Going on a diet like the keto diet can be very difficult. For starters, the whole point of the diet is to reduce the amount of carbs you eat until your body enters a state of ketosis. Not only is that really hard on the body, but it is just difficult in general.
The reason is that carbs are in everything. We’re not just saying that either, they are in most of the delicious foods that you eat, and they are even put into other foods as well for manufacturing reasons.
This is particularly problematic when it comes to cakes and other products that are made in a factory.
As such, many people on a keto diet make their own sweet treats, but you need to find another form of flour. With that in mind, people have turned to almond flour. But is almond flour keto? Today we are going to find out.
What Is Almond Flour?
Almond flour is a kind of very fine, powdery flour made by grinding up sweet almonds. The sweet almonds are first blanched in water to remove the outer layer of skin. This only takes about a minute, by which point the skin should start to peel away.
Then, they are taken out of the water and cooled off. If this is being done at home, the almonds are collected in a sealed container or tied off towel and shaken until the skins come off.
If this is in a commercial setting, the almonds are dumped onto a bumpy conveyor belt that shakes them just as vigorously.
The almonds are then ground into a powder using a processor or a mill. Considering the almond flour comes from a nut, it doesn’t have the same consistency as wheat flour, instead being closer to cornmeal – a little bumpy but still quite fine.
Typically, almond flour has been used in dessert cooking, like in the baking of macaroons or macarons, and this is especially true for French baking.
However, it has been used more and more for just general baking in the modern day, especially with so many diets coming around.
This is also helped by the globalization of the world, as the almond nut is quite localized to Iran and the surrounding countries of Iran in terms of its native range.
Since almonds and almond tree growth has spread around the world, this has stopped being a problem.
Is Almond Flour Keto?
Almond flour is absolutely 100% keto, meaning it is perfect for the keto diet you may be on.
One ounce of almonds will contain maybe 6 grams of carbohydrates total – and most of them are dietary fiber – which amounts to less than 2% of the amount you should be consuming if you weren’t doing a keto diet.
It barely has any carbohydrates in it, which means that even if you did run into a shop and eat a whole bag of almonds with reckless abandon horrifying everyone in the vicinity, you probably wouldn’t manage to kick your body out of ketosis, only give yourself a tummy ache.
With this in mind, it is no wonder that almond flour has become the number 1 sought after wheat flour substitute for those on a keto diet. It isn’t even just the keto diet that people use it on.
After all, it contains no grains, it isn’t refined, and it has a high protein and fat content, meaning it ticks the boxes for those on a paleo diet, a gluten-free diet, a diabetic diet, and a vegan or vegetarian diet.
Although almond flour doesn’t contain too many carbs, like with everything in life, you should still eat it in moderation.
If you eat hundreds of grams of almonds, it will certainly kick your body out of ketosis, but a couple of slices of cake made with almond flour is fine.
Health Benefits Of Almond Flour
Although people may quibble about replacing their favorite carb heavy ingredient of wheat flour, due to nostalgia or taste, there are actually a surprising number of health benefits to eating almond flour (and it tastes good).
So, without further ado, here they are:
Cardiovascular
One organ that almonds are great for is the heart as well as the cardiovascular system. This is because almonds don’t contain a lot of saturated fats, but do contain a lot of monounsaturated fats.
These fats help to keep cholesterol in check, which in turn helps to stop heart disease from developing in people.
Blood Sugar Levels
Spiking blood sugar levels is bad for people who have diabetes and those that do not. As such, it is important to avoid foods that are low on the glycemic index, an index that catalogs foods that will spike blood sugar levels.
Almonds and almond flour are very low on the glycemic index and have few sugars or carbohydrates within its nutritional makeup. This means that using it instead of wheat flour can help control your blood sugar levels better.
Digestive System
Most of the carbs that almonds do have is in fact dietary fiber. The prebiotic fiber in almonds is a kind of fiber that is digested by the healthy bacteria in your gut’s biome.
Keeping these bacteria healthy will keep your gut healthy and make your digestive system more efficient.
Cognitive
Your brain needs nutrition as much as the rest of your body, in fact it probably needs it more. One vitamin that almonds and almond flour are full of is vitamin E, which is an antioxidant that aids your brain.
Eating this vitamin helps to keep your brain healthy and decreases the risk of developing other cognitive disorders, like Alzheimer’s.
Conclusion
Almond flour is keto and one of the best foods that you can use to replace regular flour in all your baking.
It not only contains no carbs, but it is much healthier for you than standard flour, containing more vitamins, proteins, and being better for your body in general. As such, we would recommend you try out almond flour today.
One of the most common things I talk to my clients about is calories, but so few of them actually know anything about them.
Calories is not a dirty word. If you remove emotion from it, it is simply a unit of energy.
We need calories to live and thrive, and knowing how many to consume is important to ensure that you’re living a healthy lifestyle.
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