Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
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?
Dennis L Diess
Do you ACV strait or diluted?
Jedha: Nutritionist (MNutr)
Diluted in water is best.
Bj
how do you know how much of 1 flour to substitute for regular flour?
Jedha: Nutritionist (MNutr)
That can be a bit trickier because low carb flours often don’t work in the same way as regular flours. It’s often best to have actual recipes for the things you are wanting to make, that use the flours you want to use. We do have a guide available to our members but it’s not available on the blog right now.
linda hailstock
This information was great for me. I love 🍞 bread all kinds. Now I know what is better for me. Thank you so much.li
Jedha: Nutritionist (MNutr)
Glad you found it helpful Linda
Phyllis hense
I use lots of different blends depending on what I’m making. I have found that I like using a half and half blend of nut flour and regular flour to make cookies and I blend rice flour with other flours to make noodles. I also like mixing flax seed flour in to almost everything cause I like the taste. I eat mostly sourdough bread and I’m working on learning different ways to make my own. Time will tell.
Karen Brooks
I sure would like some recipes for Almond and Coconut cookies
Conrad
Interesting article, but I’m finding all sorts of inconsistencies between all the different sources I’m reading through and comparing.
Even in this article itself, at the beginning to mentioned buckwheat bread has a GI of 67. However, lower in the article where you present to GI of different types of breads, buckwheat bread is presented with a GI of 47.
Just can’t seem to find a good source!
Jedha: Nutritionist (MNutr)
It is surprising that glycemic index can be different for the same foods, this is because it is a general test of a glycemic response. However, our team double checked the buckwheat bread and this appears to be a typo. Although we do proof read, human error does happen! This will be rectified in the article. For you interest, the GI is 67 for buckwheat bread and 47 if the bread is a 50% mixture of buckwheat groats and white wheat flour.
Harshani Cooray
Thank you for the article . It was very useful to me. I just want to know about something about your membership. In this article i saw a link to the lots of bread recipes & its cost 29usd or something around that price. Im not very sure about the price. So if i become a member i can access those recipes too or i have to pay separately for that bread recipes ?
Malorie: Dietitian (MS, RD, CLT)
Hello Harshani,
Our 30 day turnaround cost 29USD. To have access to all our recipes, including the bread recipes, you can become an Annual VIP Member.
Tim
Ok now what to eat ?
Emily - Dietitian (MS, RD)
If you’re looking for general low carb diet guidelines then make sure to check out this article— basically eliminate all pasta, bread, rice, and sweets and eat endless amounts of vegetables, plus protein, healthy fats, and dairy.
If you’re asking about which flours to eat make sure you stick to the nut flours such as coconut or almond flour, or flaxseed is another nice alternative.
Pat
basically low carb Paleo
rob rob
A recipe for the 3-Minute ‘no carb’ Microwave Bun would be appreciated….thanks!
Jedha: Nutritionist (MNutr)
Hi Rob, All our bread recipes are reserved for members at this time.
Michael
Very useful information. Thank You
Emily - Dietitian (MS, RD)
You are welcome! Let us know if you ever have any questions.
Laura
I have been reading lately that it it more important to follow the glycemic load rather than the glycemic index of a food ince the serving sizes of foods tested is often unrealistic. What are your thoughts on this?
Emily - Dietitian (MS, RD)
We feel that the best method is to use total carbs as time and time again it is shown that carbohydrates are the type of nutrient that most impacts blood sugar levels. Both glycemic index and glycemic load are useful tools, and often times mimic total carb, but there are certain foods (ie. snickers bar) that are seemingly misplaced on the chart when looking at glycemic index/load. Read about the other drawbacks of the glycemic index and glycemic load in this article.
Conrad
In the article above, it is mentioned that net carbs, not total carbs, is the more useful variable. I eat a lot of coconut products, from flours, milks and sugars. There is a major difference in the total carb value to the net value for coconut flour, indicated in the article. How should I finally approach this?
Malorie: Dietitian (MS, RD, CLT)
Hi Conrad, check out our article on total vs. net carbs- it gives a great overview of the pros and cons of both methods!
