Many people cannot imagine life without bakery products. However, sometimes you have to sacrifice them for the sake of your health or weight. But if you understand the composition and processing of grains, you can find varieties that are both low-calorie and healthy. So I can say with confidence that you don't have to give up flour completely. The main thing is to know how to choose it.
In fact, some types of flour have a low glycemic index, contain vitamins and fiber, so they can be used in a healthy and balanced diet.
Now, which type of flour is the lowest calorie and healthiest for our body?
Barley flour
Barley is a rich source of fiber and many useful substances, so it will be an indispensable assistant in the process of reducing excess weight, will help to establish the work of the gastrointestinal tract and cleanse the body of impurities.
Whole-grain barley flour is a worthy assistant in your kitchen. Delicious pancakes, muffins and scones can be made from it. Also barley flour is suitable for making bread, but know that you need to eat it in a couple of days, because such bread quickly becomes stale.
Barley flour gives a pleasant, slightly tart, nutty flavor to your treats. It should be stored in a tightly closed jar.
- Calories: 300 kcal/100g; Protein: 8.9; Fats: 0.9; Carbohydrates: 64.2.
Oat flour
If you are wondering if you can replace wheat flour with oat flour, feel free to use it in your recipes. Oat flour is healthier than wheat flour because of its low gluten and starch content, as well as a higher percentage of coarse fibers. These are not fully digested and as "brushes" pull out all harmful substances from the intestines, contributing to the establishment of intestinal microflora, and therefore, strengthening the immune system and improving metabolism.
Oat flour can be used to make delicious diet buns and the famous oatmeal cookies.
- Calories: 337 kcal/100 g; Protein: 12; Fats: 6.1; Carbohydrates: 58.7.
Emmer flour
Emmer is often confused with spelt, and although both are considered the progenitors of wheat, they are still somewhat different in their qualities and useful properties.
Emmer is an indispensable product for people with wheat gluten intolerance. Emmer flour normalizes blood sugar levels, strengthens immunity, promotes weight loss. Among the main advantages of the product – health benefits, dense structure, subtle nutty flavor. Such flour is well suited for the preparation of cookies, pizza, as well as delicate bread and other baked goods.
Another feature of emmer is resistance to contamination and radioactive radiation, so you can always be sure of its purity.
- Calories: 289 kcal/100 g; Protein: 10.4; Fats: 1.3; Carbohydrates: 54.6.
Whole grain rye flour
Whole-grain rye flour not only promotes healthy weight management, but also activates three hundred enzymes, stimulates insulin production and is essential for the female body. Rye grain contains special phytoestrogens that normalize the level of female hormones, reduce PMS symptoms, protect against the appearance of tumors in the mammary glands and contribute to the proper development of the fetus.
Rye flour is used to bake soft and flavorful buns, delicious homemade bread or, for example, the basis for vegetable pie.
- Calories: 238 kcal/100 g. Protein: 12, Fats: 2, Carbohydrates: 37.7.
Flaxseed flour
It is one of the lowest in calories, but that's not the only benefit. Flaxseed flour has a low glycemic index, so it is well suited for nutrition in type 2 diabetes. It is often used for a therapeutic diet for gastritis and other pathologies of the GI tract, as it has enveloping properties and normalizes gastric acidity. Dishes made from flax flour contain much more potassium than food from other types of flour products, which allows you to include them in the diet of people with cardiovascular diseases.
It is used to make delicious cheesecakes or casseroles, and also can be added to sauces, porridges and even drinks.
- Calories – 236 kcal/100g; Proteins – 32.4g; Fats – 8.8g; Carbohydrates – 6.9g
There is no definite answer to the question of which flour is healthier for a healthy nutrition. Barley flour, spelt flour, oat flour and other types of flour can and even should be used if you want to be healthy and in good shape – they contain proteins, antioxidants, vitamins and other substances necessary for the whole body.
In addition, baked goods, soups, sauces made from these flours allow you to diversify your diet – this makes it possible to avoid breakdowns and overeating.
Be healthy, do not deprive yourself of healthy pleasures!