Eat this, not that: Sourdough vs regular bread, which one is a healthier choice?

Bread is a staple nearly everywhere, yet not all loaves are created equal. In recent years sourdough has risen from a rustic farmhouse tradition to a nutritional favourite among dietitians and gut health researchers. The question remains whether sourdough genuinely offers advantages over regular yeasted bread or whether its cult status is simply good marketing. Nutrition science suggests the difference goes far deeper than flavour. Unlike regular bread which is made with commercial baker’s yeast, sourdough relies on a live culture of lactic acid bacteria and wild yeast that ferment the dough for hours. This slow fermentation fundamentally alters the structure of the bread. A 2022 review in the journal Food Microbiology found that sourdough fermentation reduces compounds called phyta