Is Ezekiel Bread Keto Friendly?

Keto diets are undoubtedly efficient in terms of meeting your weight loss goals which is why many people are opting for keto diets and/or switching from other diets. However, unlike other diets, keto diets are extremely strict in terms of your overall carb intake.

This may make you feel like your food options are limited since most of the foods have carbs in them. The same goes for breakfast options like bread as well. Whether it is freshly made bread or crispy bread, the cravings are just there.

Talking of bread, you may wonder about the overall carbs composition of breads since they are considered high in carbs. To cope with this many people prefer making their own bread at home by changing the ingredients slightly to make it fit according to their diets.

There are plenty of ready-to-eat options like Ezekiel bread as well. But what about its carb composition? Is Ezekiel Bread keto? Let’s dig in and find out.

What is Ezekiel Bread?

Before we talk about what is Ezekiel bread, let’s first look at what bread is. For starters, bread is amongst the most consumed foods throughout the world. According to research studies, bread goes back to over 30,000 years back when bread was simply made of water and grains.

Current day, bread is available in different varieties with a mix of different ingredients.

Ezekiel bread is also a variety of bread. Interestingly, it is named after a Bible verse, which has the list of all of the ingredients required in making bread.

The primary difference between Ezekiel bread and traditional bread is the ingredients used in making this bread and how it is prepared. Although Ezekiel bread is also made from grains but unlike regular bread sprouted grains are used.

Another difference between traditional bread and Ezekiel bread is the fact that it is not a shelf stable. It is stored in a refrigerator which is why you will find it in the freezer section of your local grocery store.

Now, talking about the ingredients of Ezekiel, the primary and dominant ingredient is sprouting grains. The reason behind using sprouted grains is the fact that they are easily digestible and contain plenty of nutrients that your body can benefit from.

The other ingredients in Ezekiel bread include:

• Wheat
• Lentils
• Soybeans
• Spelt
• Barley
• Millet

Broadly speaking, it is a flourless bread. Other ingredients like legumes (lentils, soy) brown rice, sorghum, sesame oats and rye are also used in making Ezekiel bread depending on the variety of Ezekiel bread. Yes, you read that correctly! There are plenty of varieties of this bread!

On a side note, you should know that Ezekiel bread contains gluten. So, you should take gluten-free bread off the table if you’re thinking of adding Ezekiel bread to your diet.

All three ingredients, wheat, spelt and barley contain gluten. If you have an intolerance of gluten, it is best to avoid consuming Ezekiel bread.

However, if you’re not sensitive to gluten, there are plenty of health benefits of Ezekiel bread that you can receive by simply consuming them whether as a breakfast option or using bread in any of your favorite meals.

Irrespective of whether you get store bought Ezekiel bread or make it yourself, you can receive plenty of nutrients from this organic and sugar-free bread. These include:

• Proteins (Complete source, containing amino acids)
• Vitamin B2
• Vitamin B5
• Vitamin B6
• Vitamin C
• Calcium
• Copper
• Iron
• Zin
• Magnesium

More on the nutritional information of Ezekiel bread will be discussed in the later sections of this article.

Now that you have an idea of what Ezekiel bread is and how it is made, let’s look at whether Ezekiel bread is keto.

Is Ezekiel Bread Keto?

Generally, for a food to be keto friendly, it has to be low in terms of its overall carbs composition to ensure it stays within the keto bounds of 30 – 50 grams of carbs per day.

Looking at the overall carbs’ composition of Ezekiel bread, a single slice contains over 15 grams of carbohydrates. If you’re new to keto and staying in ketosis is your primary goal, it is best to avoid Ezekiel bread.

Eating just two slices of Ezekiel bread would be more than enough to meet either half of your keto limits or full keto limits depending on your approach to keto diets. So, based on this, we can deduce that Ezekiel bread is not keto friendly.

On the contrary, if you’re opting for the health benefits of Ezekiel bread, you can eat it in moderation (no more than 1 – 2 slices). However, there is a catch to this. If you intend to consume Ezekiel bread on a keto diet, you will have to spare the macros for it.

If you do not consume Ezekiel bread in moderation or do not spare the macros, you will potentially be increasing the risk of putting yourself out of ketosis.

Keep in mind, a keto diet only allows for 30 – 50 grams of carbs per 24 hours. Make sure to take this into consideration when opting for consuming Ezekiel bread.

Ezekiel Bread: Nutritional Profile 

Here is an insight into the nutritional values of Ezekiel bread. A single slice of the Ezekiel 4:9 bread contains the following nutrients:

• Calories: 80
• Fat: 0.5 g
• Sat Fat: 0 g
• Trans Fat: 0 g
• Carbs: 15 g
• Fiber: 3 g
• Sugar: 0 g
• Protein: 5 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg
• Sodium: 75 mg
• Potassium: 81 mg

Keep in mind, not all brands or recipes of Ezekiel bread will have the same nutritional values as not all of them are created equal. The above mentioned nutritional values are of specifically the recipe mentioned in bible, Ezekiel 4:9.

According to this passage, wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt are used in the mix for creating bread hence why it is called Ezekiel bread.

Bear in mind, Ezekiel bread is good for people who have goals of trimming themselves down. But when it comes to keto diets, you will be pushing your luck. Unless you can consume them in moderation (1 – 2 small slices), it is best to avoid Ezekiel bread as it is not entirely keto friendly.

Ezekiel Bread – Health Benefits:

Although you can only consume Ezekiel bread in moderate amounts to avoid risking your ketosis, here are some benefits you can receive from eating Ezekiel bread.

1.    A Good Source of Protein:

Ezekiel bread is primarily made of sprouted grains. Interestingly, bread made from sprouted grains is extremely rich in proteins. Furthermore, the proteins in Ezekiel bread are a complete source of protein comprising of amino acids which is quite rare.

