Garlic bread is one of the famous and most ordered side dishes in restaurants. It pairs perfectly with any food due to its delicious taste. Generally, those who order pasta love to order garlic bread with it.
But despite its popularity, people have questions about it and the top one is, Is garlic bread healthy?
The answer to this question lies in what kind of garlic you prefer to eat. If you love eating wheat garlic bread, then we have good news! Wheat garlic bread is super beneficial with anything. White garlic bread, on the other hand, has not much nutritional value, so nutritionists consider this unhealthy.
Let’s get on to a detailed discussion if garlic bread is healthy or not.
Table of Content
Why Is Garlic Bread Healthy?
People often ask, Why is garlic bread healthy? Although the question appears to be complicated, the answer to this question is fairly simple! Garlic bread is good for health as it contains vital nutrients that are critical to living a healthy life.
One serving of wheat garlic breaks contains the following nutrients:
| Nutrients | Quantity |
| Calories | 200 cal |
| Protein | 8g |
| Fat | 7g |
| Sodium | 470mg |
| Calcium | 40mg |
| Fiber | 3g |
Wheat Garlic bread’s competitor, white garlic bread, does not have beneficial nutrients in high quantities. It does not have fiber and unsaturated fat content, thus nutritionists consider it unhealthy.
Want to know Wheat garlic bread’s health benefits? We are describing them too!
Health Benefits of Garlic Bread
Ancient Chinese used to treat cold, cough, fever, sadness, depression, and worm infestation with garlic cloves. But that’s the past and we are now living in the golden age of medical sciences.
So, what does modern science tell us about garlic and its addition to bread? Is garlic bread good for you to eat or not? Wheat Garlic bread is definitely healthy to eat as it has those nutrients that are crucial to living a healthy life.
You can enjoy the following upsides if you choose to eat wheat garlic bread:
Beneficial for Heart
The fiber content in garlic bread is highly effective in keeping the heart safe. It lowers LDL (bad cholesterol level), maintains blood sugar level, and controls high blood pressure.
Also, garlic bread contains good fat (unsaturated fat) content. This fat does not clog in the arteries or make a layer around the belly. In addition, it does not have any negative effect on blood flow. So, eating garlic bread is not only safe but also beneficial.
Strengthen Immunity
Can you imagine living with a weaker immune system that is unable to protect you from any germs? It is indeed impossible to continue living in such a condition. Luckily, eating garlic bread will not let you come to this situation.
Garlic bread contains Vitamin C which is vital to have a stronger immunity to fight invaders/pathogens. Furthermore, garlic bread contains anti-inflammatory agents which also strengthens immunity.
Prevents Cell damage
The Sulfur and Vitamin C present in the garlic do not allow any cell damage from occurring. Moreover, the sulfur content is also scientifically proven to prevent any cancerous cells from spreading in the body.
Weight Loss
Obese people often ask us, Is garlic bread good for weight loss? And the answer is a resounding yes. However, it must be made of wheat and olive oil. Wheat garlic bread contains a bundle of fiber that is super helpful in controlling weight. It reduces the fat-storing in the arteries which leads to better blood flow. This also allows metabolism to take place at a rapid pace, causing the conversion of fat cells into energy.
Similarly, Olive oil also helps in keeping the weight down. It has high unsaturated fat that does not store around the belly. Also, it contains antioxidants and minerals that work in harmony to burn more fat.
Stronger Bones
Calcium present in the butter and cheese makes the bones tough. People often ask us, Is garlic bread with cheese healthy or not? Well, it sure is healthy due to the calcium content, however, the fat content may cause harm.
So, it is better if you use olive oil during its cooking process to balance out the unhealthy fat content with the healthy fat content.
A Good Diet For BodyBuilders and Athletes
Bodybuilders are often found asking their trainers, “Is garlic bread healthy for bodybuilding” and we are now answering it after spending hours on research. Garlic bread is good for bodybuilders and athletes due to the vitamin C and anti-inflammatory agents (like allicin) in it. They work together to reduce any muscle soreness which is often felt after a heavy workout.
