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White Flour: Why You Shouldn’t Eat It Anymore

White flour is a classic baking ingredient – but you should avoid it. But whole grain isn’t necessarily a better choice, experts say. We show when you should use which flour.

Type 405 white flour is probably the most commonly used type of flour. It is considered fattening and is said to make you addicted and even infertile. Although many of the myths about white flour have now been debunked, it should still be removed from the menu. Because there are much better alternatives.

White flour under criticism

White flour is ground flour (usually from wheat), i.e. only the inside of the grain. The inside also contains all the calories.

The miller, on the other hand, sifts out the edges and seedlings of the grain. However, they contain valuable fiber, vitamins, minerals and healthy unsaturated fatty acids.

The body converts white flour into sugar very quickly – its glycemic index is very high. This means that glucose enters the blood very quickly and the blood sugar level rises by leaps and bounds. The blood sugar level drops just as quickly, however, since the sugar only lasts for a short time. Then food cravings follow, because the body wants to increase the blood sugar level again.

Products made from white flour therefore have a lot of calories, do not keep you full for long and make you hungry again. If you then turn to white flour products again, you will supply your body with even more calories.

According to studies, eating a lot of white flour can promote obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart attacks and joint damage.
However, the health consequences also depend on the rest of your diet and lifestyle.
The intestinal flora should also be able to influence how white flour affects health (study).
In a study involving more than 80 subjects, researchers also showed that the body can utilize 100 more calories from wholemeal flour than from white flour. This corresponds to a walk of about 30 minutes. Dark bread provides our body with more energy than light bread.

Avoid white flour and use whole grains

The best alternative to white flour is wholemeal flour (wholemeal wheat flour is also good). Wholemeal spelled flour is even better because it contains more nutrients than wheat products. Wholegrain rye flour contains the most fiber and B vitamins:
Wholegrain flours contain the whole grain and not just the inner core.
The roughage in wholemeal flour swells up in the stomach and provides an additional feeling of satiety. They also inhibit the release of hormones that make you hungry.
The fiber also stimulates digestion and helps against constipation.
The blood sugar level does not rise as quickly and not as high and also falls more slowly. Whole grain products keep you full for longer.

Wholemeal bread is not always good

Even with whole grain bread, the blood sugar level can rise quickly and then fall again shortly afterwards – making you hungry again quickly. This is due to the processing of the flour, says Prof. Andreas Pfeiffer from the German Institute for Human Nutrition. In the science magazine Quarks & Co., Pfeiffer explains that the rise in blood sugar is the same with finely ground bread – regardless of whether it is white flour or wholemeal flour. Because the body can quickly absorb the starch in finely ground bread.

Better: buy coarse wholemeal bread. It fills you up for a long time and is healthy. It is best to use 100 percent whole grain and organic quality. In this way you ensure that there are no residues of chemical-synthetic pesticides in the flour.

Basically, wholemeal bread is darker than bread made from white flour. However, you should not only rely on the color, because some bakers mix in malt syrup and turn the bread into “black bread”. That’s why you should definitely look at the list of ingredients and ask your baker how high the whole grain content is. The bread must have at least 90 percent wholemeal flour/meal in order to be called wholemeal bread.

Scientists from Harvard University warn against being misled by the “whole grain” on grain products when buying. In principle, whole grains are healthier, but many products contain more sugar and calories than other products. So you should not blindly buy every product that says “whole grain”, but look at the nutritional table and list of ingredients.

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Tapioca Flour: These Local Produce Make it Unnecessary

Tapioca flour, tapioca pearls or tapioca starch: What is the use of the cassava root powder and are there regional alternatives to the binding agent from South America?

What is tapioca flour?

Tapioca is a by-product of making cassava flour. It is very fine and has a consistency like wheat flour or powdered sugar. It is pure starch and is also called tapioca flour, tapioca flakes or tapioca starch. The cassava plant originally comes from South America, especially from Brazil. It now grows in all areas with a tropical or subtropical climate.

Use of tapioca flour

Many Asian recipes, especially desserts, include tapioca pearls. If you soak them, they make, for example, a pudding similar to rice pudding or bubble tea.