Amino acids are basically the building block of proteins. Not only that, but these are also considered the foundation for different processes in your body. Similarly, proteins also aid in the following ways:

• Helps in the metabolic processes of your body
• Aids in transporting and storing nutrients in your body

Basically, diets containing complete sources of proteins (with amino acids) ensure you can benefit from all of the nutrients in a food.

Ezekiel bread contains over 18 different types of amino acids. 9 of which are crucially required by your body since your body cannot produce them on its own. These include:

• Phenylalanine
• Valine
• Threonine
• Tryptophan
• Methionine
• Leucine
• Isoleucine
• Lysine
• Histidine

2.    Rich Source Of Vitamins And Minerals:

The most important benefit of using sprouting grains in bread is their ability to break down the antinutrients. With antinutrients broken down, your body will be able to absorb vitamins and minerals to their full extent.

Ideally, the sprouting process in Ezekiel bread helps eliminate antinutrients by lowering the amount of phytic acid found in the bread.

Ezekiel bread can also provide your body with different vitamins including vitamin C, B vitamins, and vitamin E. All of these are in small amounts, but it still does not stop them from providing you with overall health benefits.

These vitamins collectively improve and strengthen your immune system which helps your body fight off different diseases more efficiently.

3.    Helps Improve Digestion:

The sprouted grains used in Ezekiel bread are a rich source of fiber. Consuming fiber based foods are crucial for your digestive system and can lead to an overall improvement in the digestion of food. Furthermore, fiber based foods also make you feel fuller for longer.

When you feel fuller, it will allow you to keep your weight in check and lead to better weight management since you will not be craving food for longer.

Additionally, sprouting grains can also help in the break down of exposed starches. When broken down, these are turned into simple sugars. Ultimately, this allows you to easily absorb the starches.

4.    Helps Regulate Blood Sugar

Looking at the glycemic index (GI), Ezekiel bread only has a GI of 36. The values on the GI ranges from 0 – 100 and is a measure of the total carbs and the rate at which they affect your blood sugar levels by being absorbed into your blood stream.

Ideally, foods that have a rather lower value of the glycemic index take quite a long time to impact your blood sugar levels.

In the case of Ezekiel bread, it will take a long time to change your blood sugar levels as compared to whole bread which has a GI of 50, whereas white bread has a GI of 71. This makes Ezekiel bread ideal for those who want to have optimum and regulated blood sugar levels.

On the other hand, the amount of fiber also has an impact on the overall GI of the foods. The greater the amount of fiber (dietary), lower will be the spikes in your blood sugar levels.

Summing up, Ezekiel bread has a high fiber count and a lower value on the glycemic index, which substantially helps in maintaining your blood sugar levels.

5.    Anti-inflammatory Properties

The sprouting grains used in Ezekiel bread also have a raised levels of antioxidants present in the bread due to the sprouting process. You might already know that there are polyphenols present in foods.

These are antioxidants but unfortunately, they are not usable all the time and rejected by the body. Now, since sprouting grains are used in making the bread, the sprouting process ensures these polyphenols are usable. In fact, it makes over 90% of the antioxidants usable to the body.

As a result of these antioxidants being used by your body, it will eliminate the harmful free radicals from your body. Thus, it lowers the potential risks of different diseases including cardiovascular diseases, cancers, and other life-altering diseases as well.

In other words, these antioxidants simply aid in the inflammatory processes in your body.

Keto Friendly Ezekiel Bread Alternative

While traditional bread and Ezekiel bread despite safer ingredients is not optimal for keto diets, it certainly does not mean you cannot enjoy bread on keto. There are plenty of keto friendly Ezekiel bread alternatives that you can source from your local grocery stores easily.

These have a rather lower number of carbs compared to regular and Ezekiel bread as well.

1. UDI's Gluten-Free Delicious Multigrain (11 grams of net carbs per slice)
2. Nature’s Harvest Light Multigrain Bread (9 grams of net carbs per slice)
3. Mikey’s Hearty Sliced Bread (7 grams of net carbs per slice)
4. Sola Deliciously Seeded Low-Carb Bread (7 grams of net carbs per slice)
5. Nature’s Own 100% Whole Wheat (11 grams of net carbs per slice)

Although these keto friendly Ezekiel bread alternatives have a rather lower amount of carbs, it is still wise to not consume more than a few (2 – 3) slices per day.

You can consume it by making keto friendly sandwiches and other snacks, as long as you keep your total carbs intake in check and ensure you are not getting more than 30 – 50 grams of carbs a day.

Taking some extra steps in terms of keeping track of your carb intake might be a hassle but it is absolutely worth it specifically if it means staying in ketosis. Otherwise, there is no point in following a keto diet because the whole purpose of keto diets is to put your body in ketosis.

Wrapping Up 

Is Ezekiel bread keto? Unfortunately, Ezekiel bread has over 15 grams of carbs per slice, which might be considered too much for a ketogenic diet. Keto diets usually have a carb limit of 30 – 50 grams of carbs per day.

So, consuming anything over 2 slices of Ezekiel bread per day will fill up most of that quota. Based on this, we can conclude that Ezekiel bread is not keto friendly. However, if you are tempted towards adding Ezekiel bread to your diet, you can consume 1 – 2 slices a day.

But any given day you intend to consume Ezekiel bread, you will have to give up on your macros for that day. Eating Ezekiel bread leaves you a very little room for your other meals of the day so make sure you keep your overall carb consumption per day in check.

If you'd like to learn more about keto friendly foods, please click on one of the links below:

Is Keto Gluten Free?

Is Pesto Keto Friendly?

Is Sausage Keto Friendly?

Frequently Asked Questions