Benefits of Coconut flour

I was recently asked how coconut flour was counted by a patient, and while I knew coconut flour had better health benefits, I had to stop and think. So I thought why not write a post about coconut flour because the 20 seconds I spoke about this flour did not do it justice.
Coconut flour is high in fiber, protein and healthy fats. It is no wonder that this flour is looking more like a miracle flour amongst Gluten free, Celiac, food allergy and Paleo communities. It is made by grinding the meat of the coconut. While this fruit still has dietary carbohydrates in it with about 60% of the makeup of this flour is carbs. It is also loaded with complex carbohydrate that your body cannot break down.
A comparison of these flours showed that coconut flour is definitely a healthier option when it comes to carb counting. If you look at coconut flour it contains 68.7 grams of carbohydrate per 100 grams. Of that 38.5 grams is dietary fiber, sugar accounts for another 8.7 grams leaving about 17.6 grams of starchy carbs. Comparing this to regular conventional all purpose flour 100 grams contains 76.3 grams of total carbs. Of that total carbs only 2.7 grams are from dietary fiber and another 0.3 grams from sugar leaving 73.3 grams of total carbs.
Using coconut flour in recipes requires practice. When using this flour you use substantially less. Coconut flour is very absorbent compared to regular all purpose flour and you will have to increase your liquid ingredient to avoid having a dry product. Start small by replacing ¼ cup of coconut flour for ½ cup all purpose flour. Increase your liquid ingredients by ¼ cup as well to prevent products from drying out.
This gluten free flour is no longer just sold in health food stores with its whopping 5 grams of fiber per tablespoon, this white flour is now sold in many grocery stores. I have personally used this flour in a few different recipes and each of them had great results. So the next time you reach for your all purpose flour maybe look for a recipe that uses coconut flour to have added health benefit and less carbs it is great for overall health as well as your waistline.