6 Reasons Why Making Your Own Bread and Ice Cream At Home Could Be Better for Your Health

Who doesn’t love the smell of freshly baked bread in the morning, or a scoop of ice cream made exactly the way you like it? While bread and ice cream may not be the first things you think of when it comes to ‘health foods’, making them at home means you can wave goodbye to additives and low-quality ingredients. But finding time to whip up bread and ice cream between work and family life can be a challenge. That’s where the Panasonic Automatic Bread and Ice Cream Maker SD-PMC101/100 steps in! Designed for busy lifestyles, whether you’re a parent feeding your family or simply wanting to enjoy healthy convenience, it does all the hard work for you. The best part is that it doubles as both a bread maker and an ice cream maker. So with two appliances combined into one, you can save space, money and kitchen clutter.

If you love bread and ice cream but want to make healthier choices, here are 6 nutritionist-backed reasons to make them at home (with a little helping hand from Panasonic).

1. Say goodbye to ultra-processed foods (UPFs)

UPFs hit the headlines in recent years and for good reason! Many of our supermarket favourites are considered UPFs, such as biscuits, cakes, ice cream, and bread, as they can undergo extensive processing and contain additives you wouldn’t find in your home kitchen (1). UPFs tend to be low in fibre and essential nutrients, while high in fat, sugar, salt, and additives. Higher intakes are linked to an increased risk of obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancers (2). Yet UPFs make up a significant proportion of our diet, accounting for 27% of the daily energy intake across Europe, and 44% in countries such as the UK and Sweden (3).

The good news is that making your own UPF-free varieties is easier than it seems. With the Panasonic Automatic Bread and Ice Cream Maker, you can whip up fresh bread with just four ingredients: flour, yeast, salt, and water. And when it comes to ice cream, homemade gives you full control over what goes in, without the long list of additives often found in many supermarket varieties (4)!

2. Lower sugar and fat

Store-bought ice creams can be high in sugar, saturated fat, and additives, making it hard to find healthier options. With the Panasonic Bread and Ice Cream Maker, creating nourishing homemade ice cream can be easier than you think, without compromising on flavour!

You can satisfy any sweet tooth using nutritious fruit such as strawberries, raspberries, mango, passionfruit, pineapple and even dates for extra sweetness. If you’re looking for a lower-fat alternative, yoghurt can be a great replacement for cream, and for a protein boost, try adding cottage cheese! Try adding avocado or nut butter for that indulgent, creamy texture and heart-healthy monounsaturated fats! What’s more, you can get inventive with making mochi, frozen yoghurt and even sorbet – a perfect way for kids to enjoy their ice cream favourites while still caring for their nutrition!

3. Lower salt

Did you know that just 2 slices of extra-thick supermarket white bread could contain as much salt as a McDonald’s hamburger (5)? Bread is often considered a source of hidden salt, and as it’s a food staple in many countries, our intake can quickly add up! Salt is well known to raise blood pressure, yet almost half of all adults are unaware they have high blood pressure as it’s usually symptomless (6).

With around 75% of the salt we consume already found in processed foods and when eating out, making bread at home with less salt can be an effective way to reduce our intake (7). But fear not, low salt doesn’t always mean less flavour. Try adding toasted seeds, herbs such as rosemary and oregano, spices such as smoked paprika, or even some roasted

4. Can opt for more nutrient-dense ingredients

Who says bread has to be boring? There are so many different fibre-rich varieties to try, the list is endless – think rye, spelt, buckwheat, quinoa, oat and even barley! You can also add extra nutrition to your loaf by adding carrot, beetroot, onion, mixed seeds and even chopped nuts. This is good news for our beneficial gut bacteria – enjoying a wider variety of plant-based foods each week may help cultivate a more diverse gut microbiota, which is thought to be healthier and more resilient to disease (8).

What’s more, adding ingredients such as flaxseeds to our loaf can be an excellent way to boost our fibre intake. As a European population, we are falling short of our daily fibre requirements despite it being important for digestive health and for reducing the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes (9). Using nutrient-dense ingredients is a simple way to give your everyday bread a health boost!

5. Home cooking may encourage kids to try new flavours

When it comes to eating veggies, it’s common knowledge that children can be a little fussy. Yet this simple and effective strategy can help them explore new flavours – have a go at involving kids in the food shop, prep and cooking. Making food fun is key, and allowing children an element of choice in the flavours and ingredients used can alleviate food pressure, whilst increasing familiarity and positive associations with foods. Often, children are more likely to taste a recipe they have helped to create.

The Panasonic Automatic Bread and Ice Cream Maker makes life easy when cooking with children, and it’s not just about a simple loaf or your standard ice cream. When it comes to bread, you can let children choose their own flavour boosters such as seeds, herbs, veggies, and even dried fruit. And for ice cream, it’s fun to get inventive with frozen yoghurt and even sorbets. The Bread and Ice Cream Maker really takes convenience cooking to the next level, with veggie pizzas, cake, cookies, panettone, pasta, and more unusual savoury snacks, such as scones packed with veggies like tomatoes and soybeans! A great way to spark curiosity and build confidence with new foods.

6. Added convenience and fresher flavour

One of the biggest barriers to making our own bread and ice cream at home is time. It’s often thought to be too much effort to fit into our busy lifestyles. But what if you knew it takes just 5 minutes to prep the ingredients, and you can let the Panasonic Automatic Mini Bread and Ice Cream Maker SD-PMC100 take care of the rest? There’s no kneading, mixing by hand or complicated steps required! Simply enjoy the results of fresh, fluffy bread and creamy ice cream at home, rather than pre-packed, factory-made alternatives that may sit on supermarket shelves for weeks. And when it comes to delicious homemade ice cream, well, this can be whipped up in just 25 minutes!

Healthy cooking at home doesn’t have to be lengthy or complicated. With just one kitchen appliance, you can enjoy endless variations of frozen and baked treats and healthy homemade cooking fit effortlessly into your routine!