One of the biggest problems with so many baked goods is that they are made with highly processed white flour. So, is white whole wheat flour any better?
What is White Whole Wheat Flour?
White whole wheat flour is more nutritious as whole wheat flour because it contains the nutrient-rich germ and the fiber-rich bran. White whole wheat flour also bakes better and tastes more like all-purpose flour. Regular whole wheat flour is made from red wheat. Whereas, white whole wheat flour is made from a naturally occurring albino variety of wheat, which is lighter in color and has a sweeter, milder flavor.
Does White Whole Wheat Flour Bake the Same?
Best of all, white whole wheat flour offers the same nutritional goodness of its darker cousin. And, because white whole wheat flour is less heavy than traditional wheat flours, it can replace all-purpose white flour one to one in recipes.
What is a White Whole Wheat Flour Substitute?
A great white whole wheat flour substitute is King Arthur’s 1-for-1 gluten free flour. It’s a whole grain blend that works perfectly for those of us that avoid gluten. The best part is that it also reduces the inflammatory responses.
Is All Purpose Flour Healthy?
No, all purpose flour is not healthy. The vast majority of flour and flour-based products sold in the United States is made from wheat. All purpose flour takes the nutrient-rich wheat germ and the fiber-rich wheat bran and removes them during processing. Which means that white flour is not only nutrient-poor but has fiber-free starch.
No nutrients equals empty calories.
Along with sugar, white flour is the ultimate empty-calorie carb. Eating rapidly absorbed nutrient-poor processed white flour paves the path to weight gain, insulin resistance, hunger, obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and, indirectly, exacerbates the symptoms of numerous inflammatory conditions (such as fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, asthma, etc.)
Is Refined Flour Healthy?
No, refined flour is not healthy. Very few food product labels use the term “refined flour” or “white flour” in their list of ingredients and no recipe is going to call for “refined flour” as an ingredient. Recipes typically call for “all-purpose flour” and food manufacturers use the term “enriched flour”.
What About Enriched Flour?
Enriched flours and “all-purpose” flours certainly sound healthier than refined white flour, but they are all the same thing. Enrichment refers to government mandated processes of adding small amounts of synthetic vitamins and minerals to refined flour after it has been processed. As required by law, all refined flour is enriched.
The only reason flour is “enriched” is because all the good stuff was removed during processing! Whole foods are not enriched, only processed foods are enriched.
Enriched flour does not contain fiber and the synthetic vitamins and minerals that are added back only represent a small portion of the nutrients that were removed during processing. Furthermore, your body does not recognize or utilize synthetic nutrients like it does naturally occurring nutrients. In addition, the disease-fighting phytochemicals are lost forever during the refinement process and are not added back.
Is Whole Wheat or Multi-Grain Flour Healthy?
Nope! Whole wheat and multi-grain flours are not healthy either. Flours used in breads are often misrepresented. For example, the typical multigrain bread is no more healthful than white bread.
While it’s great to eat a variety of grains other than just wheat —because variety assures you are exposed to a wide array of phytochemicals, antioxidants and micronutrients nature has to offer—-this approach only works if you eat whole grains.
What is the BEST Whole Grain Flour?
I’m so glad you asked, because honestly, I am sure you were getting discouraged. When we do use flour, we prefer to select one that uses whole grain, such as brown rice. Brown rice is often paired with, almond meal or almond flour, tapicoa and potato starch.
So, as long as you are eating whole grain gluten-free flour and you are not eating an excessive amount, then it’s okay. Just consider that the rest of your foods are part of a nutrient-dense clean eating diet.
We use this King Arthur measure-for-measure flour the most here at Clean Cuisine because it’s available at our local market and inexpensive to pick up online. Plus, it’s made with whole grains. Check out the ingredient list below.
King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten Free Blend | rice, tapioca starch, potato starch, whole grain brown rice
Zach says
I promise I am not being snarky. I am just confused (or maybe there is a typo?) You say: “Whole grain and multi-grain flours are not healthy either.” and then you say “When we do use flour, we prefer to select one that uses whole grain.”
I get that multi-grain does not mean whole-grain and therefore may not be a healthy option but I have always believed that as long as you specifically use whole grains you are in pretty good shape. Is this wrong?
Also, I note you recommend gluten-free. If no one in my family is alergic to gluten are there other reasons to select gluten free?
Aimee Harris Niedosik says
Updated! “Whole WHEAT and multi-grain flours are not healthy either.” It’s the WHEAT that is not healthy due to the chemicals used to raise wheat. Honestly, the only healthy wheat in the world is from Italy — which is both absolutely costly and difficult to acquire. In addition, when someone consumes too much wheat, it can cause a sluggish digestion, water retention, bloating or gas. Honestly, who wants to deal with that?! There are so many incredible options now — which garbanzo bean pastas, brown rice flours, etc, etc.
Paul says
“ When we do use flour, we prefer to select one that has whole grain ingredients such as brown rice, almond meal, tapicoa and potato starch.”
How, exactly, are potato starch and tapioca considered “whole grain ingredients”, and how are they considered healthy, or for that matter grains? And almond meal, while it may be healthy, is certainly not a grain.
Aimee Harris Niedosik says
The reference is that brown rice is a whole grain — and we like using flour that has brown rice, and typically whole grain gluten free flours are paired with almond meal or almond flour, tapioca and potato starches. Thank you for pointing this out – I went ahead and updated the post.
Kimberly Reynolds says
Hello Ivy, Thank you so much for your website! I am very excited learning about a good gluten free replacement. I have experimented with all kinds of gluten free flours and nut flours.
Ivy Larson says
Hi Kimberly,
I’m so glad you like the website, thanks s much for letting me know! As for the wheat, there is no doubt some people do have issues with gluten (luckily, nobody in my immediate family seems to have a problem with it—however, we don’t eat anywhere near the amount of wheat-containing foods most people eat). However, if you think you might be sensitive to gluten, check out the article I just wrote on the herbicides used in non-organic wheat here: https://cleancuisine.com/biodynamic-farming/ —you might want to switch to organic wheat flour or, better yet, biodynamic wheat flour (the link I gave you explains more about what this is all about!) Hope this helps? –ivy
Kingsley says
Can a pre diabetes eat white whole wheat flour?
Ivy Larson says
Hi Kingsley, yes, white whole wheat flour is still a whole grain, so it would be ok to eat if you have pre-diabetes (or even type 2 diabetes). Having said that, of all the carbohydrate-containing foods, the ones that contain sugar and flour (even if it is whole grain) are often the easiest to over-consume if you are not conscientiously watching your intake. So, I would just be mindful of portion size with foods made with flour—they just are never quite as filling as carbohydrate containing foods like potatoes or apples. I hope this helps?
HH says
what is substitute of white whole wheat flour for gluten free?
Chrissy says
Hi!
Love this article very informative, but have you tried milling your own wheat? It is super easy 🙂 And is much more nutritious than store bought whole wheat flour because once the wheat berry is milled it begins to lose it nutritional value and loses almost all within 72 hours. I am sure store bought has been on the shelf for much longer than this!
Ivy Larson says
Hi Chrissy! Thank you SO much for this tip. Somebody else sent me an email about this and I am absolutely going to try this. Do you use a high speed blender (such as Vita Mix?)
Again, thank you so much for the great tip!