3 Health Benefits Of Coconut Flour That You Should Know
In recent years, there has been an increase in concern over what we eat, specifically in terms of processed foods and the additives that go into them. One of the main food ingredients that people tend to react to warily these days is flour With its abundance of carbohydrates, added sugar and gluten, foods made with wheat flour such as bread tend to be the first thing to get cut from your meal plan when starting a new diet.
Fortunately, for those of you looking for a healthier alternative to wheat flour, there are other some other options available: for example, did you know that it’s possible to buy flour made from coconuts ?Vitamins, Minerals and Other Nutrients To begin, let’s take a look at the nutrition info for coconut flour to see what beneficial nutrients can be found within.
1. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, one quarter cup of coconut flour contains 120 calories, 18 grams of carbohydrates, 6grams of sugar and 4 grams of fat. Additionally, the same serving size of coconut flour also contains 6 whole grams of protein and a whopping 10 grams of dietary fiber, as well as about 20 percent of your recommended daily intake of the mineral iron. If that wasn’t enough, coconut flour also contains a rich abundance of a specific type of healthy fat known as medium-chain triglycerides, or MCTs if you struggle with the pronunciation as much as we do.
According to registered dieticians such as Alina Petre of Healthline, MCTs are commonly associated with a number of positive health benefits, ranging from weight loss to protection against bacteria and viruses. MCTs are also known to improve brain health and lessen the risk of heart disease. The high fiber content of coconut flour also means that it can be useful in managing your body’s blood sugar levels, preventing sudden spikes in blood sugar and reducing the risk of decreasing your body’s insulin sensitivity, which can lead to complications such as diabetes.
The 10 grams of fiber found within a quarter cup serving of coconut flour represents about 40 percent of your recommended daily fiber intake. According to the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, a small portion of the fiber found within coconut flour is also soluble fiber, a specialized type of fiber which forms a gel during digestion. This gel formed by soluble fiber is especially effective at preventing spikes in blood sugar by drastically slowing and regulating the speed at which sugar enters your body’s bloodstream. These soluble fibers are also fermentable and provide a source of fuel for the beneficial bacteria colonies within your gut as well. As for the rest of coconut flour’s fiber content, this insoluble fiber is also useful due to its ability to aid with the digestion process, allowing food to pass more smoothly through your system and reducing the chance and symptoms of constipation.
2. Possible Weight Loss Benefits In addition to its apparent abundance in nutritional value, coconut flour may also have properties which can assist anyone currently focused on reaching their weight loss goals. The high fiber and protein content of coconut flour means that eating even a modest amount will leave you feeling full and sated, reducing your overall appetite and making you less likely to overindulge and begin piling on any unnecessary calories. Also, remember those MCTs we mentioned earlier? While MCTs are technically a type of fat, they’re typically not stored in your body as fat cells the way you might expect.
Instead, the Journal of the American Oil Chemists Society notes that MCTs travel directly to your liver, where they aid your body directly by producing energy. MCTs also play a role in reducing appetite, but only to a minor extent, and it’s also worth mentioning that the weight loss benefits of MCTs usually requires a much larger concentration of these fats than you’d normally obtain from a regular serving of coconut flour. Even so, every bit helps, am I right?
3. Gluten Free Even if you’re not specifically geared towards shedding some extra pounds or working towards a healthier lifestyle, one potential reason you might be avoiding traditional wheat-based flour is because you have an allergy or sensitivity to gluten. If that’s the case, then you’re in luck: unlike traditional flour made from wheat, coconut flour contains no gluten whatsoever, making it the perfect substitute for people with gluten sensitivities or other dietary restrictions that prevent them from eating regular flour, such as a wheat allergy or celiac disease. In addition to being completely gluten free, coconut flour is completely grain free as well, making it ideal for people who which to commit to specific diets or meal plans that enforce a restriction on the consumption of grain based foods. For example, one popular mode of eating is the paleo diet, which excludes any types of food that normally wouldn’t be consumed by our ancestors during the paleolithic era, including grains. While I’m pretty sure our earliest Homosapien ancestors didn’t have access to flour made from coconuts either, the fact that it’s made from a fruit instead of processed grains means it gets a pass.
Just like regular flour, coconut flour can be used as a key ingredient in baking a variety of different foods, from bread and pancakes to more dessert-oriented baked goods such as cakes, cookies, muffins and so on. Of course, the different composition of coconut flour means that you can’t necessarily prepare it the same way you would regular flour during the baking process. In particular, coconut flour absorbs more liquid than wheat-based flour, meaning that it’s recommended that you change your measurements accordingly when substituting coconut flour in a recipe.
According to Healthline, a good rule of thumb is to use a quarter cup of coconut flour for every full size cup of regular flour that you would use in a recipe, as well as increase the recipe’s liquid content by a quarter cup as well. In the end, however, this may require some trial and error, though the results are well worth the effort for anyone who wants to eat healthy without giving up their love for baked goods.
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