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When it comes to flours, making the right choice is very important to blood sugar control.
So we’ve gathered some great info here for you to use in your diabetes friendly kitchen and menu preparations.
Are Grains & Flour Really Good For Fiber?
We’ve often been told that eating whole grains is a great source of fiber. And while ‘whole grains’ do provide some fiber they are not the only thing that provide us with our daily fiber needs, vegetables do too.
For example: 1 slice of wholewheat bread has 1.9 grams of fiber, while a carrot has 2.3 grams. All grains and vegetables do range in fiber content, but vegetables are a great source of daily fiber and are also higher in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants than grains.
So we don’t have to eat grains in order to get adequate fiber.
Changing A Grain Into A Flour Changes The Way It Affects Blood Sugar
Often when we take a grain and make it into flour, it changes the carb and fiber content. So what tends to happen for you as a diabetic is that most types of flours will make your blood sugar spike like wild fire. At least that’s what most people experience, which is why our meal plans contain virtually no grain flours at all.
An example of this is buckwheat. Eaten whole it has a glycemic index (GI) of around 49, which is a low GI. But take it and turn it into bread and it changes to a GI of 67, meaning it affects your blood sugar more rapidly and more intensely than eating the whole grain itself.
Here is another example using wheat. Whole wheat kernals are a very low GI of 30, but we don’t tend to eat whole wheat kernals, we eat whole wheat flour and it has an average GI of around 74.
Whole Grain Flours Are A Better Option
It’s true that whole grains are better as far as nutrition goes.
The Minnesota Department of Health explains, the whole grain kernels are made up of 3 parts:
- Bran – Outer layer of the grain that contains fiber, antioxidants, B vitamins, phytochemicals, and 50-80% of minerals in grains like iron, copper, zinc, magnesium
- Endosperm – middle largest layer containing mostly carbohydrates, protein, and small amounts of some B vitamins and minerals
- Germ – inner component containing healthy fats, B vitamins, phytochemicals, and antioxidants like vitamin E
When you eat refined grains (the white stuff) you are only getting the endosperm, so basically all of the nutrition has been stripped from the grain, which isn’t really ideal. So if you are going to choose any type of grain, choose only whole grains.
Using These Flours Is Even Better
BUT, as suggested above, even whole grains can be problematic for people with diabetes. So we only use almond flour or almond meal, coconut flour, ground flaxseed meal, sesame flour, and other nut flours in the majority of our low carb breads and bakes.
On the odd occasion, we use a small amount of ‘normal’ flour (1-2 tablespoons) such as arrowroot or corn flour, just to thicken sauces, which can be difficult to do with low carb flours.
Take this delicious burger as an example, the bun is our 3-Minute ‘no carb’ Microwave Bun. It tastes just like bread but has zero carbs, that’s right…zero!
Let’s now compare a normal flour based burger with one of our low carb burgers, made from our 3-minute microwave bun.
Your Choice Of Flour Can Cut Carbs In An Instant
Here we have a classic burger (something we all love), up against our low carb classic burger #2 (amazingly delicious). It’s made with our zero carb 3-minute microwave bun.
Flours By Total Carb Content
Now let’s dig into some of the nutrition facts. Remember to pin and share this with others too because it’s really helpful info. 🙂
Flours List By Net Carb Content
Using net carbs is another useful way to determine the healthiness of foods, because when you subtract the fiber content from the total carbs (Total carbs minus fiber = net carbs), you’re left with the ‘available’ carbs – the amount of carbs that will end up in your bloodstream and ultimately influence your blood sugar levels.
Here’s a handy chart of flours in order of net carb content:
Flours By Glycemic Index
“The glycemic index (GI) is a ranking of carbohydrates on a scale from 0 to 100 according to the extent to which they raise blood sugar levels after eating.” Source
High GI foods rapidly effect blood sugar, while low GI foods have a slow digestion and absorption and produce a more gradual rise in blood sugar. Below 55 is considered low GI. So the lower it is the better and the higher it is the faster it affects blood sugar and the worse it is for you as a diabetic.
It’s difficult to find all the flours isolated for their glycemic index so this list breaks down into sections for breads (since we commonly eat flour like this), flours, and other.
