What You Should Know Before You Try Ezekiel Bread

If you're watching your weight, perhaps you've been avoiding bread. It's certainly true that a buttery brioche is a calorie bomb, and that even breads that sound healthy, like that loaf of wheat in the supermarket aisle, can actually cause your sugar levels to spike without offering much nutritional value (per Forbes). But before you swear off bread completely, educate yourself about Ezekiel. Made from sprouted grains with no preservatives, this health store favorite is one of the few loaves that can accurately describe itself as a healthy carbohydrate.

"Ezekiel bread is a non-processed, high-fiber, healthy whole grain bread that tastes great when paired with all-natural peanut or almond butter," Lisa Moskovitz, RD, CDN, told Eat This, Not That! She added that because one of the main ingredients of Ezekiel bread is barley, the bread benefits both your stomach and your heart. "Barley contains belly-filling, soluble fiber," Moskovitz added. "This type of fiber is linked to lowered cholesterol, decreased blood sugar, and increased satiety."

Okay, so Ezekiel bread is a dietitian's dream — that much is clear. But why is it better than other healthy breads, like multigrain? The difference is that the grains in Ezekiel bread are sprouted, a process that increases the food's nutritional value. "This germinating process breaks down some of the starch, which makes the percentage of nutrients higher," Kristina Secinaro, a registered dietitian at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, told Harvard Health Publishing. "It also breaks down phytate, a form of phytic acid that normally decreases absorption of vitamins and minerals in the body. So sprouted grains have more available nutrients than mature grains." 

Protein, folate, and magnesium are among those nutrients — and so are immune health superstars zinc and vitamin C. In addition, Ezekiel bread is packed with lysine, an amino acid that's usually hard to find in foods, but the sprouting process makes this bread one of the few good food sources of this nutrient (per Healthline). Lysine supports your immune health, and helps your body better absorb calcium and iron from your diet (via Medical News Today).