6 reasons why everyone is switching to coconut flour
Coconut flour is the latest craze to hit the home chef scene, luring in home bakers and health enthusiasts alike. With some nutritional gains on regular wheat flour, versatility in the kitchen and a wonderful, coconutty aroma, it’s easy to see why coconut flour is entering the race as the flour to beat all flours. So where is all this excitement coming from and are they compelling enough for you to take home your first bag of coconut flour on your next trip to the grocers? Read on to know what makes coconut the right choice for more and more people and why everyone is starting to make the switch.
IT’S GOOD FOR YOU
Coconut flour is a nutrient rich ingredient that gives your body plenty of the good stuff: it is a good source of fiber, contains more protein than wheat flour and is a source of healthy fats. The MCTs present in coconut flour are easily digestible and help in boosting the body's metabolism. Fiber present in the coconut floor helps to keep blood sugar levels in check and improves your overall bowel health.
IT’S GLUTEN FREE
Coconut flour is a blessing for people with gluten intolerance. Around 6% to 7% of the US population is gluten intolerant. That means nearly 20 million people in the United States can not consume wheat flour. Being gluten-free, coconut flour is a healthy & delicious alternative to regular wheat flour. Dishes made from coconut flour are light on the stomach, and cooking with coconut flour helps you avoid getting any side-effects that may come from eating wheat.
IT’S KETO FRIENDLY
Coconut flour contains significantly fewer carbs than other grain flours, which is great when you are trying to starve your body of carbs as a source of energy. Like all coconut products, the fat found in coconut flour is also a good source of MCTs, which helps your body enter a state of ketosis, provided you are adhering to the Keto diet guidelines elsewhere too. The MCTs can also keep you full for a longer period of time, reducing your need to snack or break the diet early. If you’re new to the Keto concept, check out our blog series on the Keto Diet as we take you through everything you need to know from facts and information to meal plans and recipe ideas.
IT’S GREAT FOR BAKING
With a little bit of modification, you can turn any wheat flour-based recipe into a coconut flour recipe. This opens a wide range of possibilities for those who like to live gluten-free as you no longer need to search for recipes that are specifically gluten-free.
IT’S VERSATILE
Coconut flour can be used to make both sweet and savory items. You can make cookies, bread, rotis, crackers, loafs, and anything else you can think of using coconut flour. Coconut flour can also be used to add texture, thickening soups, and to remove moisture from stir-fried vegetables. Check out our recipe section for more fun ideas about using coconut flour in your kitchen.
IT’S ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY
In order to produce grains, you need a lot of water for irrigation, and harvesting the crop involves uprooting and reseeding the plants, which impacts soil erosion and has other negative effects on the ecosystem. Coconut on the other hand, is completely different. Coconuts are either grown in groves or are found naturally in coconut forests, where the trees remain intact for a lifetime. Harvesting coconuts involves taking down the nuts from the tree while allowing the tree to remain intact. This allows the roots to grow deeper and anchor the soil around it, improving water retention and reducing soil erosion. A coconut grove also helps in maintaining the groundwater levels. But coconut flour also has an added benefit that reduces its carbon footprint even further: coconut flour is produced as a by-product while producing other coconut ingredients such as coconut oil or coconut milk, making its impact on the environment far less than grain based flours.
In case that isn’t enough for you to go running to your nearest grocery store and buy your first bag of Cocofly’s Coconut Flour, why not subscribe to our newsletter and get more blogs and recipes delivered to your inbox! In the meantime, check out our recipes here and get your creative juices flowing.