In addition, the nutritions in the garlic bread improve energy levels, which in turn, improves stamina.
Despite these benefits, you must have heard some claiming that garlic bread harms health and should be avoided at all costs. Such persons present a few concerns regarding the garlic bread which we are now discussing.
The Disadvantages of Garlic Bread: Why Is Garlic Bread Unhealthy Sometimes?
In a perfect world, a delicacy like garlic bread would have no downsides. However, it is not a perfect world and garlic bread does have some problems.
High Sodium Levels
The high sodium content in any food is not desirable at all. It is because sodium can cause blood pressure to rise by holding the fluid. This situation can cause heart complications as the organ may feel burdened by it. That is why nutritionists recommend those suffering from consistent high blood pressure should stay away from garlic bread.
Moreover, if you are buying garlic naan bread from a store instead of making it yourself (homemade garlic bread), then the sodium content will definitely be high. People often search, “Is store bought garlic bread healthy” and the answer is No. Due to the artificial butter, cheese, and oil used in making garlic bread, store bought is not healthy to eat at all. Hence, prefer homemade garlic bread as it is healthier because you are sure about the ingredients and their quantities in it.
In addition to this, high sodium levels are known to cause a number of other health diseases including kidney failure, osteoporosis, and stomach cancer.
But you can avoid this from happening by taking care of daily sodium consumption. Experts recommend you should not consume more than 2300g of sodium daily to live a healthy life without any sodium-related health complications.
High Saturated Fat
As mentioned above, garlic bread is made up of butter, cheese, and oil. It is true that these three contain beneficial contents, but they are also rich in saturated fats. This saturated fat content is one of the biggest health enemies humans have today as it leads to obesity- which is termed a “Silent Killer” by many health experts. High levels of unhealthy fat also cause other heart complications like high blood pressure, clogging of arteries, stroke, and even heart attack.
Those who love cheese in their garlic bread often ask, Is cheese garlic bread healthy? Sorry to break their hearts but no it is not! The reason is again saturated fatty acids.
However, you can reduce the level of damage by saturated fats by using olive oil. This oil can nullify the effect of harmful fat content (or at least reduce it to a very minimal level). It is one of the best oils in the world due to its low saturated fat content and high unsaturated fatty acids. That is why you should include it with other beneficial foods to live a healthy lifestyle.
Bad Breath
Although garlic bread is healthy, it can cause bad breath. The pieces of garlic bread may be left between the teeth which will give off a bad odor. So, if you have an important meeting or date, don’t eat garlic bread.
FAQs
Is White Garlic Bread Good for you?
White Garlic bread is not healthy to eat as it is rich in saturated fatty acids. As mentioned above, saturated fat is stored in the arteries and around the belly, leading to health problems like high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure levels, and obesity.
Due to this reason, nutritionists recommend replacing white garlic bread with wheat-based garlic bread.
Is Dominos Garlic Bread Good for You?
Well, Yes! Dominos garlic bread is healthy but only if you eat it in a limited quantity. It is high in carbohydrates which can give you a good boost to your energy levels. However, eating it more can cause health complications as one serving of dominos garlic bread roughly contains 1.5g of saturated fat. Eating such garlic bread is just an invitation to obesity and cardiovascular diseases.
Is frozen garlic bread healthy?
Frozen garlic bread is generally made up of white bread that has no benefit to offer. White bread does not contain any fiber and unsaturated fat content that may help the body in any way. Instead, it has artificial butter or cheese that is high in saturated fats, which is extremely harmful.
Bottom Line
All in all, garlic bread is a great side dish as it enhances the taste of the main course with its aura. Is garlic bread healthy? The answer depends upon the type of bread you consume.
Wheat garlic bread is super beneficial as it contains loads of fibers, vitamin B, C, and E content, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory agents, and other minerals. White garlic bread is very low in its nutritious content, so it does not cause many benefits. Therefore, if you want to keep enjoying garlic bread and good health, go for wheat garlic bread!