In Brazil you can find tapioca flour in the form of crêpes on the daily menu. These are usually served as breakfast – from savory to sweet. The advantage of tapioca flour is that it does not require any fat for frying. The substance reacts with heat and automatically turns into a kind of pancake.

Tapioca flour is gluten-free and tasteless. So it’s no wonder that you find it mostly in gluten-free recipes.

It is also popular as a binding agent for sauces, soups and desserts. Tapioca is also used as a binding agent in the manufacture of tablets and gummy bears.

Regional alternatives to tapioca flour

If you pay attention to your ecological footprint, you should not use the cassava root and its flour, because: the long transport to Germany already makes tapioca flour a climate sinner. However, the cassava plant withstands periods of drought well, which keeps its water consumption within limits.

However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t alternatives to tapioca flour. Because even before the Brazilian root was widespread in our latitudes, grandmas and co. used corn starch or potato starch to thicken their sauces. These are good regional alternatives to tapioca and are also gluten-free.

You can use corn or potato starch to thicken sauces just like tapioca starch. You can also transfer the quantities 1:1. You shouldn’t notice any difference in taste, since both tapioca flour and corn and potato starch are tasteless.

However, Brazilian crêpes cannot easily be made from regional alternatives. This is because corn or potato starch does not melt in the same way that tapioca flour does.

If you do have to use tapioca flour, then make sure it is organic. Organic cultivation largely avoids the use of pesticides. You can get tapioca flour in organic quality in the organic market or in the health food store. Most Asian stores do not carry organic products.

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Wholemeal Spelled Flour: Calories, Nutritional Values and How to Use it

With its valuable nutritional values, wholemeal spelled flour is considered to be particularly healthy. Here you can find out how many calories, fibre, protein and minerals are in spelled and how you can use the flour.

Wheat flour is the most commonly used flour in the world, but in recent years the ancient grain spelled has experienced a well-deserved renaissance. Wholemeal spelled flour is not only popular with wheat intolerance, but also with a healthy balanced diet.

Wholemeal Spelled Flour: Calories and Nutritional Values

Due to its high nutrient content, wholemeal spelled flour is often traded as a healthier alternative to wheat flour. The flour made from the whole spelled grain not only scores with complex carbohydrates, a high protein content and lots of fiber – the spelled flour also contains numerous minerals and vitamins.

The calories and nutritional values ​​of wholemeal spelled flour are subject to fluctuations and differ slightly from flour to flour. Among other things, we looked at the nutritional values ​​of dm’s organic wholemeal spelled flour – information per 100 grams:
Calories: 353 kcal – Wholemeal spelled flour has a relatively high nutrient density. The high calorie content is due, among other things, to the large proportion of protein and fiber – these are therefore “healthy” calories.
Carbohydrates: 64 g (of which sugar 1.7 g) – Like all wholemeal flours, wholemeal spelled flour is also rich in long-chain carbohydrates, which provide the body with energy over the long term and are considered the “healthy” carbohydrates.
Protein: 14 g – With around 14 percent protein, wholemeal spelled flour supports muscle building. Since spelled contains all eight essential amino acids, it is an excellent source of vegetable protein.
Fat: 2.6 g – There is relatively little fat in spelled, which is why it is also suitable for a low-fat diet – which incidentally applies to many types of grain.
Fiber: 8.4 g – With more than eight percent fiber, wholemeal spelled flour is one of the foods rich in fiber. Spelled thus supports healthy digestion and keeps you full for a long time.

Wholemeal spelled flour – rich in minerals and vitamins

However, wholemeal spelled flour is not only convincing with its valuable macronutrients: The micronutrients it contains also show that spelled is rightly considered healthy. Spelled flour contains the following vitamins:
B vitamins: The main ingredients in wholemeal spelled flour are vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B3 (niacin) and vitamin B6. Spelled flour thus contributes to a healthy metabolism and immune system.
Vitamin A: With a relatively high content of beta-carotene (the precursor of vitamin A), spelled can also contribute to healthy skin and eyes.
Vitamin E: Wholemeal spelled flour contains vitamin E, also known as tocopherol. Among other things, this vitamin helps to protect the body cells from free radicals.
Wholemeal spelled flour also contains the following minerals and trace elements:
iron
potassium
copper
magnesium
sodium
phosphorus
zinc
According to a 2008 scientific paper, spelled flour contains about 30 to 60 percent more iron, zinc, copper, magnesium and phosphorus than wheat flour.

