Nutritional Information About Almond Flour

We all know about the benefits of almonds. It is the seed of a fruit. Almonds are one of the most healthiest and nutritious nuts. We use it extensively in our cooking and most commonly simply pop them in as snacks. When sprinkled on yummy dessert dishes, almonds taste simply irresistible.

Almonds are consumed more as foods, than being used topically as in the form of oil or paste. Its various edible forms also consist of flour. Most of us know about almond flour, otherwise known as almond meal.

How is this flour made? Well, it is a simple process, where blanched raw almonds are grounded to a powdered form. It is simple flour, but unlike other flours, this is the most nutritious and healthy.

Almond flour is a healthy substitute for ordinary wheat or white flour. The advantage of this flour is that it is gluten free. So this makes an excellent substitute for healthy cooking in pastries and other foods.

It also serves well for people allergic to gluten, or people following a diet due to health or medical issues. The flour can be bought ready-made from the store, it comes in various brands, while some people make this flour at home.

An almond in itself is so nutritious, so, is the flour made from this nut equally nutritious? More or less? Well, let us check it out. We have classified the nutritional value with the nutrients found in ¼ cup (almost 42 grams) of almond flour.

The total amount of carbohydrate in almond flour is 6 grams, of which 3 grams makes dietary fiber. So this flour is an excellent option for people on a low-carb diet and a healthier substitute for wheat flour which has high carbohydrate amount of 24 grams. Amount of protein in almond flour is 5 grams, which is healthier than the amount in white or wheat flour.

The total number of calories in almond flour is 160. ¼ cup of this flour gives 14 grams of fat. Most of these fats are healthy. Most of the omega 3 fatty acids (the good fatty acids) in almonds are also retained in almond flour. Almost 20% of these fats are of daily recommended value and only 1 gram of this total amount is saturated fat. It contains no cholesterol.

Almond flour helps controlling diabetes. The sugar content in ¼ cup of almond flour is 1 gram. Sure, other flours like white flour have no sugar at all, however almond flour balances this with its many benefits.

Almonds are rich in minerals, especially magnesium. Its flour too is a power house of many minerals. A quarter cup of almond flour will have 64 mg of calcium, 130 mg of phosphorous, 167 mg of potassium. It also has 64 mg of magnesium, 1 mg of iron, 1 mg zinc and 0.6 mg of manganese.

Almonds are rich in vitamin E, so is almond flour. It contains 6.25 mg of vitamin E. It also is rich in vitamin A, B3 (Niacin), B2 (Riboflavin) and B1 (Thiamine). It also contains 12 mg of foliate, and 13 mg of choline among the B group of vitamins.

Almond flour also contains 0.8 g of ash and 1.3 gm of water. All this completes the nutrition information about almond flour. So we know that just like almonds, almond flour too is a healthy choice. So for all those foodies, you may want to cook in this flour to get the best of taste and nutrition!