Diabetes is among the few health conditions that cannot be completely cured. Hence, people suffering from it must lead a fit lifestyle, engage in physical activities and eat a healthy diet to keep their blood sugar levels in check. Diabetes patients are typically required to alter their diet, so as to include more fiber and proteins, while reducing the intake of sugar and carbohydrates, with the aim of effectively managing their blood sugar levels. There are multiple specialized flours for diabetes found today, that people can use to make bread, cakes, and other items, while not worrying about increasing their blood sugar level. In this article, we will be discussing the impact of flours and the best flours for diabetes.
There are numerous types of flours found in the market today, from the typical wheat and all-purpose flour to coconut flour and almond flour. People having diabetes must choose a type of flour that is high in fiber, easily digested, without high-calorie content, and low in carbohydrates. The best flours for diabetics help in promoting a healthy body weight and overall good health of a person.
Are Flours Good for diabetics?
As grain is the form of whole grain, for example, a grain of barley, it shall not have much of an effect on the blood sugar levels of a person. It shall simply move through your system as a whole grain that is high in fiber. This would invariably imply that it shall not break down into smaller sugar particles in your gastrointestinal system.
In case you take a grain and then grind it up finely into flour, you shall change the very way that it tends to affect the blood sugar levels of the body. The carbohydrate content of the grain goes up, and so does the amount of fiber it. Flours made up of different grains have distinguished levels of effect on the blood. If not selected carefully and consumed in an appropriate amount, flour causes an increase in blood sugars.
For people having diabetes, whole grains would be better for controlling blood sugars. Grains that tend to be refined, such as white flours, do not contain everything that is needed to be considered a whole grain. They typically feature endosperm, which is the inside layer containing some vitamins, proteins, and minerals.
However, nowadays there are many types of healthier flours available for people with diabetes today; they do not have to worry about these hassles. Many of these flours for diabetes tend to be made from plant and nut sources that have low carbohydrate content, and are higher in fat and protein. Many contemporary bakeries even make all of their bread from such low carbohydrate flours and avoid using grain products. Plant sources like nuts and seeds would be able to work well for diabetic individuals. People with diabetes may even try swapping their plain white flour with whole wheat flour, as it is higher in fiber and is good for both gut and heart health.
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10 Best Flours for Diabetes to find online
These are the best flours for Diabetes to have in 2022.
- Carbalose Flour
- Blue Diamond Almond Flour
- Super-Fine Almond Flour
- Nature’s Eats Blanched Almond Flour
- Organic Barley Flour
- LiveKuna Organic Quinoa Flour
- Bob’s Red Mill Garbanzo Bean Flour
- King Arthur Flour
- Kirkland Signature Almond Flour
- Bob’s Red Mill Whole Grain Oat Flour
1. Carbalose Flour
Manufactured by the Tova industries, Carbalose flour is among the best flours for diabetes and a top-selling low-carb complete all-purpose bake mix. It can be used as a wheat flour substitute as it behaves a lot like it. Carbalose flour is made mostly from wheat but lacks most non-fiber carbohydrates and almost 80% lesser carbs.
This product contains plant fiber, wheat protein; enzyme-modified wheat, enzymes, and emulsifiers, as well as certain unique conditioners. Carbalose flour additionally does not feature any kind of saturated fat, trans-fatty, soy protein, or dairy products. There are plenty of products available in the market that claims to be “low carb flour”, but fail to function or taste well. These flours generally are made from soy protein or various nonwheat components, and often make baking quite difficult. Carbalose flour is among the only flours available that provide a taste almost the same as real flour and integrates perfectly with baking recipes. You can use it instead of actual flour in recipes for pizza bread, cakes, pizza, waffles, biscuits, and so on.
2. Blue Diamond Almond Flour
This is a gluten-free flour and is perfect for people who desire to lead a healthy and fitter lifestyle. This flour enables people to easily replace the traditional flours in their recipes with a healthier option, without having to compromise on texture or taste. Blue Diamond Almond Flour is made with California-grown almonds and is sifted finely. It helps in adding distinctive nutty flavor and fluffy texture to recipes while providing it with the needed source of fiber and protein. It is a low-carb and kosher product that supports keto and paleo lifestyles.