By the way: It matters whether you use white flour or wholemeal flour, especially with regard to the vitamin and mineral content. Because: Most of the micronutrients are in the outer layers of the grain, which are also processed in the wholemeal flour. See the next section for more tips on flour types.

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Corn Flour: Nutrients, Application and DIY Recipe

The gluten-free flour can bind not only sauces and dumplings.

Corn Flour – gluten-free flour made from the kernel of corn

Maize flour is obtained from corn in various ways: In this country, the corn grain is usually dried and then ground. In other processes, the dried corn is first roasted before being dried and ground. Maize flour from Mexico is very special: there the corn kernels are first fermented before they are dried and ground. You can find out why this makes the flour healthier below.

Depending on the production method, cornmeal differs in colour, taste and nutrients. In most cases it is characteristically yellow in color, but sometimes it is relatively light to almost white. It usually tastes slightly sweet, sometimes with a nutty note – and the typical corn taste is usually still in the flour.

By the way, cornmeal, cornmeal and polenta are not the same thing: cornmeal is coarser than cornmeal. Polenta, on the other hand, is a porridge made from cornmeal. In a separate article we will show you how to cook polenta and use it to make polenta thalers.

Corn starch also differs from corn flour: For corn starch, the starch is washed out of the grain using a special process. You can read exactly how this works and how you can use cornstarch in our article on cornstarch.

Cornmeal: nutrients and health

If you have celiac disease or a wheat allergy, corn flour is an interesting alternative to wheat or spelled flour: corn flour is completely gluten-free. When baking, however, you cannot simply replace wheat flour with corn flour: the latter lacks the binding properties of gluten. More on that later.

Compared to other whole grain flours, corn flour has a relatively low protein content of around seven to nine percent. Instead, cornmeal contains a lot of carbohydrates – mainly in the form of starch. In addition, there are around five percent dietary fiber in corn flour. The exact nutritional values ​​depend heavily on the manufacturing process.

Nutritional values ​​of corn flour per 100 grams:
Energy: 344 kcal
Fat: 0.8g
Carbohydrates: 74 g
Protein: 7.7 g
Fiber: 4.8 g
With over seven percent protein, corn flour cannot compete with wholemeal spelled flour, but it can still serve as a source of vegetable protein.

One problem: corn kernels (like other grains) contain phytic acid, which locks in certain nutrients and makes them inaccessible to humans. If you ferment the corn kernels before grinding, phytic acid is broken down. The traditional Mexican method for this is called “nixtamalization”. It makes the cornmeal from Mexico particularly healthy.

Cornmeal in the kitchen: tips and recipes

Corn flour is particularly popular in Mexican cuisine: Tortillas and nachos are well-known products made from corn flour in this country. In some South American countries, corn cakes are made from corn flour.

You can also thicken soups and sauces with cornmeal and use it as an ingredient in dumplings.

Corn flour does not contain gluten and is an alternative to wheat flour. However, you cannot bake pure corn bread without gluten. Instead, you can combine corn flour with other gluten-containing flours and thus enhance the look and taste of your home-baked bread: You can easily replace about ten percent of the flour with corn flour. This way you can bake delicious cornbread.

You can also make pudding from cornmeal. This is significantly finer than polenta, but not quite as homogeneous as cornstarch pudding.

Make and buy cornmeal yourself

If you have a strong grain mill, you can make corn flour yourself: To do this, you must first dry the corn kernels and then grind them as finely as possible. However, it is said that some grain mills are clogged by the corn and then no longer work properly. The easier option is therefore to buy ready-made corn flour.