Renee
Carrot may have more fiber, but they also have a lot of sugar. My husband’s dr made him quit eating carrots.
Emily - Dietitian (MS, RD)
Most people do just fine eating carrots. They might have slightly more sugar than some other veggies, however they are still significantly lower in sugar compared to candy, soda, and baked goods. Read more here!
Dora Boalhosa
hi
I don’t see anything on agave flour is it good for diabetics?
Emily - Dietitian (MS, RD)
I am not familiar with agave flour, Dora. I cannot locate nutrition facts for it either– but bottom line is check the total carbs and you want to find something that is around 10 grams per half cup. If it’s anything like agave nectar then I would not recommend it and you can read more about agave nectar over here.
Birinder
Hi, I am type2. What is to substitute whole wheat flour?
I am using diabetic flour. I am also into Jasmine/ sticky rice.
I take one apple/ pear/ oranges & 1 banana everyday in the morning & evening.Is it ok to eat fruits ?
Emily - Dietitian (MS, RD)
Great questions! The best flours to use are nut flours, as indicated in this article. It depends what exactly you are trying to create as to what flour will work best, I often find using a combination of coconut/ almond/ and flax meal creates a good generic flour for many of my recipes.
Rice is a high carb food and we do not encourage you to eat any type of rice. Find some suggestions for rice substitutes in this article.
Fruit can be a high carb food as well, but there are some lower carb varieties you can still consume, particularly berries such as strawberries or blueberries. Give this article a read for a few more suggestions!
Ana
Hello.
My teenage daughter has been put on a (temporary) but ERY restrictive diet for moderately severe acne. She is already vegetarian. It’s low glycemic, low iodine. They allow no dairy, no canned food, no beans!, no brocholli, no spinach, no kale, no tofu or soy, no ” natural flavor”(soy?), no oils other than: real olive oil, avocado oil and coconut oil, no corn, no asparagus, no honey, no sweeteners other than stevia (which she only has a tiny amount of). I have been cooking a lot and buying expensive grain-free chips and pizza crust. She eats mostly the following: almond milk, almond butter, brown rice, wild rice, homemade granola, quinoa, unripe bananas, frozen berries and peaches, apples, avocados, guacamole, bitter greens, green beans, coconut flour, coconut water, herbal tea, egg whites (no yolk), tomatoes (no skin or seeds). She was putting almond butter on brown rice cakes but found out they are high on the GI. Do you know about puffed kamut? I cannot find the GI for it. Any advice or tips are appreciated. Hopefully after a few more weeks she can eat more normally, only eliminating milk and iodinized salt. She takes the following supplements: 2,000 IU of Vit. D, 30 mg Zinc and ALA.
Thank you! – Teen’s Mom
Emily - Dietitian (MS, RD)
Hi Ana, unfortunately I have not heard of kamut before and am unable to offer any knowledge of the grain. Your best bet may be to reach out to your daughters doctor, or whoever prescribed the diet and request additional resources– they may even be able to refer you to a dietitian who specializes in this type of diet. The article we have previously published about GI is very specific to it’s application for diabetes so I don’t imagine much of the information would be applicable to this situation. Good luck!
Kulwant
Hi there, what would you recommend I use to sweeten my tea, coffee and any desserts as I am trying to cut back on refined sugars and don’t like sweetners ! I am 53 years old and not a diabetic but taking precautions 🙂 Thank you
Emily - Dietitian (MS, RD)
Stevia or erythritol are probably your best bet for sweeteners, or something natural like coconut sugar is another option, but you would need to check your tolerance to that. Monk fruit is another good option that has been increasing in popularity as of recent. Give this article a read for some more information about sweeteners.
Nick
What about amaranth flour ? I found it to be very versatile!
Jedha: Nutritionist (MNutr)
Amaranth flour is like most other flours – high in carbs and glycemic index. While the seeds themselves are lower in GI, as soon as they are puffed or turned to flour, their GI raises up to around 70. Overall we don’t encourage it but if your levels are okay, it may work for you.