Regardless of illnesses such as a wheat allergy or gluten intolerance, more and more people are avoiding wheat flour. But what to use instead to bake bread, cakes and more? FITBOOK names twelve alternatives, which, incidentally, differ greatly in terms of their calorie content.
For some it is fattening, for others it doesn’t get them – and still others have to do without it completely for health reasons: wheat flour, which grandma used to uncritically end up in every cake, has a difficult time in today’s kitchen. The alternatives are booming Wheat flour.
Avoiding wheat as the epitome of a healthy diet
The fact that wheat flour was and is being buried in health-conscious cuisine is probably due to the intensive, scientific examination of carbohydrate-rich foods in recent years and decades. This has resulted in terms such as the glycemic index or the megatrend low carb, in which carbohydrates (such as wheat) are largely avoided. The latter is now considered by many people to be the epitome of a healthy, figure-conscious diet.
How Eating Wheat Products Drives Blood Sugar Levels
Carbohydrates, which are found in particularly large quantities in wheat flour, are broken down during digestion. This process produces sugar, which is released into the blood and raises the blood sugar level there. A constantly high intake of carbohydrates thus leads to a permanently high insulin level in the long term. This in turn promotes obesity and type 2 diabetes.
But doing without everything is not an approach that lasts for long. There is therefore a demand for alternatives to wheat flour that are more nutritious and healthier than the original and are suitable for baking and cooking. A look at the shelves of grocery stores shows that the range is now immense: gluten-free baking in particular is very popular.
FITBOOK presents 13 alternatives to wheat flour, names their properties and uses in the kitchen. Because you should definitely know them… Plus: low-carb and gluten check for people who are overly sensitive to cereals.
Also interesting: self-experiment – 2 weeks low carb
Bye, wheat flour! 13 alternatives to baking and cooking
oatmeal
Like wheat, oats belong to the group of sweet grasses, but are not genetically related to them. It is rich in magnesium, vitamins B1 and B6 as well as zinc and biotin. The taste is familiar from oat flakes pressed from oat grains: sweet to nutty – and therefore a great candidate for cake batter. Slightly more expensive than wheat, oats are considered a healthier grain overall. If you have a food processor, you can easily make oatmeal yourself from rolled oats. Oat flour can be used 1:1 like wheat flour.
- Gluten free? Genetically yes – but practically only if it was grown in separate fields and the same machines were not used for processing as for wheat. When buying, you should pay attention to the corresponding «gluten-free» label.
- Low carb? no There are 59 grams of carbohydrates in 100 grams of oatmeal.
Also interesting: Celiac disease – what you should know about gluten intolerance
spelled flour
Also a sweet grass and very popular since people remembered this archetype of today’s wheat in the 1980s. Spelled is healthier than this because it contains all eight essential amino acids and is rich in magnesium and iron. The crop is popular with athletes because it has a high protein content – higher than wheat. Spelled has a strong, nutty aroma and you can use it to prepare everything you would use wheat for: pasta, rolls, pizza dough, cakes, biscuits – spelled can do everything. Incidentally, spelled that is harvested unripe is unripe spelt. This, in turn, is not suitable for baking, but you can use it to prepare delicious patties.
- Gluten free? no People with celiac disease should not eat spelled products.
- Low carb? no Spelled contains 64 grams of carbohydrates per 100 grams.
flaxseed flour
Linseed is the seed of the flax, it comes in gold and brown. The flour is obtained by grinding the press cake that is produced when the oil is extracted. Two things are particularly noteworthy with regard to the health effect: Flaxseed is good for the intestines, because it promotes digestion (regardless of whether it is taken whole, crushed or ground) due to the high proportion of swelling mucus and fiber – and is therefore also a good thing Binder. And: Flaxseed contains a particularly large number of polyunsaturated omega-3 and essential fatty acids. The inherent taste is clear, flaxseed flour is more suitable for hearty dishes than an alternative to wheat flour.
- Gluten free? Yes.
- Low carb? Yes. Flaxseed contains (depending on the variety) only 1 to 6 grams of carbohydrates. Fat and protein are the main components.
Also interesting: »Those who reprogram their intestines eat healthier and lose weight!
soy flour
Most of the soy flour produced in the world is processed into animal feed due to its high protein content. But you shouldn’t be put off by this: Soy flour, which (like flaxseed) is automatically produced when oil is extracted, can do a lot in the kitchen: Pastries or bread – e.g. made from spelled flour – can be made with a 20 percent Enrich proportion of soy flour excellently with protein. Soy flour can even serve as an egg substitute; to do this, mix 1 tablespoon of soy flour with 2 tablespoons of water. And low-carb fans swear by pasta made from soy flour.
- Gluten free? Yes.
