Taylor Swift Loves Making This Fermented Food That's Great For Gut Health

During a 2025 appearance on the "New Heights" podcast, Taylor Swift opened up about her breadmaking era, saying, "Right now, we're very deep in a sourdough obsession that has taken over my life. I'm really talking about bread 60% of the time now." For the "Cruel Summer" hitmaker, baking sourdough appears to be all about the fun, as she revealed that she has experimented with flavors like blueberry lemon, cinnamon swirl, and cinnamon raisin. 

However, sourdough isn't just good for Swift's metaphorical heart and mind but also her gut health. In a chat with Prevention, Evelyn Arteche, RDN, CPT, CGFI, at Cooper University Health Care, explained why sourdough could be beneficial for gut health. "The lactic acid bacteria and wild yeast create prebiotics, such as inulin, and resistant starch during the fermentation process," she said. "Inulin and resistant starch are complex carbohydrates that help promote gut health." 

The natural bacteria found in sourdough also makes it more easily digestible. What's more, the microbes in sourdough are less likely to trigger digestive issues in people with existing sensitivities. The fermented bread also notably has lower levels of gluten and fructans, common culprits behind gastric irritation. With all this in mind, it's safe to say that sourdough might be the best type of bread you can eat if you have poop troubles or digestive issues like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). 

Taylor Swift's baking favorite, sourdough bread, is healthier than most people think. For starters, the fermented bread might not trigger the same energy crash as traditional bread due to its glycemic index (GI), a measure of how swiftly a food triggers an increase in blood sugar levels. A low GI food's rating lands between 1 and 55, while a medium rating comes in at 56 to 69, and a high rating is reserved for foods that score 70 or over. 

A 2019 study in Aging Clinical and Experimental Research found that a 30-gram serving of white flour bread or whole wheat bread has a GI of 71. Meanwhile, a 30-gram serving of sourdough bread has a GI of 54. Sourdough bread has a lower GI due to its fermentation process. As the dough ferments, its starches undergo alterations that increase the amount of time our bodies take to absorb them. This slowed-down absorption process can make it so that we don't face a dramatic rise and fall in energy levels. 

It's also worth noting that eating sourdough bread every day has an unexpected benefit on your body's nutrient absorption. The phytates present in whole-grain bread make it harder for the body to absorb its naturally occurring minerals like calcium, iron, and zinc. In contrast, sourdough's fermentation process breaks down phytates, giving the body an easier time fully absorbing minerals. To top it off, sourdough is a good source of calcium, folate, magnesium, niacin, and potassium.