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Mustard Flour: Effect and Application

Mustard flour consists of ground mustard seeds. Here you can read how you can use the mustard powder as a kitchen seasoning and remedy and what you should pay attention to.

Origin and Effect of Mustard Flour

You probably know mustard flour as a condiment in the kitchen. This is usually made from yellow mustard seeds. The grains come from mustard plants, which are yellow flowering annual cruciferous plants. The mustard plants were brought to Central Europe by the Romans. The three most well-known types of mustard are:
White mustard (Sinapis alba, also yellow mustard, field mustard)
Brown mustard (Brassica juncea, also called Indian or Chinese mustard)
Black mustard (Brassica nigra)
All types of mustard contain mustard oil glycosides. When the mustard seeds are ground into mustard flour, they are broken down in conjunction with enzymes into mustard oil. This mustard oil works as follows:
anti-inflammatory
antiviral
antibacterial
circulation-enhancing
but also irritating to the skin
According to a study by the University of Freiburg, mustard oils should also prevent cancer. 20 grams per day should be enough for this effect. Eating mustard also stimulates the appetite and improves digestion.

Use mustard flour in the kitchen

Mustard flour is a very aromatic spice. In the kitchen you can make your own mustard in combination with vinegar and salt and use it as an ingredient to refine many dishes:
curries
dressings
marinades
sauces
soups

Uses of mustard flour: when it helps

Mustard flour is used as a remedy in the form of compresses, baths and wraps. You can use it at:
arthrosis
bronchitis
a cold
gout
headache
migraine
rheumatism
sinusitis
If you use the home remedy, you should consider the following:
Mustard flour is a strong irritant and can burn the skin and cause severe redness.
As soon as you find any of these symptoms painful, you should definitely stop using mustard flour. Otherwise, in the worst case, severe skin burns can occur.
It is best to seek advice from a pharmacist with a degree in herbal medicine or a phytotherapist before using mustard flour.
Mustard oil can irritate the skin and mucous membranes. So be careful not to get it on your face. It should not come into contact with your eyes in particular.

Where to buy mustard seeds for mustard flour

You can buy mustard seeds cheaply in advance and grind them into mustard flour if necessary, preferably with an electric spice grinder. You can get mustard seeds in:
pharmacies
health food stores and
on the Internet.
You can often get ready-made mustard wrap sets at the pharmacy.

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Soy Flour: Info, Use

Soy flour is a gluten-free flour made from soybeans that contains a particularly large amount of protein. In this guide you can read about the other nutrients in soy flour and how you can use it in the kitchen.

Soy flour: nutritional values

Depending on the type of soy flour, the nutritional values ​​differ primarily with regard to the fat content. A full-fat soy flour consists of about 21 percent fat, while half-fat soy flour usually only contains 10 percent fat.

Bauckhof’s full-fat organic soy flour has the following nutritional values ​​per 100 grams:
Calories: 436 kcal
Fat: 21g
… of which saturated fatty acids: 3.3 g
Carbohydrates: 13 g
… of which sugar: 5.4 g
Dietary fiber: 10 g
Egg white: 45 g

Production of soy flour

Soy flour is made from whole soybeans. Manufacturers clean and peel the soybeans before crushing them. Then they can be ground into flour. In most cases, however, the crushed soybeans are first roasted before they are ground. Soy flour made this way is also called full-fat soy flour.

Alternatively, there are also partially defatted soy flours, which are a by-product of soy oil production. The soybeans are pressed and de-oiled. So-called half-fat or low-fat soy flour is then obtained from the press cake.

Soy flour is so healthy

A look at the nutritional value table shows that soy flour is particularly rich in protein with 45 percent protein. For comparison: wholemeal spelled flour consists of 14 percent protein and even chickpea flour “only” makes it to just under 21 percent.
In addition to the protein content, the protein composition also makes soy flour an ideal source of vegetable protein: soy flour contains all the essential amino acids and is therefore comparable to animal protein.
Unlike most other flours, soy flour has a very high fat content. Around 80 percent of the fats contained in soybeans are the healthy unsaturated fatty acids. The content of important omega-3 fatty acids is also comparatively high.
Soy flour also contains vitamin B2, folic acid (vitamin B9), calcium and iron.
Thanks to these ingredients, soy flour is considered particularly healthy. Because of its high protein content, soy flour is an important part of the diet, especially for athletes and vegans.

