Carbs in pita bread and the origin of pita bread can be traced to the prehistoric flat breads of the middle East. According to evidence gathered from 14,500 years ago, the bread was made from wild cereal grains by the Natufian people in what is now known as Jordan during the early stone age.
During the Neolitic era of about 10,000 years ago, barley and ancient wheat were among the earliest domesticated crops in the fertile cresent. Pita bread became of great importance to various societies such as the Babylonian culture of Mesopotamia roughly around 14,000 years ago where the earliest known documented records and recipes for bread making was said to have originated.
Is pita bread healthy for weight loss?
According to Wikipedia, pita bread is a family yeast leavened round flat breads baked from wheat flour, common in the Mediterranean, middle East, and other neighbouring areas.
Health benefits:
Pita bread is still very unfamiliar to a lot of people as only a few people know about the bread. Pita bread might not be sold in many bakries too. This is due to the fact that they don’t really know about it. In this section of the article, we’ll be looking at some of the health benefits of eating pita bread.
Pita bread is a kind of bread that doesn’t expand at all unlike the normal wheat bread we all know about. It is usually thin and either round or oval in shape. It is also a type of bread that can be consumed with various kinds of sauces such as the gyros, wrap kebabs or even falafel.
Pita bread is a unique kind of bread. It is usually roasted at a very high temperature of roughly about (232°C) which therefore causes a rapid swell in the dough. The dough usually split and form a pocket-like shape when removed from the oven. It is this pocket-like shape that distinguishes pita bread from every other regular wheat bread. In our present day, a lot of people now prefer to eat their pita bread with various ingredients such as sandwiches unlike in the earliest times when people rather eat it with sauce. You can also bake your pita bread in order to give it a crunchy texture.
One major health benefit of carbs in pita bread is that it has a low calorie content.
Unlike the regular wheat bread, pita bread has less calories. It is the healthiest type of bread to be consumed when you are on a diet plan. Pita bread is richly endowed with vitamins and minerals as it is made from whole grains. Pita bread also has the ability to reduce the risk of high blood pressure and cholesterol among other several health benefits.
Research has shown that there are over one hundred and sixty five calories on a loaf of white bread of about six inches. Pita bread on the other hand, especially when used to make sandwiches can only produce a little calorie content rather than consuming two ordinary loaves of bread that can contain roughly about 200 calories or even more. Pita bread is considered more superior than ordinary loaves of bread because it contains less than one gram of calorie per serving.
Another important health benefit is that the protein and carbohydrates content is very moderate
Pita bread is richly endowed with approximately 5.5 grams of protein and roughly about 33 grams of carbohydrates. Inside the carbohydrates pita bread is endowed with, is a little more than one gram of rich fiber. In order to increase your intake of fiber, this can be done in a delicious way by eating a whole wheat pita bread which is said to contain roughly about six grams of fiber per serving or even more.
It is important to note that a whole pita bread contains very little amount of refined carbohydrates which should be avoided for health reasons. This is because according to research, refined carbohydrates can result to abnormal cholesterol, obesity and type 2 diabetes.
And yet another important health benefit is that it is overly rich in it’s nutritional values
A piece of white pita bread contains over 10% of vitamin B thiamin, niacin, riboflavin as well as folate. White pita bread is also richly endowed with high selenium content of about 16.3 micrograms which is approximately more than 30% of the recommended 45% microgram intake.
A close attention should be paid to the sodium content of Pita bread even though pita bread has no salt to taste. This is because only one serving contains roughly about 322 milligrams which is approximately more than 20% of the recommended 1,500 milligram intake as prescribed by the institute of medicine. Pita bread is also richly endowed with a very high amount of vitamin B than whole wheat bread .
Another important health benefit is that it has a reasonable amount of vitamin content
Research has proven beyond doubt that each whole wheat pita bread contains 14% daily nutritional value of thiamine. 11% of the daily value for thiamine is usually found in unenriched White pita bread. The best source of vitamins are fortified pita bread.
This is because it has extra vitamins added to it and because they offer about 24% daily nutritional value of thiamine, 14% daily nutritional value of naicin, 12% daily nutritional value of riboflavin and about 16% daily nutritional value of folate. The presence of vitamin B in Pita bread helps to convert food to energy as well as to aid the proper function of the nerves and brain.
Another important health benefit is that it is richly endowed with Minerals
Unlike normal wheat bread, pita bread provides a whole lot of minerals your body needs to function properly. A whole wheat pita bread is richly endowed with 11% daily value of iron and magnesium respectively. It is also richly endowed with 12% daily value of phosphorus, approximately 56% daily value of manganese as well as approximately 40% daily value of selenium.