BREADS
- Pumpernickel bread 41-46
- 50% oat bran bread 44
- Sourdough rye bread 48
- 80% barley bread made via sourdough 53-66
- Sourdough wheat bread 54
- Sprouted grain bread 55
- Chickpea flour bread 55-67
- Pita bread wholemeal 56-69
- Pita bread white 57-67
- Rye bread 57-78
- Rice bread 62-72
- Wholemeal spelt bread 63
- Semolina bread 64
- 80% oat kernel and white flour bread 65
- White spelt bread 65-74
- Buckwheat bread 67
- 80% barley bread 67-70
- Wheat whole grain 68-69
- Wheat white bread 71
- Wonder white bread 71-77
- Gluten free white bread 71-80
- 100% wheat white bread 85
- Millet bread 104
FLOURS
- Buckwheat flour 35
- Semolina 59
- Arrowroot 67
- Cornmeal 69
- White flour 71
- Whole wheat flour 74
OTHER
- Almonds 0
- Whole wheat kernals 30
- Carrot cake with coconut flour 36-39
- Coconut flour pancakes 49-51
- Flaxseeds have not been tested because they do not contain carbohydrates
A few interesting things to take note of are:
1. When you take a grain and make it into a flour, it completely changes it’s GI
For example: Whole wheat kernals are 30 (low GI) and whole wheat flour is 71 (high GI). This was already mentioned above, but it is a significant jump wouldn’t you agree?
2. Eating sourdough bread significantly reduces the GI
For example: Rye bread is 57-68 (medium-high GI) but sourdough rye is 48 (low GI)
This is very interesting because making sourdough produces beneficial gut bacteria that help with digestion, and this clearly has a strong impact on how it then influences the blood sugar response.
3. You will notice that most flours are high GI
In our list of breads above, you will notice that chickpea bread is highlighted as the cut off point because all breads below that are high (and higher) in GI, meaning they are not good options for you as a person with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes.
4. The flours we use have a low carb and low GI
We use both low carb and low GI flours in our breads, cakes, crackers, and bakes, so that you get the best results all round. 🙂
We’d encourage that you use those too, but at least now, with all this information you can make a more informed choice about what flours you will use.
So that’s the run down on the best flour to eat as a diabetic. Did you learn some interesting stuff? What flours do you use?
Teresa
I too am confused about coconut flour. The flour cheat sheet indicates total carbs 68 net carbs 24. Then, the chart “flours listed by net carbs…” total carbs 42 and net carbs 16! Both measured based on half cup. So which is accurate and is coconut flavor bad if you are worried about cholesterol? Really interested in clearing the confusion. Thanks
Emily - Dietitian (MS, RD)
Sorry for the confusion! Rest assured that coconut flour is a perfect substitution for regular flour. It contains around 36 grams of carbs and 16 grams of net carbs per half cup.
You do not need to worry about coconut flavor/ coconut flour/ coconut oil because of cholesterol. Check out this article for the truth about cholesterol levels.
rida
Can I use sucral sweetner in tea? I”ll be thankful If you give me your whatsapp account number please.
Emily - Dietitian (MS, RD)
Hi Rida, It looks like sucral is a artificial sweetener. While these are often marketed at “safe” for diabetics, there is definitely some valid concern that artificial sweeteners might not be the best choice with regards to other aspects of your health. Here is a list of better sweetener choices, and a little bit more about artificial sweeteners.
Debbie
Hello Emily,
Have you ever heard of Natures Earthly Choice, Great Day Nut Flour Blend?
The nut blend contains: almonds, coconut, Pecan and walnuts.
What are your thoughts on this flour? I just saw it for the first time last week at the store.
Emily - Dietitian (MS, RD)
I haven’t heard of it, but if it soley contains NUT flours (no wheat flour, no corn flour, no gluten free flour) then it seems like it would be a fine choice. Take a look at the carb info, I would suspect it should be around ~10 grams of carbohydrates per 1/4c serving.
Preeti
I’m not a diabetic but kind of healthy eating person maintaining my weight. So i wanted to know about the yellow corn sprouted flour and sprouted bread. Are these good choices for low carb and weight management?
Emily - Dietitian (MS, RD)
Both yellow corn and sprouted bread (such as Ezekiel bread) are still very high in carbs. If you aren’t concerned about your blood sugar level, then sprouted bread is probably a better choice than most other commercial breads. But, with that being said you would not want to consume in large portions and may be better off picking something from this list.
preethi m
Thank you so much, that was very helpful. So regarding flours, can i go with buckwheat flour instead of nut flours? which one do u suggest?
Emily - Dietitian (MS, RD)
While buckwheat flour is lower in GI (glycemic index) compared to most flours, recognize that it still contains 43g carbs per 1/2 cup. This is as much as regular flour! We find that our members get the best blood sugar results by counting total carbs, not glycemic index.
You can read more about GI over here, but to answer your question your best bet is to pick a nut flour such as almond, coconut or flaxmeal.
Catherine
Hi, I’d like to know if I made waffle/pancakes by using buckwheat flour, will that be fine for type 2 diabetic? Thanks.
