Doctor reveals genius hack to make white bread healthier

 It's earned a reputation for being the most unhealthy type of bread - full of additives and void of essential nutrients. 

But now, one doctor has revealed one method of making white supermarket bread far healthier.

In a TikTok video shared with his 5.2 million followers, Dr Karan Rajan, a surgeon working for the NHS in the UK, advised freezing the bread, defrosting it and then toasting it.

This, he explains, can make the glycemic index of one slice two times lower.

Glycaemic index, or GI, is a term used to describe how quickly carbohydrates impact your blood sugars. Foods with a low glycemic index release sugar into the bloodstream slowly, keeping you fuller for longer.

Diets abundant in high GI foods, such as sugar and white bread, have been linked to increased risks of diabetes and obesity.

Lowering the glycemic index of the bread means 'it's broken down more slowly causing a more gradual rise in blood sugar levels,' Dr Rajan said.

'If you take a slice of white bread and then freeze it and then defrost it and toast it again, you could lower the glycemic index of the bread by almost double.

'This all happens because more retrograded starch is formed. Retrograded starch is a form of resistant starch which is beneficial for your gut health because it acts more like a fiber.'

White bread has long had a bad reputation for its effect on health, compared to other breads.

Fiber in foods shows down the speed at which it is digested, leading to a slower and steadier release into the bloodstream.

Not only is this beneficial for digestive health, reducing the risk of conditions like bowel cancer, it also steadies hunger hormones, making you less likely to reach for snacks between meals. 

 In his video, Dr Rajan goes on to recommend other ways of increasing the amount of sugar-steadying resistant starch in foods.

This includes eating green, unripe bananas - which have 20 times more resistant starch than the brownish, over-ripe alternative.

He also advises eating an apple core - minus the seeds - when chomping on an apple, as this part is full of 'millions of microbes' that help to keep your gut healthy.