When it comes to bread, while most in our society still greatly rely on this food source on a daily basis, there are actually very few breads out there today that can be considered optimally healthy or really good for us. Most are nothing but empty calorie, processed foods that add to our weight and disease problems, especially diabetes and heart disease. White or enriched flour products with sugars, hydrogenated fats and preservatives do not belong in our body. Whole wheat options are healthier options, but almost each with their own problems and fail at being optimally healthy.

This is why when I come across a high quality bread product, I really love to share it with you all, for as I mentioned above, many of us still eat some type of bread on quite a regular basis, so it might as well be one of the highest quality. In a previous review I shared with you about Food For Life’s Organic Ezekiel bread – a type of sprouted grain bread. In this review I will share with you about Manna Bread, a different type of an organic and sprouted grain, flourless bread.

Manna Organics acquired the bread division from Nature’s Path Manna Bread and like Nature’s Path, is an independent family enterprise dedicated to bettering the world we all share. Manna Bread is a type of bread that is made by sprouting grains based on old scripture recipe. It is a remarkably simple and wholesome bread, made entirely from sprouted organic grains, seeds, fruits and nuts. It contains no salt, leavening, yeast, oil, or sweeteners. As Manna Organics explains “by fully germinating our grains, we convert the starches into easily digested natural complex sugars, similar to those found in fresh fruits, hence the sweetness.” To make the bread, the sprouts are ground and hand-shaped into loaves, baked at a low temperature, then packed and frozen to preserve shelf life, without any chemical additives.

Manna Bread comes in 9 flavors, which are as follows:

• Banana Walnut Hemp
• Carrot Raisin
• Cinnamon Date
• Fig Fennel Flax
• Fruit & Nut
• Millet Rice
• Multigrain
• Sunseed
• Whole Rye

To date I have had a chance to try 8 of the 9 flavors, all except for the Millet Rice.

In terms of ingredients, the breads are perfect, being completely flour-less, yeast-free and made with whole, sprouted grains and organic ingredients. Nutritionally, the only way this can get better is if the product was not subjected to any heat. Although the company uses low heat to bake the breads, which is a huge bonus compared to other breads. These breads in fact have even more simple and perfect ingredients than the Food For Life Ezekiel breads, which are themselves excellent choices.

In terms of nutritional value, the breads offer an excellent amount of protein per serving—about 6g on average. They have a pretty much negligible amount of sodium and are an excellent choice for those on low-sodium diets (as opposed to other breads), which all tend to be too high in sodium. The calories are 100% nutrient dense, they contain healthy fats, some varieties including omega-3 fatty acids, a good amount of fiber and no added sugars of any kind. Being made from truly whole and sprouted grains, they are also a good source of various minerals.

In terms of texture and usability, these breads are very rich in texture, which was a very positive thing for me, but I imagine won’t be for everyone. They are dense breads as we have to remember they are not made with any flour, or yeast, so there is none of the fluffy, spongy or air-like typical bread texture. I enjoyed feeling the texture of the whole grains, whole nut, fruit and seed pieces. The breads share this texture with a very delicious, wholesome taste, and moisture content.

The breads are commonly found in the freezer section at many large grocery stores and health food stores. From there you can keep it in your freezer or thaw it out by leaving it in the fridge. I recommend thawing it out the night before use, so you don’t need to use a microwave to thaw it out (for health reasons) or an oven (for time reasons). In its thawed state, I sliced the bread and put the slices into a toaster oven for a quick warming, which made the bread taste even better, as if it was freshly baked!

Here is a little more about each of the breads I had a chance to try to date:

Manna Bread: Fruit & Nut

Ingredients: Organic Sprouted Wheat Kernels, Filtered Water, Organic Raisins, Organic Dates, Organic Almonds, Organic Cashews, Organic Hazelnuts, Organic Cinnamon, Organic Nutmeg

Although I truly loved every single one of the breads I tried, if I had to have a favorite, this one would most likely be it. The bread is so delicious, so rich and moist and feels like one is eating real food, not some processed sticky dough. It is naturally sweet, but not overly, thanks to the raisins and dates and indeed more like a cake than a bread. I found no need to put anything on it like coconut oil, or almond butter, as I did not want anything to take away its naturally delicious, sweet taste.

Manna Bread: Banana Walnut Hemp

Ingredients: Organic Sprouted Wheat Kernels, Filtered Water, Organic Dried Banana, Organic Walnuts, Organic Flaxseeds, Organic Hemp Seeds

Aside from again, truly loving the taste and texture of this bread, it impressed me further with its ingredients. I love bananas and walnuts and flaxseeds, but to even have hemp seeds in it was a real bonus. This variety therefore is a source of omega-3 fatty acids, but not only that, it contains a good ratio balance of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids, which is a must for optimal health. Again like the previous variety, it tasted so good on its own, I did not put anything on it and truly enjoyed it more like a cake, than a bread. It is like Banana Bread, minus the unhealthy fats, sugars and then some!