Emily - Dietitian (MS, RD)
We do not recommend using buckwheat flour; better options are nut flours such as almond or coconut and flax meal. Buckwheat flour contains 42 grams of carbohydrates per half cup- that’s 3x the amount of carbs found in almond flour. (Remember, carbohydrates are the nutrient that most impact blood sugar!!)
With a little trail and error you should be able to make waffles/pancakes with a combination of those nut flours. You can use an egg to bind the flour together and consider adding a pinch of stevia for sweetness. Let us know if you come up with a yummy recipe!
Tayo
can you please tell me the GL of unripe plaintain flour. thanks
Emily - Dietitian (MS, RD)
Tayo, I am not familiar with unripe plantain flour. The glycemic index of unripened plantains is around 40, but processing and cooking can greatly effect that value. Your best bet is to use nut flour such as coconut or almond flour, or flax meal.
Kamer Shoaib
What about spelt flour and sorghum, im unsure if thats a low gi
I want to be able to make chappatis out of them
Jedha: Nutritionist (MNutr)
We encourage people to avoid all grains as even though some of them may be slightly lower GI, they are still high in overall carbs. In any case, both spelt and sorghum flours are high GI at around 65-70.
Chilanga
Hello. Is amaranth flour recommended for diabetes/pre-diabetes?
Jedha: Nutritionist (MNutr)
We don’t recommend it Chilanga because it is a high carb food. 1/4 cup is around 20 grams of carbs.
Carol
Hi someone gave me a supposedly healthy recipe for banana nut muffins using the bananas to sweeten the muffins. Being diabetic 2 they said spelt flour is good for diabetics. Is this true?
Thank you
Carol
Emily - Dietitian (MS, RD)
Carol, in general we don’t encourage bananas or spelt flour because of the high carbohydrate content.
How about giving this Low Carb Carrot & Cinnamon Bread Recipe a try?
Susan O'neil
Emily I have type 2 diabetes and I Most of the time my blood sugar goes up but I find out that most of the food I was eating before raise my blood sugar so I stop eat those food but I need some advise from you because are dietician can someone with type 2 diabetes can drink organic protien powder smoothies sometime in the I don’the feel to eat. Thank you.
Your truly miss Susan.
Emily - Dietitian (MS, RD)
Susan, yes, there are many acceptable protein powders that can be included in a healthy, diabetic diet. Look for one that has minimal ingredients (under 10 if possible) and no artificial sweetener- here is the link to article we have previously written on selecting a protein powder.
K B Singh
I m a diabetic and doctor has put me on insulin. I take 40 units of insulin per day. My sugar level fluctuate though I have same food every day. I go for 5 KM walk daily. Could you please tell me what should I do to control my sugar level while providing me the food chart
Emily - Dietitian (MS, RD)
Everyone’s sugar levels are going to fluctuate throughout the day. The key is controlling the fluctuations so that they remain within an acceptable range. Have you considered trying a low carbohydrate diet?
Based on research we have reviewed at DMP, we believe this is one of the more effective ways to gain control over blood sugar levels. Carbohydrates are the nutrient that most impact blood sugar/A1c, so naturally if you eat a lot of foods high in carbohydrates it can become very difficult to gain control over your levels. Because you are on insulin, let your doctor know you are going to change your diet so that they can better monitor changes in your sugar levels. Here is a food list to get you started.
Shahida
Hi, I know red lentils have a low GI of 21 but what about when red lentils are turned into flour? Please help me as I have serious issues of sugar cravings and I’ve recently made chapattis with organic oats ground to flour, and quinoa ground to flour.
Jedha: Nutritionist (MNutr)
Red lentil flour will still have a low glycemic index, but really the major issue with all the flours you’re using is their carb content. If you’re struggling to lower blood sugar or A1c levels, cut out all those flours and stick to almond, coconut, flax, sesame – the types of flours that will not spike sugars. You can also make delicious low carb breads.
Shahida
Does quinoa flour have high carbs?
Emily - Dietitian (MS, RD)
Quinoa flour is also going to be high in carbs- about 20 carbs per 1/4 cup. You can read more about quinoa and diabetes in this article. Without a doubt your best bet is to stick with almond, coconut, flax, and sesame flours.
Rhonda Wain
According to the Diabetic meal plan at the beginning of this article coconut flour has the highest GI rating but you suggest using it
I too are trying to lower my carb intake to control my diabetes but find information confusing
Emily - Dietitian (MS, RD)
Hi Rhonda, I think there may be some confusion regarding the chart you are looking at.
Remember, GI measures how much of an impact a certain food will have on your blood sugar. In general, foods higher in fat and/or fiber will have a lower GI value- meaning they are better for your blood sugar. We’ve written a whole article about GI which might help clarify some things for you as well.
