Is coconut flour low carb and versatile to cook with?
Q: Is coconut flour low carb and versatile to cook with?
Coconut flour contains much less carbohydrate than white flour and whole wheat flour. One tablespoon of coconut flour contains 4 grams of carbohydrate, 2.5 of which come from fiber. By contrast, one tablespoon of white flour contains 6 grams of carbohydrate, less than 1 of which comes from fiber. And whole wheat flour contains 10 grams of carbohydrate, with only 1 coming from fiber.
Coconut flour is versatile to cook with and is especially good for baking. It does tend to soak up more liquid than other types of flour, so you may need to adjust the amount of moist ingredients in your recipes. In addition, cooking with coconut flour may result in a drier, less chewy texture than dishes and baked goods made with whole wheat flour. You may want to start off by replacing half of the flour in your recipe with coconut flour and gradually switch over to using mainly coconut flour and other low-carb flours like almond flour in your recipes.
Originally answered by Liz Quintana, RD, CDE; edited by Franziska Spritzler, RD, CDE
Answered By dLife Expert: Franziska Spritzler, RD, CDE
Certified diabetes educator and registered dietitian living in Southern California.
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