Blue Diamond Almond Flour is made with California-grown almonds and is sifted finely. It helps in adding distinctive nutty flavor and fluffy texture to recipes while providing it with the needed source of fiber and protein. It is a low-carb and kosher product that supports keto and paleo lifestyles.
3. Super-Fine Almond Flour
One of the most popular flours for diabetes, this product is made from skinned or blanched almonds that are ground to an extremely fine consistency, making it ideal for baking. It is a great source of Vitamin E, magnesium, as well as dietary fiber.
This Super-Fine Almond Flour tends to be an R5-ELISA tested gluten-free and a great choice for the recipes of French macarons. This flour can also be used to make bread, cookies, and cakes, or act as a low carb alternative to bread crumbs whole making meatballs. This product supports keto and paleo lifestyles.
4. Nature’s Eats Blanched Almond Flour
This is a grain-free flour that is perfect for baking. Nature’s Eats Blanched Almond Flour is ideal for people who are following a gluten, wheat, grain, and dairy-free diet. It can easily be used to make breads, cookies, crackers, or donuts. It can add a rich, buttery taste and texture to baking items, in addition to a distinctive nutty flavor.
This almond flour can also be used as a natural alternative to breading instead of breadcrumbs or as a thickening agent in sauces. It is a fully vegan product.
5. Organic Barley Flour
Considered to be one of the best flours for diabetics, this product has a sweet, pleasant, and nutty taste that is great for baking. It features the healthy elements of the kernel, as well as the outer layer of the grain that is quite rich in minerals, vitamins, and fiber.
This barley flour can help people to meet their daily selenium and manganese requirements while keeping their carb consumption low. This product is low in saturated fat, sodium, and cholesterol, and acts as a great source of dietary fiber.
6. LiveKuna Organic Quinoa Flour
This flour is directly grinded from organic white quinoa growing in the fields of Ecuador. It is a gluten-free product and comes as a great alternative to the traditional wheat flour for being used for both baking and cooking. This is a gluten-free product, but unlike rice and cornflour, it is non-GMO as well.
It is considered to be a great source of fiber, protein, magnesium, B vitamins, and calcium.
7. Bob’s Red Mill Garbanzo Bean Flour
Being one of the most popular flours for diabetes, Bob’s Red Mill Garbanzo Bean Flour is an extremely versatile and gluten-free product. This product is ground from whole garbanzo beans and can be used to make a host of gluten-free items, including flatbreads, crackers, pizza crusts, farinata, or even doughnuts and muffins.
One can find easy and tasty recipes for a delectable variation of falafels on the bag of this product itself. Red Mill Garbanzo Bean Flour is R5-ELISA tested and processed in a dedicated gluten-free facility.
8. King Arthur Flour
This finely ground almond flour blends perfectly with recipes for baked goods, both sweet and savory. Milled from blanched whole almonds, this flour can add a certain level of richness and moist texture to cookies, bread, cakes, and other baked delicacies.
King Arthur Flour is a fine-textured, certified gluten-free almond flour that is full of good fats and proteins
9. Kirkland Signature Almond Flour
One of the best flours for diabetes, this is a gluten-free product and is considered to be a great source of protein. This California Superfine flour is made from blanched almonds.
10. Bob’s Red Mill Whole Grain Oat Flour
This product is milled freshly from whole grain oat groats and features a host of nutritious germs, endosperm, and bran. It can be used to replace up to 20% of the flour in the majority of the baked goods, to add a unique flavor, and increase their nutrition content. This oat flour reduces serum cholesterol levels in the body and is a good source of dietary fiber.
King Arthur Flour is a fine-textured, certified gluten-free almond flour that is full of good fats and proteins
Which type of flour is best for diabetics?
The Smart Carb Guide published by the Glycemic Index Foundation of South Africa provides an insight into the GI values of flours. Even the diabetes council has data on GI of some flours.
The easiest way to explain the glycemic index (GI) would be through an example. Like after someone drinks a glucola drink that has no fiber and a high amount of glucose, being a liquid it would get absorbed into their bloodstream quickly. It shall also raise the blood sugar level of the body quickly, as a result. There is a direct relationship between how fast the sugar from it enters the body. On the other hand, having a dinner that is high in fiber, with a lot of whole grains and vegetables, shall keep the blood sugar level much steadier, based on the amount of time it takes to break down the food into blood sugar.
