Ezekiel Diet

The Ezekiel diet is a bit of a misnomer; there is no modern diet called the Ezekiel diet, although there is commercially produced product called Ezekiel bread. Ezekiel 4:9 Bread is made from ingredients listed in the Old Testament book of Ezekiel and is named for the chapter and verse in which it is described 2.

Origin

Ezekiel, an Old-Testament prophet, was required by God to make a bread from a list of ingredients. The prophet was required to eat this bread and nothing else for 390 days, while lying on his side, to symbolize the coming disobedience and defilement of the Israelites.

Ingredients

Ezekiel Cereal Nutrition Information

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The original Ezekiel bread contained the ingredients listed in Ezekiel 4:9: wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet and spelt 2. Ezekiel 4:9 Bread, made by Food for Life, one well-known manufacturer, does not list the ingredients on its website 2. According to the website Healthy Vegan Weight Loss, Food for Life’s Ezekiel 4:9 Bread contains organic sprouted wheat, barley, malted barley, millet, lentils, soybeans and spelt 12. Sea salt, filtered water and fresh yeast are also listed as ingredients.

Nutrients

Food for Life claims that its bread has a very high protein content and that, in fact, it is a complete protein, containing 18 amino acids, including all nine essential amino acids 2. The bread ingredients are organically grown, and the finished product contains sprouted whole grains. According to LIVESTRONG.com’s MyPlate, a serving contains 80 calories and includes 4 g of protein, or 8 percent of your daily protein requirement if you follow a typical 2,000-calorie-per-day diet. A serving contain 15 g of carbohydrate, or 5 percent of your daily intake, and 3 g of fiber. One slice of Ezekiel bread contains 12 percent of your required daily intake of fiber.

Considerations

Allergy to Sourdough Bread

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Nowhere in the book of Ezekiel does God suggest that everyone eat Ezekiel’s bread or that it has any particular health benefits. To obtain all the nutrients in a recommended 2,000-calorie-per-day diet, you would have to consume 25 slices of bread per day. According to Gill’s “Exposition of the Entire Bible,” only wheat was normally used for bread. Barley used in time of great need, but the remaining ingredients in Ezekiel bread were considered fit only for cattle 2.