years | 26 | 22 |
| 14 – 18 years | 26 | 25 |
| 19 – 30 years | 25 | 28 |
| 31 – 50 years | 25 | 25 |
| 51 – 70 years | 21 | |
| 51+ years | 22 | |
| >70 years | 21 | |
| Pregnancy | Canada | USA |
| ≤ 18 – 50 years, all trimesters | 28 | |
| 14 – 18 years, 1st∙2nd∙3rd trimesters | 25∙31∙34 | |
| 19 – 30 years, 1st∙2nd∙3rd trimesters | 28∙34∙36 | |
| 31 – 50 years, 1st∙2nd∙3rd trimesters | 25∙31∙34 | |
| Lactation | Canada | USA |
| ≤ 18 – 50 years | 29 | |
| 14 – 18 years | 31 | |
| 19 – 30 years | 34 | |
| 31 – 50 years | 31 | |