Wheat Flour...The Complex Carb

They say whole wheat products and brown rice are better for you, right? So you go to the store, pick up a bag of white flour and whole wheat flour, and you read the ingredients to see for yourself. Only, you find that once you are reading, that the specs are pretty much the same. So you get to wondering, if the fat, carbs, sugars, protein, etc., are the same between both bags, what makes the whole wheat flour so much better? A carb is a carb, is a carb, right? WRONG!!

Without boring you with so much science and detail, here's the bottom line. White flour breaks down immediately (simply carb) and spikes your blood sugars immediately, making your body have to work overtime to control your blood sugar. Wheat flour breaks down over a longer period of time (complex carb) keeping your blood sugar more steady allowing your body to process the sugars with more control. So while you don't see the difference between intake as far as all the stats go, your body notices a difference in how it handles things.

Let's also remember, that certain diseases, like diabetes, can't afford for your body to work overtime trying to control your blood sugar spikes. It already takes a lot of effort to keep your body stable and maneuvering most of the time, having to deal with uncontrolled spikes just tortures your body a little more, exhausting your organs in the process.

So the next time you reach for flour on the shelf, make the switch, and pick up a bag of wheat flour. It will be worth it in the long run. :)

QUICK TIP: Whole wheat flour and products are more satiating, too! Which means your body feels fuller longer after having eaten a muffin made with whole wheat flour as opposed to white flour.

CONVERSION NOTE: When swapping out whole wheat flour for white flour in your favorite recipes, remember that you cannot swap these two cup for cup! You only need 7/8 of a cup per cup of white flour called for in a recipe. So pull out your calculator and do the math for the best results!

For example: Recipe calls for 2 1/4 cups white flour. Take 2.25 divided by 8 multiplied by 7, and you get  1.96875. So instead of 2 1/4 cups of white flour, you only need 2 cups of whole wheat flour. :)