Muscle & Fitness Australia - Issue 352 - June 2017

42 MUSCLE & FITNESS JUNE 2017

EAT FOOD ID

CLIVE WATKINS/SHUTTERSTOCK; ERMAK OKSANA/SHUTTERSTOCK

Flour

power

Sub in these five healthy alternatives for sugar-spiking plain

flour for a bigger nutritional punch.BY MEAGAN DRILLINGER

5

COCONUT

FLOUR

BEST FOR:this

grainless flour has

the lowest score on

the glycaemic index

—ascaleof0to100

that measures how

drastically food spikes

your blood sugar —

with a score of

45.(Below55is

considered low.)

Coconut flour is also

gluten-free. You should

useittoreplaceup

to 20% of the flour

calledforinarecipe.

1

WHOLEMEAL

FLOUR

BEST FOR: while

wholemeal flour still

spikes your blood

sugar, it’s a good sub

for plain white flour.

It’s richer in essential

nutrients like iron,

which helps make red

blood cells, and fibre,

which will leave you

feeling full (and help

you do your business).

And with 16 grams of

protein per cup, it’s

a great addition to

protein pancakes.

BUYER BEWARE:

Toby Amidor, nutrition

expert and author

of The Greek Yogurt

Kitchen, warns that

baking or cooking with

only wholemeal flour

will make a dish

dense and tasteless,

so combine it with

plain white flour.

BUYER BEWARE:

forathleteswho

arecounting carbs,

chickpea flour

contains 53

grams per cup.

BUYER BEWARE:

like chickpea flour, this

isanother carb-heavy

choice. According

to Amidor, one cup

ofbrownriceflour

contains 574 calories,

121 grams of carbs

andonly11grams

of protein.

BUYER BEWARE:

the American Nutrition

Association says raw

soybeans contain

several antinutrients

that can damage

yourabilitytoabsorb

protein, which

processing helps

reduce but doesn’t

eliminate.

BUYER BEWARE:

you’ll want to sub

in coconut flour for

grain-based flours in a

1-to-1 ratio, as it’s dry

and needs to be used

with plenty of eggs

or puréed fruits for

moisture. If using it for

frying or sautéing, also

employ a 1-to-1 ratio.

2

CHICKPEA

FLOUR

BEST FOR: boasting

21 grams of protein

per cup, 25% of the

daily recommended

dose of iron and a

whole lot of calcium,

this flour is a muscle

and bone builder.

For best results,

replace up to half

the amount of plain

flour in a recipe

with chickpea flour,

but mix it with other

flours like rice flour

and bean flour.

3

BROWN RICE

FLOUR

BEST FOR:brown rice

flour provides 50% of

the daily recommended

amounts of key

vitamins and minerals

like B-complex

vitamins, which

convert food into fuel,

and three times the

daily recommended

amount of manganese,

which helps the body

form connective tissue

and bones. It’s best

used as batter and to

thicken sauces.

4

SOY FLOUR

BEST FOR:

relax, soy won’t give

you moobs. Which is

good news, as soy flour

is a great alternative

for cooking and can be

used to replace up to

30% of plain flour. It’s

packed with 29 grams

of protein per cup and

is also a rich source

of calcium, B-complex

vitamins and vitamin

K, which is essential

for bone strength

and heart disease

prevention.