Manna Bread: Carrot Raisin

Ingredients: Organic Sprouted Wheat Kernels, Filtered Water, Organic Carrots, Organic Raisins

I am going to start to sound repetitive, but again like the previous two, I loved this bread! Just as the above, it is like carrot cake, minus the unhealthy additions! The bread is so pure, and so rich in its natural taste and needed nothing else with it. It too is rich in nutrients, texture and taste. It is deliciously sweet thanks to the raisins and great to eat on its own to enjoy the fullness of its taste.

Manna Bread: Whole Rye

Ingredients: Organic Sprouted Rye Kernels, Filtered Water

This variety was very different from the previous three, and more like a bread than a cake. Now, did you see those ingredients? Such perfect and simple purity! This bread had a delicate nutty-sweet taste to it, which I found very pleasant. Due to it not having any of the nuts, or seeds, or fruits, I tried eating it alone and also with some coconut oil spread on it. I really enjoyed the taste both ways, without actually having a preference. There was just something so satisfying about eating a bread really made of whole grains and nothing else! The texture seemed even more coarse and needed more chewing, which I still didn’t mind, but I could not sell my husband on this variety even though he is into optimal health just as equally as I am. So again, tastes and textures will vary for people, but for me both of those and the ingredients are such a treat!

Manna Bread: Multigrain

Ingredients: Sprouted organic wheat kernels, filtered water, organic brown rice, organic barley, organic millet, organic flax seed, organic rye kernels, organic soy beans, organic rolled oats, organic oat bran, organic cornmeal

With each new variety I try, I come across another pleasant surprise. The rich diversity of real grains in this variety was outstanding! I would say that this is a perfect choice for those who would like a more traditional multigrain bread without any fruits or nuts. It tastes amazing on its own, or with some coconut oil, or a nut butter. Being made of pure, whole grains there is that famous Manna Bread, delicate and natural sweet grain flavor that makes this bread irresistible!

Manna Bread: Cinnamon Date

Ingredients: Sprouted organic wheat kernels, filtered water, organic dates, organic cinnamon, organic oatmeal

Next to the Fruit & Nut variety, this bread also can easily qualify as a dessert or cake, but a healthy one where we have no need to feel guilty about eating it. Like the other breads in this series, the ingredients are outstandingly simple and pure. This variety I think was the sweetest of them all, and would no doubt be a big hit with kids. All the goodness using whole food, without any added refined sugars or sweeteners. The dates add a rich explosion of flavor, while the cinnamon gives it a nice hint of flavor, without being too strong. And nutritionally it is the highest in protein and iron of them all, being an even bigger bonus for kids.

Manna Bread: Fig, Fennel & Flax

Ingredients: Sprouted organic wheat kernels, filtered water, organic black mission figs (diced figs, organic oat flour), organic flax seeds, orgainc fennel seeds, organic poppy seeds, organic pumpkin seeds, organic sunflower seeds, Organic Sesame seeds.

If there was a variety I was hesitant to try or thought I may not have enjoyed, it would have been this one, as I am not a fan of fennel. And yet again, I was pleasantly surprised. This bread was delicious – and if there was a way for me to enjoy the fennel taste, this comes as the closest. The rich assortment of seeds, along with the figs made for a great taste and texture feeling real, whole food with every bite.

Manna Bread: Sunseed

Ingredients: Sprouted organic wheat kernels, filtered water, organic sunflower seeds, organic sesame seeds, organic flax seeds, organic millet, organic poppy seeds, organic caraway seeds

Like the others, this variety was rich in taste and texture with the great assortment of seeds. It is loaded with sunflower seeds, having detectable flavors of the other seeds as well. Along with fennel, I am not a fan of the taste of caraway seeds, but there wasn’t enough in this bread to make it unpleasant for me. And although I would probably prefer any of the other varieties, I would still choose to have this one again. I find alternating between the varieties allows me to enjoy each of their unique flavors and nutritional benefits. This one for example, has the second highest iron content.

In terms of price, the breads need a little explanation on this one. Technically they are not more expensive then a typical, so-called quality loaf of bread in a grocery store today. Most loaves of bread are around $3 or more today. However, their size is about half or a third of a typical loaf of bread, which may make them seem expensive. We have to stop and consider a few things though before we judge it as so. For starters, given the quality and organic nature of the ingredients, the price to me is more than well justified. Secondly, one small slice of this bread is nutritionally more superior to a slice of typical bread, not to mention more filling. So as with many items, it comes down to quality over quantity and I feel the price is more than fair for this type of bread.

