A nutritionist advises which Pesach matzah is healthiest

It’s worth noting that matzah is actually fine to include as part of a healthy diet, however, eaten in the quantities we eat it over Pesach it’s never to going to be a ‘health’ food!! So I”m therefore judging these purely on the health quality relative to other matzah.

The good news for all of these matzahs is that they are not classed as Ultra Processed Foods. Even though they’re processed they are not actually in the UPF category.

Another huge plus for our bread of affliction is that it’s a low fat and low calorie food. For this reason many see it as a healthier alternative to bread, especially for those on calorie controlled diets. Anyone who has done Pesach — most of us — eight days of matzah can leave us bloated and constipated.

This is probably down to the lack of fibre in matzah traditionally made from white flour, and also the increase in gluten which some of us might not be used to.

White flour can also negatively effect blood sugar, potentially causing blood sugar spikes (which long term can cause insulin resistance, weight gain, hormone imbalances and inflammation).

It’s really encouraging then that there a variety of matzahs on the market which contain whole wheat flour and other grains which are richer in fibre and therefore more supportive of health.

I’ve marked them out of five for healthiness and this is purely on a nutrition stand point, rather than on cost and most importantly, taste! I’ll leave it to you to work out your favourites.

I’ve listed them from least nutritious to the better options:

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Aviv Egg Matzos – 1/5

This is the least nutritious – the only one that contains added sugar from both apple juice and sugar (is there any need to sweeten a matzah?!!) The added egg means it’s slightly higher in protein than the others, but not enough to make it a healthy choice.

Yehuda Matzoh – 2/5

Clean ingredients but large size matzah so makes it higher carb and higher calorie than other regular matzoh if comparing by size (but not if comparing by weight)

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Osem Israeli Matzah – 2/5

Similar to Yehuda matzah in nutritional content

Rakusens Matzoh – 2.5/5

Rakusens’s The classic for most of us UK jews. Clean ingredients and due to size of the cracker they are lower in salt, calories and carbs than some of the others.

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Jerusalem Organic Spelt Matzos – 4/5

Organic doesn’t always equate to health but generally organic grains have lower levels of pesticide residue and toxic heavy metals like cadmium, so organic is a good choice when you’re eating large volume of the food and/or have health issues.

Spelt, though still wheat, tends to be higher in fibre than regular wheat and can contain more micronutrients

Jerusalem High Fibre Matzos – 3.5/5

This is a wholewheat matzah with some added wheat bran – increasing fibre is supportive for heath – helping balance blood sugar, regulate hormones and support our gut microbiome. Knocked a point off for it being a wheat based product rather than using a different grain like spelt, rye or oat

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Jerusalem Whole Wheat Matzos – 3.5/5

As above but without the organic certificate.

Yehuda Matzos whole wheat flour enriched with dietary fibers – 3.5

This is a wholewheat matzah with some added wheat bran – increasing fibre is supportive for heath – helping balance blood sugar, regulate hormones and support our gut microbiome. Knocked a point off for it being a wheat based product rather than using a different grain like spelt, rye or oat

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Jerusalem Rye Matzos - 4/5

I’m a big fan of rye – it’s higher in fibre than wheat so can support blood sugar and hormone balance. This cracker is only made with 52% rye and the rest is whole wheat – if it was fully rye I might have given in 5/5!

Jerusalem Organic Whole wheat Matzos – 4/5 (not pictured)

Whole wheat is more supportive for our health than the white refined flour that most matzah is made from. It contains the whole of the grain making it higher in minerals and fibre than white refined flour. It gains the extra point for being organic.

Yehuda Matzos Ancient Grain organic spelt matzo- 4/5

I’m giving this the same score as the earlier organic spelt one - Organic doesn’t always equate to health but generally organic grains have lower levels of pesticide residue and toxic heavy metals like cadmium, so organic is a good choice when you’re eating large volume of the food and/or have health issues.

Spelt, though still wheat, tends to be higher in fibre than regular wheat and can contain more micronutrients

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Shmura Gluten Free Oat Matzos – 4/5

The first thing to say is that despite saying ‘gluten free’ if you’re buying these for a coeliac guest at your Seder they might not be suitable as many coeliacs can’t tolerate oats. However, if you can, or just want a change from wheat based products then these are a great choice. Oats support blood sugar, healthy cholesterol levels and support gut health.

Shmura Organic Spelt Matzoh – 4/5

I’m giving this the same score as the earlier organic spelt one - Organic doesn’t always equate to health but generally organic grains have lower levels of pesticide residue and toxic heavy metals like cadmium, so organic is a good choice when you’re eating large volume of the food and/or have health issues.

Spelt, though still wheat, tends to be higher in fibre than regular wheat and can contain more micronutrients

My best advice is to include a variety of matzahs over Pesach and try and eat them with a healthy topping (protein/salad as opposed to chocolate spread and jam) or as part of a meal