Is Pita Bread Healthy: Nutritious Wrap or High-Carb Trap?

 

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What's Pita Bread?

Pita is a type of flatbread baked with wheat flour in the Mediterranean and Middle-East, though it's now widespread globally. 

Their shape and texture vary by region, with the Middle-Eastern types containing a pocket, and the denser and thicker Mediterranean styles not. It has a mild, lightly sweet taste, similar to other wheat-based bread. 

While a pita might look unleavened, it always contains yeast. Pita dough is proofed for only 15 minutes, resulting in its mostly flat shape. 

Pita Bread Nutritional Facts: Common Ingredients

To determine if we're eating healthy pita bread, we need to closely examine the ingredients. 

What is pita bread made out of?

While pita bread recipes vary from kitchen to kitchen, they always start with four base ingredients:

• Flour: Typically, bakers use all-purpose or whole-wheat flour to base their whole-wheat pita bread recipes.
• Water: Simple filtered water builds the mixture into a wet dough, which steams the ingredients as it bakes.
• Baker's Yeast: Though it's not left to proof for long, yeast helps puff up the pita bread and keeps it dense yet soft and fluffy.
• Salt: Salt enhances the bread's flavor and tightens gluten strands, making the structure more solid.

Pita recipes very commonly contain a few other ingredients for flavor and texture:

• Olive Oil: Olive oil adds a rich texture and creates a smoother pita. It's hardly a Mediterranean food without a little EVOO!
• Sugar or Honey: These will make the bread taste a little sweeter, which some people prefer. 

Health Benefits of Pita Bread

There are plenty of reasons to chow down on a round of whole-grain pita. Here are the most significant benefits of eating this delicious, filling flatbread. 

High Protein & Fiber

Though considered a carb-dominant food, pita bread contains 5.5g of protein in a serving, much higher than other grain and cereal products.

It also boasts a whopping 6g of fiber, which helps promote fullness and aid your digestion. 

Vitamins and Minerals

One whole-wheat pita contains 10% of your recommended daily intake for many B vitamins and a load of other essential minerals, like selenium, magnesium, and iron.

Pita Bread Carbohydrates

Is pita bread low in carbs?

The carbs in pita bread are relatively high, as any wheat-based product will be, but this isn't necessarily a problem.

Low-carb diets aside, the USDA recommends 5-8 servings of grains each day, and depending on the size of a pita, it would be 1-2 servings. 

Even if you decide to cut down on carbs, you can enjoy one whole-wheat pita each day and be well under the recommended servings. 

Better yet is to choose high-quality carbs that are less processed and retain more of their natural fiber, which offsets the potential blood sugar spikes that come with digesting simple carbs. 

Choose a whole-grain or whole-wheat pita over one made with white or all-purpose flour for the best nutritional benefits. 

Pita Bread Calories

Is pita bread high in calories?

The calories in one large round of whole-wheat pita bread tend to sit at around 170 kcal, making it a reasonably low-calorie grain.

Based on the average 2000 calorie/day diet, pita bread will barely make a dent. 

While whole wheat options tend to be a little higher in calories, they're also higher in fiber, taking longer for your stomach to digest and keeping you full for longer. Fiber is an easy way to cut down your calorie intake naturally. 

Is pita bread fattening?

The "fattening" debate is always a bit loaded, and the question is a little short-sighted. In terms of the macronutrient fat content, pitas contain a measly 1.2g - a whole-wheat pita is far more carb- and protein-heavy. 

Eating a pita won't make anyone gain weight, just like other foods won't, as long you're keeping overall calories in mind.

Besides health conditions that may contribute, the only thing that matters is a simple math equation: making sure that the calories you eat are less than the calories your body burns each day will lead to weight loss. 

Since the calories contained in pita flatbread are relatively low, you'd need to eat many pitas or a lot of other food each day to have them contribute to weight gain. 

Pita Vs. Bread: Is Pita Bread Healthier Than Bread?

Pita bread and traditional bread loaves contain almost identical ingredients and are therefore very comparable in nutrition. 

• Two slices of whole-wheat bread contain 120 kcal, 250 mg sodium, and 4g of dietary fiber.
• One medium whole-wheat pita contains 140 kcal, 130 mg sodium, and 3g of fiber. 

Side-by-side, bread contains a little more fiber and slightly fewer carbs than a pita, making it a somewhat more nutritious option. Pitas are lower in sodium than bread, so that it may be the best option for those eating a low-salt diet. 

The main difference you'll see between the two types of bread lies in the quality of the ingredients - a slice of white Wonder bread isn't going to contain the same nutrition or fiber as a whole-wheat pita.

No matter which type of wheat bread you choose, go for the best quality and read your labels. 

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