Ezekiel Bread Is Such a Healthy Bread Choice—Here's Why RDNs Love It
Food for Life's Ezekiel 4:9 bread is one of the most nutritious and satisfying bread options at the store.
While bread has gotten a bad rap over the years, especially varieties containing gluten, there are so many unsung, healthy benefits of this pantry staple—depending on the brand and ingredients, of course. Ezekiel bread more than qualifies as one of the healthiest types of bread you can eat, thanks to its hearty ingredients and the specific process used to make it. But what makes Ezekiel bread so good for you and sets it apart from other bread options at the grocery store? Here’s everything you need to know about Food for Life's Ezekiel bread.
Related: 9 Ways to Tell if You're Buying a Healthy Type of Bread
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What Is Ezekiel Bread?
Called Ezekiel 4:9, this is just one line of many products produced by Food For Life. According to the Food For Life website, Ezekiel bread is “crafted in the likeness of the Holy Scripture verse Ezekiel 4:9 to ensure unrivaled honest nutrition and pure, delicious flavors.”
The Bible verse referred to reads (in the King James Version): "take also unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentils and millet, and spelt and put them in one vessel…"
“Unlike typical breads made from grain that’s been ground into a flour, Ezekiel bread is made by combining six sprouted grains and legumes (barley, lentils, millet, soybeans, spelt, and wheat) along with yeast, filtered water, wheat gluten and sea salt to form a loaf of bread,” says Kelli Davenport, MS, RD, LDN, registered dietitian at Top Nutrition Coaching. “It’s then baked at a low temperature to preserve the natural fiber and nutrients that are typically destroyed by higher baking temperatures of breads made with flour.”
The Ezekiel 4:9 bread product line also includes other 100-percent sprouted whole grain products like breads, cereals, buns, muffins, pasta, tortillas, and more, featuring these six grains and legumes. “And for someone looking to cut back on [highly] processed foods like white bread, Ezekiel breads are the best option—there are no preservatives, no added sugars, no shortenings, and sea salt is used versus table salt,” Davenport explains, adding that “sea salt comes from evaporated seawater and is minimally processed, so it may retain valuable trace minerals that wouldn’t be found in table salt.”
While there’s the classic Ezekiel sprouted whole grain bread that many know and love, Food For Life also offers Ezekiel sesame, flax, cinnamon raisin, and low sodium loaves and muffins as well.
Related: What's the Difference Between Whole Wheat, Whole Grain, and Multigrain Bread?
Is Ezekial Bread Healthy?
Yes, this is an excellent whole-grain bread option bursting with both macro- and micronutrients. Here we’ll focus on the classic Ezekiel 4:9 Original Flourless Sprouted Bread, the Food for Life’s first Ezekiel loaf. The combination of the six grains and legumes in this bread yields a complete protein product containing all nine essential amino acids—a tough find in plant-based foods.
“Just one slice of the sprouted grains loaf also offers notable amounts of fiber, manganese, selenium, zinc, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, plant compounds, and B vitamins including niacin, folate, thiamin, and riboflavin,” Davenport says. Here are some of the top health benefits that the nutrients in Ezekiel provide and support.
Ezekiel Bread is made with sprouted grains that provide more bioavailable nutrients.
Outside of the unconventional grain and legume combination found in Ezekiel bread, another defining characteristic is its exclusive use of sprouted grains. Sprouting, or germination, is a process where the grains are kept in warm, moist conditions to encourage the production of shoots. Once the grains have started to sprout, they’re ready to be added to a host of baked goods.
Sprouting increases nutrient bioavailability, especially when it comes to B vitamins. Plus it further encourages nutrient absorption through breaking down anti-nutrients, which are compounds that inhibit the absorption of certain beneficial minerals like iron and calcium.
Ezekiel Bread contains fiber and protein to slow digestion and improve metabolic health.
The fiber and protein found in Ezekiel bread both work to slow digestion, which keeps you more full and satisfied for longer and encourages better metabolic health. Slowed digestion means there’s a dulled blood sugar response, and therefore a less dramatic rise and fall in sugars after eating something compared to the body’s response after eating a more refined carbohydrate like white bread (which lacks the same fiber and protein). This lends to better blood sugar management and more stable energy levels—a major benefit for everyone, whether you have metabolic health concerns like type 2 diabetes or not.
Ezekiel bread contains both soluble and insoluble fiber for a healthy gut.
Ezekiel bread does contain wheat, and thus is not gluten-free, however, there are many other aspects about it that make it gut-friendly. The soluble fiber in Ezekiel bread also acts as a prebiotic in the gut microbiome. This effectively means it serves as food for the healthy gut bacteria in the biome, which is inextricably tied to overall gut health. Plus, both soluble and insoluble fiber support digestive regularity to prevent common concerns like constipation and diarrhea. Beyond that, the process of sprouting actually reduces gluten content while increasing overall digestibility.
Ezekiel bread supports a healthy immune system.
The gut healthy perks of Ezekiel bread also support immunity, as the health of the microbiome is deeply involved in the systemic immune response. Plus, the selenium, zinc, and plant compounds in this bread act as antioxidants in the body that work to reduce inflammation and eradicate disease-causing oxidative compounds like free radical molecules.
Ezekiel bread is chock-full of nutrients that aid in growth and repair in the body.
This hearty bread contains important vitamins and minerals that help expedite growth and repair in the body: B vitamins, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, and iron.
The B vitamins found in Ezekiel bread support overall cell growth and functioning, as well as healthy neural tube development in growing infants.
Iron is a key player in the red blood cell production needed for cell oxygenation to promote effective growth and repair throughout the body.
“Manganese helps form connective tissue, bones, blood clotting factors, and certain hormones for the reproductive system,” Davenport says
“And magnesium and phosphorus have several roles in proper body functioning including the development of healthy bones and teeth,” she says.
Related: Is Sourdough Bread Healthy? All the Benefits of This Tasty Fermented Bread
Delicious Ways to Enjoy Ezekiel Bread
Enjoying Ezekiel bread nowadays couldn’t be any easier. It’s carried in most grocery stores across the country and is also available online. But you may not find it sitting next to the other baked goods in the bread aisle. Because this bread is preservative-free, you’ll most often find it in the freezer section!
Once home, an Ezekiel loaf will stay good for up to a year in the freezer, two weeks in the fridge, or about 5 days at room temperature. You can make basically any recipe that calls for sliced bread with Ezekiel bread, whether it’s sandwiches, french toast, panzanella, stuffing, tuna melts, meatballs, topped toast—your options are pretty much endless.
The hype around satisfying, simply-made Ezekiel bread is very legitimate. From its delicious taste and impressive nutritional profile to its lack of added sugar and preservatives, there are so many reasons to pick up a loaf of Ezekiel bread or pack of English muffins at the market. Plus, Food For Life offers tons more delicious bread products, including an entire line of gluten-free options.
Related: Is Pumpernickel Bread Healthy?
Ezekiel Bread and Toast Recipes
Hummus and Cucumber Toast
Smoked Salmon Toast
Pomegranate-Almond Toast
Ricotta-Orange Toast
Smashed Pea and Ricotta Toasts
Smashed Pea and Ricotta Toasts
Sheet Pan English Muffin Tuna Melts
Sheet Pan English Muffin Tuna Melts
Related: We Know Whole Grains Are Good for You, but These 11 Are the Healthiest
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