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Almond Flour Is Better and healthier for Human
Almond flour is a very common flour used as an alternative to wheat flour. Many individuals are using almond flour now more than ever before. This can be a result of recent awareness being raised about its nutritional values.
It has so many nutritional benefits and has a sweet taste. It’s low in carbs and helps reduce the level of cholesterol in the body. Not just that, it offers so many benefits that can’t be found in other flours. Many people on the ketogenic diet use almond flour every day.
I will be discussing many more benefits, but first, let’s look in detail at what almond flour is and how it is processed.
What’s almond flour?
Almond flour is gotten from ground almonds. The process is not a complicated one. Almonds are boiled in hot water to remove their external skin, and then they will be ground. The reason is that the external skin will make it coarse, which might not appeal to many people.
The ground almonds are then sifted, and there you have the flour. Ready to be used for baking and cooking. Almond flour can be used as an alternative to any type of flour easily.
Many people confuse almond flour with almond meals when, in fact, they are not the same. Almond meal is made with the skin intact. Although it will be ground like almond flour, the result usually gives a coarser flour. It’s this flour that is then used to make an almond meal.
Almond flour is known for its many nutritional benefits that are second to none. If you are unaware of its nutritional values, below is what you will get from just one ounce (28 grams) of almond flour:
Calories: 163
Fat: 14.2 grams (9 of which are monounsaturated)
Protein: 6.1 grams
Carbs: 5.6 grams
Dietary fiber: 3 grams
Vitamin E: 35% of the RDI
Manganese: 31% of the RDI
Magnesium: 19% of the RDI
Copper is 16% of the RDI
Phosphorus 13% of the RDI
The vitamin E present in almond flour help protects the body from damage from free radicals. Those harmful molecules can increase the rate by which individuals age and increase their chances of having various heart diseases.
You should also note that studies have proven that if you include vitamin E in your diet regularly, you will reduce your risk of having Alzheimer’s. Therefore, you can make almond flour your trusted vitamin E source as it offers many of them.
Magnesium is also a very important nutrient that the body can’t do without. It helps you control blood sugar levels and takes care of blood pressure. The fact that almond provides this nutrient in abundance is another reason why you should never lack almond flour in your kitchen.
Is almond flour good for your blood sugar?
Many of the meals made with wheat flour are not good for your blog sugar. The reason is that they are usually high in carbs and low in fiber.
Those type of food increase and decreases your blog sugar in an unhealthy way. Making you hyperactive a minute and tired the next minute.
However, almond flour is low in carbs but will supply your body with good fats and healthy fiber. This flour is perfect to go with the ketogenic diet. This means you won’t get a sudden spike in blood sugar after taking meals made from almond flour. This means your body will be supplied with sugar at a slower rate, but it will sustain you longer.
Studies show that individuals with type 2 diabetes are usually low on magnesium. And considering the fact that almond flour is very rich in magnesium, that makes it the best flour for your blood sugar. It will help you out your blood sugar under control and increase insulin function.
Almond flour is also best for individuals who are not diabetes patients. It supplied your body with enough magnesium to keep your body functioning properly. It also helps you prevent diabetes problems in the future.
Almond Flour has zero percent gluten.
Gluten is a protein that helps capture air when baking and consequently makes the dough becomes more fluffy. Popular flour such as wheat flour has gluten, but it is absent in almond flour.
It’s not that gluten is bad in itself, but people with celiac disease react to such protein. Their body recognizes it as something harmful, and it can create problems for them. It can result in weight loss, skin rashes, bloating, diarrhea, and tiredness.
Therefore, almond flour is great for such individuals as it offers nothing that their bodies will reject. To be on the safe side, whenever you purchase almond flour, check to make sure it’s not contaminated with gluten.
Effect of almond flour on blood pressure and LDL cholesterol
Millions of lives have been lost to heart diseases. High blood pressure and LDL cholesterol are the most common influencing factor in those deaths.
LDL cholesterol is deposited in the body through what we eat. And there are not many foods that help us reduce this deadly substance.
You will be glad to know that almond flour can help you control the level of LDL cholesterol in your body. It will also help you keep your blood pressure at a healthy level.
Almond can help you with these challenges, not just because of the presence of a particular nutrient. The combination of the various nutrients works to help keep the body in a healthy state.
How to use almond flour
Almond flour is very easy to work with, and it shouldn’t be scary in your kitchen. You can use almond flour for all your baking purposes.
Just replace your flour type with almond flour, and you can follow the recipe like nothing has changed.
The only change might be that your baking goods might not be as fluffy as when wheat flour is used. And this is due to the absence of gluten in almond flour.
Another important benefit that almond flour offers over wheat flour is that it contains a higher calorie intake. In 28 grams of almonds, you will get 168 calories. In comparison, you will only get 102 calories in 26 grams of wheat flour. This will lead us to consider why almond flour is better than others.
Almond flour vs. wheat flour
Almond flour has a low amount of carbs compared to wheat flour. However, when it comes to the number of healthy fats in each flour, almond flour has more to offer.
Due to the high amount of fat in almond flour, it has more calories than wheat flour.
With one ounce of almond flour, you have all you need of vitamin E, manganese, magnesium, and fiber for a whole day.
Also, the absence of gluten in almond flour offers both advantages and disadvantages. The absence of gluten makes it a good alternative for individuals who are wheat or gluten intolerant.
However, due to the absence of gluten, goods made from almond flour might not be as fluffy as those made with wheat flour.
Another distinct factor between almond flour and wheat flour is the presence of phytic acid in wheat flour.
Phytic acid is an anti-nutrient, which reduces the rate of absorption of certain nutrients. It affects nutrients like iron, calcium, magnesium, and zinc.
Although phytic acid is also present in almonds, it’s not present in almond flour. The reason is that once the outer skin has been removed in the process of creating almond flour, all form of phytic acid goes with it.
Almond flour vs. coconut flour
In terms of carbs content, coconut flour has a higher amount than almond flour. However, almond contains a higher amount of fat than coconut flour.
Although coconut flour has more calories than almond flour, you will get more minerals and vitamins from almond flour.
However, almond flour and coconut flour have something in common; they both do not contain any gluten.
When it comes to baking, you will want to choose almond flour above coconut flour. The reason is that it is easier to bake with almond flour than coconut flour. The coconut flour will require more fluid when you use it for baking.
Also, coconut flour has a high quantity of phytic acid, which renders most of its nutrients useless. It reduces the ability of nutrients to be absorbed into the body.
Conclusion
Almond flour can be used to replace any type of flour without regret. It is very easy to work with, and it’s not so much different from other types of flour when used to bake.
The amazing nutritional benefits offered by almond flour make it a type of flour that should always be in your kitchen.
When talking about flours that offer a lot of health benefits, almond flour tops them all. It does not only help you prevent some illnesses, but it also helps solve existing problems.
The absence of gluten gives it another advantage over other types of flour. Making almond flour safe for individuals that are living with celiac disease.
Not so many foods offer all these benefits. And anything that can improve the state of your health should not be far from you.
Make almond flour your choice today, and you will be glad you did!