Enriched or unenriched White pita bread is richly endowed with 14% daily value of manganese. However, you should know that the nutritional value for fortified pita bread is two times better as fortified pita bread provides 23% daily value of selenium. The presence of manganese and selenium in pita bread function together as antioxidants. Phosphorus and magnesium are responsible for the formation of strong bones and teeth while iron assumes the role of forming red blood cells in order to help transfer oxygen round the body.
And yet another important health benefit is that it is richly endowed with fiber.
Increased fiber intake helps to limit weight. Therefore, when you consume a whole wheat pita bread, you are likely to gain more fiber intake which inturn helps you to reduce your weight. Research has proven that pita bread can help you to control or lower your risk of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes as well as the risk of high cholesterol.
How to eat your pita bread
1. Pita bread can be eaten as sandawich
This recipe is very simple. All you need to do is to insert your sandwich contents in pita bread pocket and place them carefully between two pita bread and heat with sandwich sauce. The outcome will give you the great taste your stomach craves!
2. Pita bread can be toasted
For this recipe to be carried out smoothly, all you need to do is to apply butter or sour cream to the pita bread before baking. Baked pita bread is more enjoyable when consumed with your peanut butter, yogurt, tuna, cheese or any other toppings you desire.
3. Pita bread can be made in form of croutons
This recipe is very easy to carry out. All you need to do is to slice your pita bread into small pieces,bake and then add in your favorite salad. Note that you need to fry your pita bread before you add your salad this is done in order to prevent it from getting wet. While you’re doing that, gently apply some sour cream, margarine, butter or olive oil to the bread before baking.
This gives it a delicious taste. The next step to be carried out is to sprinkle some thyme, basil or oregano before baking. Note that baking lasts for about 5 minutes at 350F , therefore you should be at alert so that the bread will not over heat. After that, add your salad and savor the great taste.
4. Pita bread can be made in form of mini pizza
This is yet another delicious way of making pita bread. This recipe is carried out by adding fresh tomatoes and a tablespoon of pizza sauce on a pita bread and sprinkle with cheese. In order to derive a better taste you can add your favorite toppings!
Important things to note:
1. Pita bread is not suitable for those who are undergoing carbohydrate diet program. This is because it contains roughly about 33 grams of carbohydrates.
2. Pita bread is not suitable for those who are careful with their sodium intake. This is because pita bread contains 322 milligrams of sodium which gives roughly about 13% daily value of sodium. Therefore, pita bread should be taken according to your recipe.
Nutritional Value:
A one hundred gram of pita bread contains the following nutritional value:
Calories worth 275g, fat worth 1.2 grams, saturated fat worth 0.2 grams, polyunsaturated fat worth 0.5 grams, monounsaturated fats worth 0.1 gram, 0 milligram cholesterol, protein worth 9 grams, fiber food worth 2.2 grams, carbohydrate worth 56 grams, potassium worth 120 milligrams, sodium worth 536 milligrams, vitamin A, C B6, B12 worth 0 milligram respectively, calcium worth 86 milligrams, iron worth 1.4 milligrams and magnesium worth 26 milligrams.
Recipe for homemade pita bread
Ingredients:
1. 1 package of yeast, or quick-rising yeast
2. 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
3. ½ cup warm water
4. ¼ teaspoons salt
5. 3 cups all-purpose flour
6. 1 cup lukewarm water
Directions:
1. First of all, dissolve the yeast into a ½ cup of warm water. Add your sugar and stir properly untill it becomes dissolved. Leave it for about 10-15 minutes.
2. Mix your flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a small hole in the middle of the flour and pour the yeast water mixture to it.
3. Add a cup of warm water to it, and stir with your wooden spoon.
4. Place the dough carefully on the floured surface and knead for roughly about 10 to 15 minutes. Ensure that the dough is no longer sticky and is smooth and elastic. This shows that it has been successfully kneaded.
5. Coat in a large bowl with your vegetable. Turn the dough upside down so that all the parts is well coated.
6. Leave it for about at least 3 hours or until it is doubled.
7. Once it is doubled, roll out in a rope carefully and remove 10 to 12 small pieces. Put the balls on floured surface and cover for at least 10 minutes.
8. Heat the oven to 500° F and make sure that the rack is carefully placed at the bottom of the oven. Also heat your baking sheet.
9. Use your rolling pin to roll out each dough into circles of about ¼ inch thick.
10. Bake for at least 4 minutes each circle till the bread puffs up. Turn it over and bake it for another 2 minutes.
11. Use a spatula to remove each pita from the baking sheet and place on the wire rack.
12. Use your spatula to gently push down each puff while still warm and when it becomes cool, store it in storage bags.
How to Eat pita bread
1. It can be topped with sauce
2. It can be baked into crispy chips
3. It can be filled with varieties of ingredients
