Pita bread
is often forgotten about nutritionally, because of it's use. Pita bread is used for various meals. Sometimes it is used in chip form to hold a dip. Most often, pita bread is used like regular bread. It is used to hold toppings and fillings to make a sandwich like product. Much like bread, people tend to forget about the nutritional impact that pita bread can have on your diet.
Serving
There are multiple kinds of pita bread available. There are some types of pita that are made from wheat (for a healthier alternative), while other types of pita include white pita. This article focuses on the USDA definition of white enriched pita bread. One serving is considered to be one large pita. This is 6 1/2 inches in diameter, or 60 grams.
The Basics
Pita bread can add a significant number of calories to your daily diet. One serving of pita has 165 calories. A majority of these calories come from the carbohydrates and protein in the pita bread. Those who need to lower their carbohydrate count will want to stay away from pita bread. Luckily, pita bread is low in fat with only 1 gram of fat per serving. This is a negligible 1 percent of your daily recommended amount of fat.
Benefits
Pita bread has two major nutritional benefits. The first is the amount of dietary fiber in the pita bread. While there is only 1 gram of dietary fiber in one serving of pita bread, this is 5 percent of your daily recommended amount of fiber. It is important to add fiber when you can, as it is the key to a regular digestive system.
Pita bread can also add protein to whatever meal you use it for. One serving of pita bread has 5 1/2 grams of protein. This is 11 percent of your daily recommended amount of protein. Protein is important for your muscles, as it is needed for the repair and growth of the muscles. Protein is also needed for healthy hair, nails and skin.
Considerations
There are some things to consider before adding pita bread to your diet. If you are trying to avoid carbohydrates because of a specific diet, you should stay away from pita bread. There are 33 grams of carbohydrates in every serving of pita bread. This is 11 percent of your daily recommended amount of carbohydrates.
Those who are worried about their sodium intake my also want to reconsider the decision to add pita bread to their diet. One serving has 322 milligrams of sodium. This is 13 percent of your daily recommendation of sodium.
Features
Those who are looking to add vitamins and minerals to their diet should be aware that pita bread has a wide variety of nutritional benefits. One serving of pita bread has 24 percent of your daily recommended amount of thiamin, 12 percent of your daily value of riboflavin, 14 percent of your daily value of niacin and 16 percent of your daily value of folate. Pita bread also features six different minerals with at least 5 percent of your daily value, including calcium, iron and copper.
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