Some people also suffer from a soy allergy.

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Cassava Flour: Nutrition Facts, Uses and Recipes

Cassava flour is a good alternative to conventional wheat flour. It is gluten-free and grain-free and yet can be used almost like wheat flour. You can find out more about cassava root flour here.

Cassava flour is being hailed as the new star among alternative flours. It is a flour that is gluten-free, grain-free and rich in fiber.

Cassava flour is made from the starchy tubers of cassava. This is a plant species that belongs to the Spurge family. Manioc originally comes from South America and the natives are said to have fed on the plant. There are now cassava growing areas in many tropical and subtropical regions around the world. Even today, cassava is one of the staple foods of millions of people in South America and parts of Asia and Africa.

However, the cassava roots are poisonous when raw because they contain hydrocyanic acid. However, they can be processed in such a way that the hydrocyanic acid boils down and the tubers become edible. For this reason, cassava tubers are often fermented, boiled or ground into flour and washed.

Cassava Flour: Nutritional Values

Manioc flour is an interesting flour alternative for people who (have to) eat a grain-free or gluten-free diet. It has a high starch content, a mild taste and a fine texture. Thus, cassava flour mimics the consistency and properties of conventional flour very well. Unlike other gluten-free flour alternatives (such as buckwheat or quinoa flour), cassava flour can often be used as a one-to-one substitute for conventional flour containing gluten, such as wheat flour. Other gluten-free flours usually require additional ingredients to make a working dough.
Energy: 371 kcal
Carbohydrates: 88.6 g
Protein: 0g
Fat: 0g
Calcium: 57 mg
Potassium: 303 mg
What is striking about the nutritional values ​​is the high proportion of carbohydrates. In comparison, wheat flour has about 70 grams of carbohydrates per 100 grams of flour. Cassava flour is therefore a good source of energy. However, it has no protein and only a few essential amino acids. After all, wheat flour has 11 grams of protein. Cassava flour also lacks micronutrients such as vitamins. Therefore, where cassava is a staple food, nutritional deficiencies can occur. For this reason, scientists have been trying for some time to breed cassava varieties whose tubers contain more nutrients. On the positive side: cassava flour contains a lot of calcium and potassium.

However, there is nothing wrong with including cassava flour in a balanced diet from time to time. Especially in a gluten-free diet, cassava flour provides a lot of variety.

Use cassava flour: bread, pancakes and more

To make cassava flour the traditional way, the tubers are peeled, grated, and then soaked. The mass is then pressed out, washed and roasted in an oven. What remains is the cassava flour.

Depending on the region, the cassava flour is processed differently. It often turns into a bread-like cake or farofa (Brazilian side dish). A Brazilian drink is also based on cassava flour. In some African areas, the flour is also used for fufu or foufou, a kind of dumpling dough.

Tip: Incidentally, finely ground cassava flour is often also called fufu or foufou in European trade. You can find it in Asian or Latin American supermarkets.

If you have never used cassava flour, you can approach it and replace part of the conventional flour with cassava flour in existing recipes. You can use cassava flour to make breads, rolls, wraps, pancakes, cakes and cookies. Depending on the dough and recipe, you may need a little less liquid in your baked goods. Cassava flour is also suitable for binding sauces or making breading.

Recipe with cassava flour: Fufu from West Africa

Fufu (also foufou) is widespread in West Africa and popular as a main ingredient or side dish in many dishes. Fufu refers to a type of solid porridge or dough that is formed into small dumplings and served with a sauce, soup or stew.

Ingredients for fufu (dumplings made from cassava flour):
cassava flour
water
Cassava flour binds a lot of water. Therefore, the rule of thumb is that you should always use a little more water than you use cassava flour. If you take 100 grams of cassava flour, add about 120 milliliters of water.

