April 12, 2018 · Written by Foodtolive Team
5 Amazing Flour Alternatives
Flour is a versatile kitchen staple that is used as a basic ingredient for baking goodies such as pastries, bread, and cakes. It also serves as a thickening agent to create a sauce of thin or thick consistency and is used in coating meats, fish, and vegetable for delightful deep-fried foods.
With its many uses, flour is regarded to be an essential part of processing food products in baking and cooking. The most widely and commonly used flours are the white flour and wheat flour. Unfortunately, these are not healthy flours to use if you are adopting a healthier lifestyle. These flours are bleached, contains gluten that triggers allergies, and has been refined that stripped of its nutritional value which causes bad side effects to our health. Among the common side effects of white and wheat flours are constipation and indigestion since it lacked fiber and essential nutrients needed for the smooth breakdown of food. It also causes blood sugar to spike because of so much carbohydrate content that eventually will cause weight gain.
Inevitably, these flours are utilized to almost all food products that are sold in restaurants and food stores. The good news is that there are amazing flour alternatives that are also being sold that are natural and great tasting so that we can enjoy eating foods that do not harm us.
Here is the list of the 5 amazing flour alternatives that you can use instead of the white and wheat flour. Read on and check it out.
1. Coconut flour is made from the pulp of coconut that is dried up and grounded. It is a great replacement for white and wheat flour because it has high fiber content, protein, and healthy fats. It has amazing health benefits such as it has digestible carbohydrates that don’t mess up your digestion system. It helps you to feel full and enhances colon health. It can help maintain a normal glycemic impact on food and eventually will lead to a stable blood sugar. It also has a soluble and insoluble fiber that can aid in lowering down bad cholesterol in the bloodstream and thus promote a healthy heart.
2. Almond flour is made of blanched almonds that are finely grounded to have a floury texture. It is packed with nutritional value such as protein, vitamin E, manganese, magnesium, potassium, and healthy fat. It also contains a good amount of fiber. It is great for baking goodies like cookies, pastries, and cakes and can be used as breadcrumbs for chicken and other meats.
Cassava flour
3. Cassava flour is made of drying and grating cassava roots. It provides vitamin C that is good for promoting healthy skin, teeth, and gums and also supports the immune system. It is best used in baked products that call for a low calorie, fat, and sugar.
4. Chickpea flour is made from finely grounded garbanzos. It is high in protein, selenium and B vitamins. It also has what is thought a good balance of magnesium and calcium. It also has folate that is great for pregnant women. Chickpea flour adds texture and holds together pretty well. You can enjoy its taste in making crepes, pancakes, socca, dumplings, and bread.
Brown rice flour
5. Brown rice flour is made from the ground up brown rice and has a texture similar to white flour. It has a superb nutritional value such as a high B vitamin, iron, manganese that help your body form connective tissues and bones. It is good for baked products. It is easy to work well and doesn’t have a strong smell and flavor to it.
These white and wheat flour alternatives are a great way to jump-start your gluten-free journey by reaping its health benefits that can make your health improve. It is recommended to use these flour alternatives as much as possible over white and wheat flours. You have nothing to lose in trying out this amazing flour alternative and all the gain to have on your health.