- Low carb? Yes. There are just between 3 and 7.5 grams of carbohydrates in 100 grams of soy flour, depending on whether it is defatted or not.
almond flour
Almond flour is usually available in stores as a ground by-product of almond oil production. This de-oiled almond flour contains 36 grams of protein and is therefore a healthy treat for active athletes. Light almond flour has no shell and tastes particularly sweet. Therefore, it is suitable for baking sweet dough. You can also make your own almond flour with a food processor. However, due to its high fat content, it goes rancid quickly, so it should be used up quickly.
- Gluten free? Yes.
- Low carb? And how. 100 grams of almond flour contain just 4 grams of carbohydrates.
Also interesting: recipe for pancakes made from almond flour and banana
rice flour
Rice flour is common in Asian cuisine, but in this country it is still considered an exotic alternative to wheat flour. Handling rice flour is special: it does not bind any liquid before it is baked – this is why the dough is not only extremely liquid; Rice flour must also be mixed with other types of flour so that it behaves as you are used to from flour and the baking or cooking result later has the desired consistency. Buckwheat flour is ideal for this (about 100 grams to 300 grams of rice flour).
- Gluten free? Yes.
- Low carb? no 100 grams of rice flour contain a whopping 80 grams of carbohydrates, which is more than wheat flour.
cornmeal
Think tortillas or nachos—these corn-porridge Tex-Mex classics will make your mouth water. As delicious as it tastes, it is unfortunately low in nutrients: Compared to spelled flour, for example, the flour made from corn kernels contains hardly any vitamins (unfortunately, these are lost during processing). You will also look in vain for health-promoting roughage in significant quantities. Corn flour is also a bit crumbly, so it should be mixed with other types of flour, e.g. B. buckwheat flour, are mixed. It is not suitable for baking bread because cornmeal does not contain any gluten.
- Gluten free? Yes.
- Low carb? no 100 grams of cornmeal contains 65 grams of carbohydrates, about the same as spelled flour.
Also interesting: 6 plant-based protein bombs that have more protein than eggs
millet flour
Golden or brown millet are not peeled as standard, so they are particularly rich in nutrients. Teff, an ancient type of millet from Ethiopia, is currently quite popular. The protein-rich grain is high in iron and silica, great for healthy hair and nails. The nutrient balance is also significantly better in terms of fat and vitamins than wheat. Rather sweet in taste, millet flour is good in cakes, crêpes or as porridge.
- Gluten free? Yes.
- Low carb? Completely unsuitable for this diet. 100 grams of millet flour contain 74 grams of carbohydrates.
buckwheat flour
Contrary to what the name might suggest, buckwheat is not related to wheat. The healthy alternative from the knotweed family is a gluten-free pseudocereal rich in amino acids. Buckwheat flour is rich in magnesium, iron and zinc. It is interesting for diabetics and people suffering from ravenous hunger because it causes the blood sugar level to rise particularly slowly. Buckwheat flour can be used in many ways and Russian cuisine has even dedicated a national dish to it: Gretschnewaja Kascha – the finest power food.
- Gluten free? Yes.
- Low carb? no 37 grams of carbohydrates are in 100 grams of buckwheat flour.
hemp flour
Food from the hemp crop is a huge nutritional trend. The taste of hemp flour, which is made from grinding the de-oiled hemp seed, can be described quite well as «grassy». The color is also green. In fact, it is not just a lifestyle product, hemp flour provides good ingredients: it is rich in omega-3, fiber, protein and contains vitamin B1, iron, magnesium and zinc. The more gently the flour – which is by the way not intoxicating – is ground, the faster the high-quality substances are available to the body. Hemp flour is particularly good for baking. However, it tastes very nutty, so it is best to mix it with other alternatives to wheat flour…
- Gluten free? Yes.
- Low carb? Par excellence. Hemp flour contains only 3 grams of carbohydrates per 100 grams.
amaranth flour
Amaranth flour is also full of nutrients – the ground seeds of the pseudo-grain amaranth and staple food of the Mayas and Incas. The particularly high iron content is worth mentioning. It is therefore recommended for pregnant women and people with iron deficiency. When baking, it is recommended to replace about 20 percent grain flour with amaranth flour.
- Gluten free? Yes.
- Low carb? no 58 grams of carbohydrates make it neither a carbohydrate heavyweight nor an absolute favorite in low-carb cuisine.
Also interesting: self-experiment – 2 weeks without carbohydrates
chickpea flour
The very finely ground flour from the popular legume contains twice as much vegetable protein as wheat flour, making it an important source of protein for people who eat a plant-based diet. Pancakes are excellent with it, but it is also a good wheat alternative when baking. Chickpea flour should not be eaten raw due to the lectins it contains. However, these toxins, which can cause the intestines to stick together, are quickly destroyed by heating – if, for example, you eat a…