Healthy vs. Unhealthy Flours

August 20, 2008

A resource that has helped me be more knowledgeable about gluten-free whole

grains is this post by Wardeh:

http://gnowfglins.com/2008/04/01/a-grain-primer/

I think most of us are seeking a good sense of balance. It is easy, when

you're new to this gluten-free life, to simply be desperate for good-tasting

baked products, and not to realize that you have to be aware that you're

getting plenty of good whole grains just like you do with wheat flour (white

flour vs. whole wheat). It's not necessarily intuitive for all of us which

of these gluten-free flours are better. A reminder or statement about that

topic isn't a bad thing, but neither is a suggestion of a flour source that

doesn't happen to follow the best dietary guidelines but that gets good

results in baking.

I'm still learning about all of this a year into the process, so if the

poster of a recipe or if someone with access to the knowledge wants to let

us know how grains used in a particular, posted recipe stack up, I'm all for

that---with the caveat that it's also okay if sometimes the grains involved

are for a treat and aren't nutritional powerhouses. I don't want anyone to

feel like he or she shouldn't post a recipe because it's not super-healthy,

because nearly all of us want an unhealthy treat now and again.

One basic thing I've understood so far is that any grain that just has

'starch' in the title or could have 'starch' in the title (potato starch,

tapioca starch, corn starch) tends to be fairly nutritionally void, so that

if one is using such an item in a baked good, it is best to balance it out

with the addition of whole grains like millet, teff, and buckwheat. Is that

correct? Or are there times that millet flour, buckwheat flour, teff flour,

etc., are not as healthy? Are there other basic, easy-to-remember guidelines

that you utilize for gluten-free grains that have been milled into flour? Is

it true, as it would seem from the names, that brown rice flour is more of a

whole-grain flour than white rice flour is?

I think most of us know that whole grain products like quinoa and millet are

healthy, as are most actual whole-foods products, but it's when things are

turned into flours that it's a bit more confusing to me.

Sally

http://aprovechar.danandsally.com

--

" The original pact, the real deal, is with [yourself]: Be honest, dig deep,

or don't bother. "

--Abigail Thomas

August 20, 2008

On Wed, Aug 20, 2008 at 2:28 PM, Sally Parrott Ashbrook

<sally.parrott wrote:

> One basic thing I've understood so far is that any grain that just has

> 'starch' in the title or could have 'starch' in the title (potato starch,

> tapioca starch, corn starch) tends to be fairly nutritionally void,

Yes, they are added for texture, not nutrition. To keep the final

product " light " instead of a brick.

> Is

> it true, as it would seem from the names, that brown rice flour is more of a

> whole-grain flour than white rice flour is?

Yes, brown rice flour comes from the whole grain rather than the

refined grain like white rice flour. Like the difference between

whole wheat flour and white flour.

> I think most of us know that whole grain products like quinoa and millet are

> healthy, as are most actual whole-foods products, but it's when things are

> turned into flours that it's a bit more confusing to me.

I mill my flour at home as much as I can, so I know that the whole

grain is in there and it hasn't had a chance to lose its nutritional

value yet. I can't vouch for the milling processes used in any of the

store-bought flours. I have tended to assume that most of the gluten

free flours (not starches) are " whole " grain, but I guess that might

be a dangerous assumption.

Pam

August 20, 2008

Sally wrote:

>I don't want anyone to feel like he or she shouldn't post a recipe because it's

not super-healthy,

>because nearly all of us want an unhealthy treat now and again.

I agree Sally. This has mostly been a very pleasant list, with everyone being

respectful of eachother's right and freedom to make our own choices from many

options. I like that. It's been a place that mostly actually lives the adage

" There's a place for all God's Children in the choir " .

Regarding your question of what's healthy: you're right about whole grains

generally having more nutrition than refined ones. Products labelled as

" starch " are simply that fraction of the original whole. What is actually

" healthier " though, remains a personal matter. Allergies are very individual,

and although whole quinoa or millet is packed with nutrition, when someone

reacts negatively to it, it's not healthy for that person.

The white vs brown rice remains an interesting debate.

http://www.rebeccablood.net/domestic/rice.html Brown rice has more of it's

original layers than white, so more of it's original nutrients. ENRICHED white

rice has been sprayed with supplements. Unless the flour mixture says the white

rice is " enriched " , it probably isn't.

Even so, we eat both white and brown rice in our house. We're into healthy vegan

gluten free eating for the long-haul; this is not just a temporary " diet " to us,

in which we might be very exclusive. In practicality, we find that white rice

is simply our choice at times; or sometimes, it happens to be all that is

available.

Deborah