Lately, I have heard a lot of buzz about the wonders of Ezekiel Bread, I thought that I would do some investigative work to try and get to the bottom of it.

Source: http://www.shashabread.com/product/12/format/6

Oxygen Magazine claims it’s “Carbs you MUST eat”, because it reduces muscle breakdown with arginine, an amino acid from soy protein found in this bread.

This is such a great carbohydrate choice for boosting lean muscle gains because of its complete protein profile. The soy protein, in particular, contains high amounts of arginine and glutamine, two of the body’s building blocks that help promote muscle growth.

BUT we need to keep in mind that if our fine-tuned machine is functioning properly then we produce adequate amounts as arginine is a conditionally non -essential nutrient. If for any reason your body cannot produce enough we can look to our diet for arginine, lucky for us, it is found in abundance!

Some dietary sources of arginine are found in a WIDE variety of foods, including:

Animal sources: dairy products, beef, pork, poultry and certain seafood.

Vegetable sources: wheat germ and flour, buckwheat, oatmeal, granola  peanuts, nuts, seeds, chickpeas, cooked soybeans.

As you can see there is lots to choose from when specifically looking for arginine.  With that in mind, and also that it is a non- essential amino acid (except to those who are nutritionally compromised) I think that Ezekiel Bread is a clever marketing technique and is the latest nutrition “fad”.  It does however offer a good source of protein and iron, which could be especially beneficial to vegetarians who are struggling with what to eat.

HUNGRY?

Here is a recipe that I made recently,

Fiesta Slaw:

2 zucchini (thinly sliced)

3 peppers (thinly sliced)

1 cup broccoli slaw

1 shredded carrot

1 can of lentils ( rinse thoroughly)

1/2 artichoke hearts diced

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1/2 cup low sodium vegetable broth

1 Tbsp cumin

2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce

Preparation:

1- Heat wok or pan  and start with the garlic.

2-Combine all the ingredients and cook until vegetables are soft.

3-Enjoy!

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