The Glycemic index basically ranks food that contains carbohydrates from 0 to 10, on the basis of how fast it can raise your blood sugar. The GI of glucola is high, while that of whole-grain bread is much lower. 55 and lower GI food is ideally considered to be good for diabetes self-management.
The majority of GI values of flours tend to correlate directly with the net carbs present in it. Hence, the GI value, to an extent, serves as an intuitive check. The more the carb and lesser the fiber in a particular grain, the higher shall be its GI value, and diabetic individuals must surely try to avoid these grains.
Knowing the GI of the various common flours can surely help you to make smarter dietary decisions. Instead of avoiding all the flours altogether, you can simply avoid the ones that have GI if you are diabetic or pre-diabetic.
Here are the best flours for diabetics owing due to their low GI value (as per the diabetes council website)
- Walnut Flour – 0
- Almond Flour – 0
- Flaxseed Flour – 0
All of these are plant/seed-based flours and have high levels of good fat.
Flours with a medium GI value
- Soy Flour – 25
- Chickpea Flour – 44
- Oat Flour – 44
- Coconut Flour – 50
These flours for diabetes slowly start going into the legume flour category. While sticking to plant/seed-based flours would be a better idea for diabetic individuals, opting for the flours with medium GI value should be alright once in a while.
Flours with high GI
- Brown Rice Flour – 62
- Tapioca Flour – 67
- Whole Wheat Flour – 69
- Buckwheat Flour – 71
- White Rice Flour – 72
- White Wheat Flour – 85
Diabetic patients must try to avoid the above varieties of flours as much as they can, due to their high GI value. Even though typically GI above 70 is considered as high, it would be a good idea to avoid anything about 50, if there are options available. The majority of the flours having high GI are grain flours.
Which flour has the lowest glycemic index?
Generally, finely ground almond flour has the lowest glycemic index. They are low in carbs and high in protein. Almond flour includes fiber which gives it a low glycemic index.
Is there Any flour that doesn’t contain carbs?
Nut flour or almond flour is a keto-friendly flour that contains the lowest amount of carbs. So it can be coupled with your keto diet and can be replaced for high-carb flours.
Which flour is healthiest for a diabetic person?
Flour that contains low carbs is the healthiest for diabetics. Since almond flour is low in carbs and contains healthy proteins, it can control your blood sugar levels.
Is flour bad for diabetes?
Flours are generally bad for diabetics. They are toxic and cause health risks to the pancreas of a diabetes patient. So it is better to avoid flour if you are diabetic.
Related Topic You Might be Interested
Are flours bad for diabetics?
When we grind grain into flour, we change the way it affects your blood sugar. That is, flours from grains will cause an increase in blood sugars. Also, it doesn’t show any significant increase in blood sugar levels in people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Is coconut flour good for diabetics?
Yes, coconut flour is good for diabetics because it has a mild impact on blood glucose levels. Also, it can help reduce the risk of developing heart disease and lower cholesterol levels. While compared with flour such as wheat and corn, coconut flour is low in carbohydrates.
Is wheat chapati good for diabetes?
Eating wheat chapati is good for diabetes. It is a better alternative for people who manage their diabetes and diet plan. Rice increases blood sugar more rapidly. So wheat is always a preferred option for diabetic individuals.
Is almond flour good for diabetes?
As almond flour is a low glycemic index food, it is good for diabetes. It has fewer sugars and carbohydrates. So almond flour can help people with diabetes to manage their blood sugar levels more efficiently. They are low in carbs yet high in healthy fats and fiber.
Is corn flour good for diabetes?
Yes, cornflour is good for diabetes and you can eat it if you have diabetes. It is a big source of energy, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Also, corn is low in sodium and fat. Corn flour is low in carbohydrates and is effective in maintaining blood sugar.
Summary
People suffering from diabetes can choose any of the best flours for diabetes underlined above for their daily use. Many people fear that they have to drastically change their eating habits if faced with diabetes, but so is not the case. The best flours for diabetes can provide you with a taste similar to traditional white flour while being a lot healthier. High carbohydrate intake can negatively impact the blood sugar levels of a person. Hence, it is imperative that you carefully read the fine print on your flour packaging and get a good idea about its nutritional value, before making a purchase.
