I know processed / bleached white flour is pretty much just terrible for your body on a consistent basis as it causes an insulin spike, but is the same true of unbleached wheat flour?
The reason I’m asking is that I have been buying Amy’s organic Margherita or cheese pizzas as the occasional treat lately and although I am not concerned about the insulin response since it’s relatively infrequent, I’m still wondering if it would be more beneficial to look for something with an almond / flax etc base. I was just curious if it’s considered healthier or more comparable to something like almond flour compared to white flour.
Thanks!
Almond flour is mostly fat and protein with minimal carbs, so the glycemic index is much lower than wheat flour. People who eat low carb can eat almond flour crusts instead of wheat crusts. I eat low glycemic to keep my hormones functioning well (I used to have polycystic ovary syndrome symptoms and irregular menstrual cycles) and I will absolutely make or look for almond flour crusts instead of wheat. A lot of gluten free crusts (eg. rice flour, potato starch, corn flour) are still high glycemic so nut or veggie (eg. cauliflower) crusts are going to be the best option if you want a crust that doesn’t spike insulin so much. Flax is good too, it has a lot of fiber which lowers the glycemic index. Plus omega 3s!
The difference in glycemic response between whole wheat flour and refined/bleached wheat flour is minimal. It’s a little less because there is simply less carbohydrate per gram of whole wheat flour because the bran and germ make up about 15% of the total mass of whole wheat flour. In other words, the glycemic load of whole wheat is a bit less because a serving has less carbohydrate in it.
The glycemic index / glycemic load of almond flour is pretty close to zero.
glycemic response should consider the whole meal… so if you made a sandwich with meat , avocado , greens and veggies that would lower the response dramatically.. if you just ate white rice and bread then yes you would have a high response to it.
Eatting protien and fiber lowers the response of anything. That is why complex carbs have a lower response because of the amount of Fibre in them.