The Alternative Pita from Western Bagel

By: Emily Albert | Feb 14, 2008

Once upon a time, in a world before carbs were the devil and Atkins came to rescue us all, the Mesopotamian civilization created flat bread, which they baked in clay ovens. Over the years this bread was spread throughout many nations and eventually given the Greek name pitta. Now, thousands of years later, the folks at Western Bagel have put their own twist on some of the oldest bread around to give us The Alternative Pita.

They are available in both Plain and Whole Wheat which is the one I tried. According to the ingredient list, a single alternative pita should weigh in at about 57 grams. I set one on my handy-dandy food scale and got 61 grams. More to love! The pita was quite floury and made a mess of my black sweater when I pulled it out. The edges were browned, but not crunchy. Plain and cold from the fridge, the pita tasted dry and bland, so I decided to perk it up a bit. I popped it in the microwave for a few seconds and then filled it with a bit of hummus and veggies. Once warmed, the pita became soft and a bit doughy. Delicious! The next night I tried at as a base for a pita pizza. Perfecto! This morning I topped one with a thin spread of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, Splenda, and cinnamon. I think I'm in love!

A traditional white flour pita has an average of 160 calories, little fiber or protein, and although that's not a bad thing, I like to save on calories where I can. The Alternative Pita clocks in at 110 calories, a minuscule 0.5 grams of total fat, 17% of the RDA for sodium (410 mg), 7 grams of protein and 26 grams of total carbohydrate which includes 8 grams of fiber. The ingredient list boasts the first ingredient as whole wheat flour (but the 2nd ingredient is wheat flour - not the same thing) and it has no hydrogenated oils or high fructose corn syrup.

Online, Alternative Pitas sell for $3.50 per 6 pack (about 60 cents a piece). However, I often pick them up at the grocery store on sale for $2.00. The Alternative Pita is the perfect, healthy base for all sorts of different flavors and recipes. Bake some pita chips. Make a gyro. Fill it with sauteed vegetables. Western Bagel also makes another favorite of ours, The Alternative Bagel (read the review).

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