How to prepare fufu:
Boil the water.
Pour the boiling water over the flour in a saucepan.
Heat the mixture, stirring constantly, bring to the boil and then continue to simmer for about 10 to 12 minutes. Keep stirring the porridge.
Then take the pot off the stove to let the mixture cool down a bit.
Then form small dumplings with your hands. You can serve these with various vegetable dishes, or use them traditionally as an ingredient in soups, stews or sauce dishes.
Tip: The balls are often so sticky that they are difficult to chew. That’s why they are usually dipped into the sauce or soup and swallowed whole.

Recipe with cassava flour: Farofa from Brazil

Another classic cassava flour recipe is the Brazilian farofa. This is a popular side dish, for which the cassava flour is sautéed in a pan with butter, onions and herbs until golden brown. Eggs are often added as well.

We recommend that you use organic ingredients that come from the region whenever possible. In this way you support an agriculture that does without many synthetic pesticides and in which animal welfare is better guaranteed. In addition, with regional products you avoid long transport routes that cause high CO2 emissions.

You need these ingredients for four servings:
200 g cassava flour
3 tbsp butter (or margarine if vegan)
2 spring onions
1 bunch coriander or parsley
5 sprigs of fresh mint
1 teaspoon zest from a lemon
Salt
How to prepare the farofa:
Wash the herbs and chop them up.
Cut the spring onions into rings.
Heat the butter or margarine in a pan and sweat the onion in it.
Add the cassava flour and toast until golden brown in color.
Stir in the herbs, lemon zest and spring onions.
Tip: If you want to eat eggs, add them to the pan along with the cassava flour. The farofa goes well with rice or bean dishes.

Life cycle assessment: cassava flour is so sustainable

The life cycle assessment of cassava flour:
On the one hand, cassava grows very well even in long periods of drought and therefore does not need to be watered heavily. This is particularly beneficial in regions where water is often scarce.
On the other hand, buying cassava flour in Germany is not very ecological. Because the flour is imported and therefore travels long distances. Transport causes so many climate-damaging emissions.
Therefore, you should carefully consider to what extent you want to integrate cassava flour into your diet. Conscious handling of cassava flour is important in any case. Also, you can try mixing cassava flour with other locally sourced gluten-free flours. This includes, for example, buckwheat flour.

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Rice Flour: Nutritional Values, Uses and How to Make Yourself

Rice flour is a gluten-free type of flour that you can use for cooking and baking. In this article you will find out what you should consider when using it and how you can make your own rice flour.

Rice flour: properties and uses

When making rice flour, machines grind raw rice grains into a fine flour. If polished rice is ground, you get a snow-white flour. Brown rice flour, on the other hand, is made from whole grain rice. Since the shell is preserved here, this flour is richer in minerals and vitamins.

Rice flour is often used as a binding agent in Asian dishes, especially for sauces and desserts

Rice flour is only suitable to a limited extent as a substitute for wheat flour. It is not suitable for fluffy pastries such as muffins, biscuit bases etc. Since the flour lacks gluten, the dough would not rise in the oven. However, you can use rice flour for flat pastries like flatbread.

If you want to bake gluten-free bread, it is advisable to combine rice flour with other gluten-free flours. So wheat flour cannot be replaced 1:1 with Asian flour. It is therefore best to consciously use gluten-free recipes when baking.

How healthy is rice flour?

According to the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), rice and rice products contain relatively high levels of inorganic arsenic compounds. These are considered carcinogenic. The BfR therefore recommends consuming rice in moderation and alternating it with other types of grain as part of a balanced diet. Parents in particular should take this into account when feeding small children.

Also make sure to buy organic rice flour. So you can be sure that farmers did not use synthetic pesticides during cultivation.

How to make your own rice flour

You can easily make rice flour yourself. It is up to you which type of rice you want to use. Usually rice flour consists of long grain rice. A grain mill is best suited for the production. However, since rice is softer than wheat, the grinder should be able to grind very finely. Otherwise the grains will be too large and the flour will become crumbly.

If you don’t have a grain mill, you can also grind rice flour in a stand mixer. Be careful not to add too many grains of rice to the blender at once. Otherwise, less powerful devices in particular can quickly become clogged. Therefore, only add one to two cups of grains of rice to the blender at a time. Then, on high, grind the grains into a fine flour.

