Almond flour the new superfood ?

Try a healthier twist on baking by swapping out wheat flour for this protein-packed alternative.
JUST BECAUSE YOU’VE DECIDED TO DROP pounds or go gluten-free doesn’t mean you have to give up carb-rich foods, like pancakes and pizza. Instead, you can transform them—and make them healthier in the process—by trading wheat flour for almond flour (simply blanched, ground almonds). You’ll get more protein and fiber, plus hefty doses of calcium, magnesium, and antioxidant vitamin E.

DIET STRATEGY make meals more nutritious with almond flour. The combo of protein and fiber in pancakes with blueberry-peach sauce will keep you full until lunch!

True, almond flour has about 50 percent more calories than wheat flour and is higher in fat—but that can work to your advantage. The fat is the heart-healthy monounsaturated kind, and almond flour is low on the glycemic index scale—scoring less than 1 versus 70 for whole-wheat flour. That means it’s digested slowly, keeping blood sugar levels steady, so you eat less and stay satisfied longer. If you want to improve your health and take a few inches off your waist, give these easy high-protein dishes a try.

beyond wheat flour

Almond flour helps lower cholesterol and blood sugar.

Branch out and try some of the other super-flours on the market.

ALMOND FLOUR	CHICKPEA BEAN FLOUR	OAT FLOUR	RICE FLOUR
22 Grams protein* 560 calories 49 g fat 19 g carbs 10 g fiber 216 mg calcium	19 Grams protein* 364 calories 6 g fat 60 g carbs 17 g fiber 105 mg calcium	15 Grams protein* 404 calories 9 g fat 66 g carbs 7 g fiber 55 mg calcium	6 Grams protein* 366 calories 1 g fat 80 g carbs 2 g fiber 10 mg calcium
HOW TO USE IT Trade equal amounts of almond flour for wheat flour in cookies, cake, quick breads, and pizza dough, or use half wheat flour and half almond flour.	HOW TO USE IT Try it in meat loaf and meatballs in place of flour or bread crumbs to help hold the ingredients together and add fiber.	HOW TO USE IT Oat flour alone can be dense; you’ll get a lighter texture if you use it to replace about one-third of the wheat flour in recipes.	HOW TO USE IT Rice flour can be grainy, so it’s typically combined with potato and tapioca flour (along with xanthan gum) in gluten-free baking.

*All nutritional values are per 3½ ounces of flour

WHERE THE HECK DO YOU FIND THIS STUFF?

• Almond flour is sold in health food stores, but you’ll pay about $15 a pound.
  
• Always buy blanched almond flour; it’s better for baking than the unblanched kind or almond meal.
  
• Store almond flour in the fridge or freezer and it will keep for six months to a year.
  

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