Conclusion

When Manna Organics describes their bread in the following way: “Manna Bread is moist, delicious, cake-like…and simply heavenly!” I have to say that I completely agree. It was a super pleasant experience consuming these breads for me and satisfied my preferences fully from a taste, texture, nutrient and optimal health perspective. The breads are filling just by eating 2 of the small, medium-thick slices, although one will probably want more given their taste. And the best part is that we don’t have to feel guilty to eat more as we are putting in high quality, nutrient dense calories only that our body can utilize in healthy ways.

Really the only downside to this bread that I can think of is that its natural and real texture won’t suit everyone’s preferences, but I think it is simply a matter of getting used to as many have to transition from fabricated, sponge-like, flour breads. Again, we have to remember that by eating this bread, we are actually eating real wheat (or rye) kernels—what whole grains should really mean—not eating a flour product. The texture may be tough for some young kids, maybe under the age of 3, but other than that is a great bread the whole family can enjoy.

I wholeheartedly recommend this product as an excellent optimally healthy bread choice (or to be used as a cake-like dessert, or snack) and look forward to enjoying it myself again in the future!

Nutritional Information

Fruit & Nut	Banana, Walnut Hemp	Carrot Raisin	Whole Rye
Nutritional Information (per 1/7 of loaf – 56g) 140 Calories 1g Fat 6g Protein 27g Carbohydrate 16g Sugar 6g Fiber 7mg Sodium 0mg Cholesterol	Nutritional Information (per 1/6 of loaf – 56g) 140 Calories 3.5g Fat (0.4g omega-3) 5g Protein 27g Carbohydrate 8g Sugar 4g Fiber 5mg Sodium 0mg Cholesterol	Nutritional Information (per 1/7 of loaf – 56g) 130 Calories 0g Fat 1 g Protein 27g Carbohydrate 10g Sugar 5g Fiber 6mg Sodium 0 mg Cholesterol	Nutritional Information (per 1/7 of loaf – 56g) 150 Calories 0g Fat 6g Protein 32g Carbohydrate 7g Sugar 1 g Fiber 3mg Sodium 0mg Cholesterol
Vitamins & Minerals 0% Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 2% Calcium 9% Iron	Vitamins & Minerals 0% Vitamin A 2% Vitamin C 2% Calcium 8% Iron	Vitamins & Minerals 0% Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 2% Calcium 11% Iron	Vitamins & Minerals 0% Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 2% Calcium 10% Iron

Multigrain	Cinnamon Date	Fig, Fennel, Flax	Sunseed
Nutritional Information (per 1/7 of loaf – 56g) 126 Calories 0g Fat 5g Protein 27g Carbohydrate 16g Sugar 10g Fiber 6mg Sodium 0mg Cholesterol	Nutritional Information (per 1/7 of loaf – 56g) 150 Calories 0g Fat 8g Protein 29g Carbohydrate 10g Sugar 5g Fiber 15mg Sodium 0mg Cholesterol	Nutritional Information (per 1/6 of loaf – 56g) 120 Calories 1.5g Fat (0.3g omega-3) 4g Protein 26g Carbohydrate 8g Sugar 5g Fiber 10mg Sodium 0 mg Cholesterol	Nutritional Information (per 1/7 of loaf – 56g) 160 Calories 2g Fat 6g Protein 29g Carbohydrate 11g Sugar 7g Fiber 3mg Sodium 0mg Cholesterol
Vitamins & Minerals 0% Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 2% Calcium 11% Iron	Vitamins & Minerals 0% Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 4% Calcium 15% Iron	Vitamins & Minerals 0% Vitamin A 2% Vitamin C 4% Calcium 8% Iron	Vitamins & Minerals 0% Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 3% Calcium 13% Iron

Packaging

The breads come packaged in a recyclable plastic bag and are around 350-400g. They are found in the frozen health-food section in grocery and health food stores.

Price & Availability

These breads are widely available at most health food and major grocery stores across Canada and the US. You can also get them online directly from Manna Organics (see below) if you are located in the US.

• Around $3-$4 US/CAD per loaf at health food, grocery & online stores
• $4.15 US per loaf from Manna Organics
• $31.00 US per 9 loaf variety pack from Manna Organics

The Good

• Salt free
• 100% sprouted whole grain
• Unleavened
• Delicious, moist taste
• High fiber
• No flour, salt, fats or oils
• No added sweeteners
• Yeast free
• Nothing artificial
• Low glycemic index
• Excellent ingredients
• Organic ingredients
• Nutritional benefits of real, whole grains
• Excellent nutritional value
• Excellent taste
• Vegan & vegetarian friendly
• Preservative-free
• Fairly priced
• A pleasure to eat

The Bad

• Texture may not be suitable for some
• Not suitable for people with gluten intolerance