NHS surgeon Dr Karan Rajan recently shared a food storage tip with his 5.2 million TikTok followers, suggesting that he has the key to making white bread healthier.
His secret uses only a toaster and a freezer and is said to help lower the Glycemic Index of the bread.
In a post on his TikTok account (@dr.karanr), he explained: “If you take a slice of white bread and toast it, you end up lowering the Glycemic Index of the bread.
“This means it’s broken down more slowly, causing a more gradual rise in blood sugar levels.
“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.”
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The Glycemic Index (GI) is a measure used to rate foods containing carbohydrates, indicating how quickly they affect blood sugar levels when consumed independently, according to the NHS.
Common high-GI foods such as white bread, potatoes, white rice, and sugary drinks are swiftly broken down in the body, causing a rapid spike in blood glucose levels.
In contrast, low-GI foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are often recommended for maintaining a balanced diet and steady blood sugar levels.
Dr Rajan added: “This all happens because more retrograded starch is formed and retrograded starch is a type of resistant starch which is beneficial for your gut health because it acts more like a fibre.
“[For example] if you eat green unripe bananas, you could have 20 times more resistant starch than ripe yellow bananas.
If you can’t see the video above, click here to watch it.
“The increase resistant starch content in green bananas not only helps with gut health, but also improves satiety, keeping you fuller for longer.”
Dr Rajan’s tips sparked a flurry of reactions, with hundreds of bewildered comments from intrigued users eager to put the bread hack to the test.
“I always freeze my bread for toasting so there’s no waste. I didn’t realise it was beneficial,” one user commented.
A second person jokingly chimed in: “This is good news. Because I love toast.”