Alternatively, you can grind rice in the coffee grinder. Slowly add the rice to the mill, spoonful by spoonful, so that nothing gets clogged here either. Then put the flour in an airtight container (e.g. a mason jar) and store it in a dry and cool place.

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Lupine Flour: How Healthy it is and How to Use it

Lupine flour is a gluten- and grain-free type of flour that contains a lot of protein. Here you can find out more about the nutrients and possible uses.

Lupins belong to the legumes. The seeds of the lupine plant have been used as food for several thousand years. In the Mediterranean area, pickled lupine seeds are still a popular snack with beer in restaurants today.

Here, too, lupine is increasingly on the menu: on the one hand, meat substitutes often contain lupine protein isolate. On the other hand, lupine flour is also becoming increasingly popular because it contains a lot of vegetable protein and other healthy nutrients and is easy to use.

Lupine flour: How it is made

Lupine flour is made from lupine seeds. In order to remove the water from them, they are first pressed. The resulting flakes are then soaked in water again. In this way, the protein is released from the fiber structure of the seeds. The protein mass is then heated, causing the water to evaporate. The lupine flour remains.

Lupine flour can only be made from pure cultivated lupine varieties. The seeds of wild lupins and garden lupins contain a toxic type of bitter substances. However, edible lupins are cultivated in such a way that they hardly contain this bitter substance and are suitable for human consumption. In contrast to their wild relatives, these varieties are also called sweet lupins. To produce sweet lupine flour, producers often use the seeds of the white sweet lupine. Sometimes the yellow lupine or the blue sweet lupine are also used.

Lupine flour contains a lot of protein

According to the Association for Independent Health Advice (UGB), lupins contain between 36 and 48 percent protein. This makes them an important source of vegetable protein, especially in vegan diets. Lupine seed protein contains all eight essential amino acids, including lysine. In other plant-based protein sources such as cereals, lysine is rare and found in small amounts.

The UGB also points out that unlike other legumes, lupine seeds provide basic protein that is low in purines. Purines are a natural part of many foods. The body converts them into uric acid. If you have elevated uric acid levels and need to make sure you consume little purine-containing foods, you can eat lupine flour. Elevated uric acid levels occur, for example, in gout.

Nutrient-rich lupins

Lupine flour is also a good source of certain minerals and trace elements. According to the UGB, lupine seeds contain mainly potassium, calcium, magnesium and iron. The flour also contains a lot of fiber and thus fills you up quickly and for a long time.

Lupins contain about four to seven percent fat – less than soybeans. It is mostly present in the form of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Both types are valuable for the body: the monounsaturated fatty acids help to build up the cell membrane. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (called essential fatty acids) support numerous bodily functions, such as hormone production and blood circulation.

Lupine flour and allergies / intolerances

Lupine flour is one of the types of flour that suit special dietary requirements – for example intolerances. It is starch-free and also contains no gluten. This means that people with gluten intolerance, gluten sensitivity or wheat allergy can also incorporate lupine flour into their diet.

However, lupins can also cause allergic reactions – the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment warns of this. According to the BfR report, cross-allergic reactions can occur, especially in people who already suffer from a peanut allergy. In principle, people who are sensitive to other legumes such as soy (which is the case, for example, with a histamine intolerance) should initially be careful with lupins and test their tolerance with small amounts.

How to use lupine flour

Although lupine flour is made from sweet lupine varieties, the sweet lupine flour does not have a sweet aroma, but has a noticeable taste of its own. It is therefore usually added to food in small quantities and only used proportionately in baked goods. Nevertheless, there are many uses for lupine flour. This includes:

Protein shakes: Because it is high in protein, you can use lupine flour in a high-protein mixed drink. To do this, mix the flour with a liquid (water, milk or plant-based milk substitutes) and fruit or vegetables. Such a protein shake is particularly suitable after exercise. We recommend a portion of 30 grams of lupine flour for about one liter of liquid.
Baked goods: In baked goods, you can replace up to 20 percent of the total amount of flour with lupine flour. More is not recommended, otherwise the taste or consistency may change. For example, combine spelled flour with lupine flour in vegan pancakes or wheat-free bread.
For binding: Instead of starch flour such as potato flour, you can also use lupine flour to thicken soups and sauces.
Egg Substitute: Mix 1 tablespoon of the flour with 12 ounces of water and let it soak to substitute for an egg in recipes.
Instead of soy: You can also use lupine flour to prepare recipes that use soy flour.
Enrichment: You can enrich your porridge with some lupine flour. This makes the porridge creamy and richer in protein.

