Flour is a powdery substance that is obtained by grinding and processing uncooked grains, roots, beans, nuts, or seeds.
Flour contains a wide range of vital vitamins and minerals, including iron, calcium, and fiber.
Almost all of us consume flour in some form or the other in our daily diet and it is the foundation of most baked products, such as bread, cakes, and biscuits, and it is also a key component that is used to prepare batter for frying meat, seafood, or vegetables.
While there are many different varieties of flour, all-purpose flour is the most widely utilized. Generally, people associate flour with wheat flour.
In reality, flour may be made from a number of cereal grains, nuts, and seeds. Barley, buckwheat, chickpea, corn, Kamut, nuts, oats, potato, quinoa, rice, rye, soy, spelt, tapioca, wheat, and, vegetables are just some of the flours available. Let us read more about the nutritional facts of flour!
If you enjoyed reading this article on flour nutrition facts, do not forget to check out our articles on hummus nutrition facts and corn nutrition facts as well!
Fun Facts About Flour
The English term 'flour' is a version of the word 'flower', and both words are derived from the Old French term 'fleur' or 'flour', which meant 'blossom'. As flour was created by removing coarse and undesired materials from grain during milling, the expression 'fleur de farine' signified 'the finest component of the meal'.
National flour month is celebrated every year in the month of March.
Wheat grains were crushed between primitive millstones to produce flour as early as 6000 BC. It is the most widely consumed cereal grain.
Back in ancient times, the Romans obtained flour by crushing seeds in cone mills, which are made up of two stones, one convex on top and one concave on the base. An animal twisted the upper portion while the bottom remained still.
One full grain of wheat yields around 20,000 flour particles.
One kilo of flour can contain up to 1 billion particles, which equates to around 15,000 crushed grains.
All-purpose flour is produced by combining hard wheat with soft wheat, resulting in a product with the ideal protein-to-starch ratio. It contains 0.007 oz (0.2g ) of saturated fat. It must be noted that all-purpose flour has a calorie count of 364 per 100g.
Pasta is made using semolina flour. It's manufactured with durum wheat, which is the toughest variety of wheat available.
Nutritional Facts About Flour
It is always wise to know the daily values or DV of whatever you eat in a day. It gives you an idea of how much a nutrient contributes to your daily diet. Here are some engaging facts about the different kinds of flour available in the market and their nutritional value.
Cake flour is rich in starch and low in protein, allowing cakes to set faster, rise better, disperse fat more uniformly, and be less prone to collapsing.
Coconut flour is a gluten-free and grain-free flour manufactured by crushing dried coconut flesh into a smooth, fine powder. It has more calories than standard grain-based flours and is high in protein, fat, fiber, and minerals such as iron and potassium. Coconut flour contains antioxidants and appears to have antibacterial components.
Quinoa flour is created by milling quinoa. It's high in protein, fiber, iron, and unsaturated fats. It also has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which may help digestive health, decrease tumor development, and reduce overall illness risk.
Whole grain wheat flour is prepared by crushing whole wheat kernels into a powder. It contains nutrients like protein, fiber, and a range of vitamins and minerals.
Whole wheat flour is also unprocessed and contains all three parts of the wheat kernel: endosperm, bran, and germ. It is highly dense because of the increased protein content when compared to all-purpose flour. It has approximately 0.45 oz (13 g) of protein per 3.5 oz (100 g) of flour.
Corn flour is a good source of manganese, magnesium, zinc, copper, phosphorus, potassium, B vitamins, and antioxidants. Manganese is also found in fruits and vegetables in abundance.
Blanched almonds are used to make almond flour. Carbohydrates are limited, while protein is abundant.
1/4 cup contains 0.02 oz (6 g) protein, 0.12 oz (3.5 g) fiber, 0.03 dr (60 mg) calcium, 10 IU vitamin E, and 0.49 oz (14 g) fat, virtually all of which is unsaturated. Almond flour has proved to lower the risk of heart ailments by helping one reduce the levels of cholesterol.
It has a calorie count of 180 per 100g.
Different Types Of Flour
The most common flours are made from wheat. Refined wheat flours must be supplemented with folic acid and enhanced with thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and iron. Whole-wheat flours are typically high in vitamin B and vitamin C, as well as selenium, potassium, and magnesium. They are high in dietary fiber; nevertheless, whole-wheat flours might not be fortified with folic acid.
Let's take a look at the kinds of wheat flour available:
All-purpose flour is a refined combination of high-gluten hard wheat and low-gluten soft wheat, with calcium and vitamin A, and vitamin D added in abundance.
Semolina flour is hard durum wheat flour that has been coarsely milled and refined. It contains 0.007 oz (0.2 g)of saturated fat per 100g and has other nutrients such as vitamin C and calcium that contribute to health benefits.
It is used in the preparation of pasta, couscous, gnocchi, and puddings. It contains a lot of gluten and carbohydrate and can be ideal for a healthy diet.
Whole wheat flour is manufactured from hulled red whole grains. Adding this to your food contributes to high levels of dietary fiber and other nutrients in your diet. It can be used as a substitute for all-purpose flour.
Oatmeal flour is ground from oat groats. In a number of recipes, it is used to substitute some of the flour. It adds a rich, nutty taste as well as a denser texture. It is rich in manganese, molybdenum, phosphorus, copper, biotin, vitamin B1, magnesium, chromium, and fiber.
Amaranth flour is another kind of flour that has become a staple in many peoples' diets. As part of a balanced diet, the nutrients in amaranth can provide considerable health advantages.
It contains vitamin C, which is essential to the body's healing process since it aids in the processing of iron, the formation of blood vessels, the repair of muscle tissue, and the maintenance of collagen.
Harmful Facts About Flour
When refined flour is ingested, the high carbohydrate content and lack of fiber owing to the removal of the bran and germ causes a quick rise in blood sugar. It also has many other health risks.
Refined flour can induce substantial blood sugar fluctuations, which can raise the chances of chronic illnesses such as type two diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
Refined flour significantly acts as a catalyst to obesity. It promotes fat accumulation in the body and inhibits fat oxidation.
A high refined carbohydrate-based diet is linked to a moderate increase in the risk of breast, colon, and endometrial cancer, even though there is no medical evidence to prove this.
Excessive insulin secretion is triggered by refined carbohydrates; high insulin promotes sebum production in skin follicles, resulting in follicular blockage and the formation of inflammatory skin lesions, also known as pimples.
The term 'gluten' refers to the protein present in wheat, rye, and barley. Gluten causes visible damage to the small intestine that impairs the ability of this organ to absorb nutrients.
Flour when consumed in fried form contributes to an increase in fat and refined carbohydrate. It also contributes to high levels of cholesterol. For a healthier lifestyle, the use of whole wheat flour instead of refined flour is recommended.
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