Take a look at the article again: The chart itself lists calories, net carb, total carb, fiber, protein & fat for each flour. The big thing I notice from looking that this information is that coconut flour is high in VERY fiber, which reduces overall net carbs. Further down on the page, it states that bread coconut flour pancakes have a GI between 49-51 = low GI food. Therefore, coconut flour is one of the flours we recommend using.
Michael Hennessey
Hi Jedha,
I have been following your site for a year now. I say follow because the last 4 months I have not been eating or exercising right. I am prediabetic and in the first 3 months went from 6.2 A1C to 5.6 just by changing diet and adding a (vinegar, lemon juice) drink.
I kind of stopped when doctors and dieticians got in a tiff. I also had some medical problems that stopped me in my tracks.
I use all of the flours above plus Hemp flour, mostly for a pancake a week. My problem is I really dislike vegetables. I will get on them for a few months and then start craving something better and pretty soon it is bad again. I went from 250 pounds a year ago to 238 pounds then back up to 252 pounds. Trying to get back on a regime now, but feel like who cares I am 68 and had a good life.
Emily - Dietitian (MS, RD)
Remember, there are SO many different vegetables out there and SO many different ways to prepare them. That link above has a yummy casserole recipe that might be something new for you to try. Another tip that I use when I start to get tire of vegetables is to make a trip to a farmers market or vegetable stand. I find this gives me some new found inspiration for healthy food.
Many people often find themselves feeling a bit overwhelmed at times during this journey, try giving this article a read for some tips.
Michael J Hennessey
Thank You for your help.
Deepa
Hi! I was reading your dialog, may I know Michael how did you reduce your A1c from 6.2-5.6 in 3 months. And what is this vinegar lemon drink you mentioned. I was at 6.8 but now stuck on 6.2 for months. I want to reduce it to 5.6 like yours. If you can help me with your changes you made. Pls do respond, thank you Michael waiting your response.
Jedha: Nutritionist (MNutr)
Hi Deepa, Michael changed his diet and followed the guidelines we share here at DMP. You can read many more testimonials to see that what we share works to lower blood sugar and A1c. The lemon drink he mentions is over here. There’s always things you can change to get better results Deepa! You can explore our website for info, or perhaps you could consider joining as a member where you’ll have access to many more exclusive resources.
A. Smith
I have a grain mill with which I grind wheat and oat groats to make bread. Does it make a difference in the numbers when I make these flours myself? I am not low carb or diabetic, but have friends who are.
Thanks!
Emily - Dietitian (MS, RD)
Unfortunately it does not effect the nutritional value, meaning wheat and oat flours probably aren’t the best option if you’re looking to make a lower carb meal or treat for your friends.
Rida
How about chickpea flour or gram flour? Is it good? I am gestational diabetes patient.
Emily - Dietitian (MS, RD)
Your best bet is nut flour (almond, coconut) or flax meal. Chickpea flour, while lower than refined flour, still contains over 25g of carbohydrate per half cup. And graham flour is over 40g of carb per half cup. Stick with nut flours for best blood sugar control.
Melanie
Hi! I am wondering if you could recommend which low GI flours are good to use for what purposes. For example: I wanted to make dough dumplings to go with a vegetarian stew but did not know which flour would be ok to use so I used white : (
Which flours are good for baking muffins or banana bread? Which ones for pancakes? Also is Bobs Red Mill baking flour low GI? I know it’s gluten free but I don’t know about GI.
Thanks for this great info! I’m type 1 diabetic but trying to cut back carbs and get blood sugar under control and my mom just beat cancer so she’s eating no sugar…low GI flour is best for both of us.
Emily - Dietitian (MS, RD)
Melanie- here is a great resource when looking for GI content of specific foods. The two main flours included in the product you describe are garbanzo bean flour and potato starch; while garbanzo bean (chickpea) flour might be right around that cutoff point of low GI, potato starch is definitely a high GI flour. There are far better choices out there we encourage almond flour, almond meal, coconut flour, ground flaxseed meal, sesame flour, and other nut flours.
White flour is not going to be a good choice either. As far as your dumplings, I am not sure which would be best as that is not a recipe I’ve tried to replicate. Although, I often find using some of these flours in combination helps create the best end product. Let us know if you create a good recipe!
Jedha: Nutritionist (MNutr)
We use almond flour for dumplings, almond flour, coconut flour or flaxseed meal for muffins and breads. Coconut flour works well for pancakes. However, these flours do not perform like other flours so to avoid wasting ingredients, so it’s best to work from recipes at first. We have many in our members site if you would like to consider joining us.
Adriana
Can you please tell me the GI value of whole quinoa flour?
Are there any scholarly sites which give the GI so I can reference it?
Regards,
Adriana.
Jedha
Quinoa is about 35 Adriana. This is a great GI resource we use. We have some info on quinoa here too.