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Konjac Flour: Properties of Low-carb Flour

In addition to being an additive in the food industry, konjac flour is also known as a weight-loss agent. We’ll show you what the powder is all about and how it performs in terms of sustainability.

What is konjac flour?

The basis for konjac flour is the so-called konjac root. This is the tuber of devil’s tongue, a plant native to East Asia. To obtain the flour, manufacturers first dry the tuber and then grind it into a fine powder.

In Southeast Asia, konjac flour is a traditional food and is mainly used for gelling and thickening. Because when it comes into contact with a liquid, the powder swells up and can bind large amounts of water.

The active ingredient that produces this effect is also known as glucomannan. The effect is somewhat comparable to that of psyllium husks. Konjac or glucomannan flour is also registered as an additive in Germany under number E425.

Konjac flour to lose weight?

In the fitness industry, konjac flour is now considered an effective weight loss aid. This is mainly because it is very low in calories: 100 grams contain only about 80 kilocalories. Konkjak flour is fat-free and consists of about 87 percent carbohydrates. These are mostly indigestible carbohydrates, i.e. soluble fiber.

Konjac flour is very satiating due to the high fiber content. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) confirms that overweight people can lose weight with the help of glucomannan powder.

According to the EFSA, adults should consume at least one gram of konjac powder three times a day with one or two glasses of water before meals. The saturation effect should lead to the fact that you then eat less. However, effects only occur if the person generally pays attention to a certain calorie deficit.

Note: If you want to lose weight, you should always do so as part of a healthy and balanced diet. Crash diets and uncontrolled fasting are neither healthy nor do they provide a long-term effect. Therefore, when losing weight, pay attention to the signals of your individual body instead of being guided by social body ideals.

Konjac flour: tips on buying and sustainability

You can buy konjac flour in the form of capsules or as a powder. When buying, pay attention to organic quality to avoid pesticides that are harmful to the environment and health. Also read the list of ingredients carefully and make sure that the product does not contain any additives.

You can mix the powder with a liquid of your choice or mix it with yoghurt, muesli and smoothies. In general, always make sure that you take konjac flour with sufficient liquid. Other typical konjac products are low-carb noodles and rice made from the tuber. You can find out more about this in this article: Konjac Noodles: What’s in the Konjac Root?

However, from an ecological perspective, konjac flour and products containing it are questionable. This is mainly due to the poor ecological balance: devil’s tongues only grow in East Asia and therefore have to travel long distances to Germany. So only use konjac in moderation or it is best to use regional alternatives.

Konjac Flour: Sustainable Alternatives

You don’t have to resort to products from other continents for filling low-carb flours. Examples of low-carbohydrate flours from regional foods are:

Flaxseed meal: Flaxseeds also have a high proportion of dietary fiber and therefore a high swelling capacity. In addition to their filling properties, they are also rich in omega-3 fatty acids and can not only help with weight loss, but also with gastrointestinal problems.
Walnut flour: Walnuts can also be grown in Germany without any problems. Like flaxseed flour, walnut flour is rich in unsaturated fatty acids and vegetable protein. However, it swells less. Due to its intense aroma, you can use it particularly well for baking.
Pumpkin seed flour: Pumpkin seed flour is a particularly good source of protein and has a spicy, nutty taste. This flour is ideal for savory dishes.
Sunflower flour: You can also get flour from sunflower seeds grown in Germany. Similar to pumpkin seed flour, it is particularly suitable for savory dough. You can also use it in small amounts for sweet dishes.

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