Low Carb Flour

Several ingredients are used for low carb baking to replace the regular flour used in most conventional recipes. Which you use depends on a number of factors:
- how low a carb count you are aiming for,
- what consistency and texture you want in the finished product,
- what kind of glycemic threshold (the extent to which your blood sugar level is elevated & for how long) you must maintain.

All flour substitutes have carbs. All of them will therefore affect your blood glucose level. For most of us, it is desirable to maintain as low a carb count and glycemic impact as possible. Low carbers need not worry ONLY about the number of carbs they ingest, but the type, and how they affect their blood sugar, since that affects whether we lose, maintain or gain weight.

There are a number of substances which are called "flour" but do not share any or all of the properties like 'Gold Medal' or 'King Arthur' flour most of us were used to using pre-Atkins. Some of these "flours" are ground from food items other than grains. Many can be more accurately referred to as 'meal' rather than 'flour'.

Grain flours sometimes used in LC recipes: oat, whole wheat, high gluten, vital wheat gluten. They are relatively high in carbs and have a pretty high glycemic index, so therefore are not appropriate for those who are metabolically challenged / insulin resistent.

Soy flour is derived from soy beans. It has a distinctive taste which many people find objectionable. It is lighter / fluffier than grain flours. It does not have any leavening properties.

Almond flour (also called almond 'meal') is finely ground almonds. There are other nut 'flours' / meals available commercially. You can make your own, but in my experience, it's a pain to do and hard to achieve the overall fine consistency without a professional grade food mill. There's also the problem of getting a little too carried away and ending up with nut "butter" ;-)
They are incredibly rich, high in fiber, high in fat. These nut meals do not have any flour properties, do not "rise" when baked, for instance. They are wonderful as flour substitutes in cakes, muffins, cookies. A book for flourless baking that relies primarily on nut flours: "Fabulous & Flourless: 150 Wheatless and Dairy-Free Desserts : Cakes, Tarts, Tortes, Roulades, Puddings, Souffles, Cookies, and More" by Mary Wachtel Mauksch.

Protein powder is another substitute for flour, but the least viable in my opinion. It is not always made of soy. In fact, most consider the soy protein powders the least desirable. IMO it's a poor substitute because it is so lightweight, doesn't add enough substance to batters / cookies, tends to make things too dry and insubstantial. It is best used in combination with another flour substitute.

Flax seed meal is a great flour substitute because of the high fiber content. It is nutrient dense, has more Omega 3 fatty acids than salmon, and it has 'substance'.

Bake Mix Options

Many low carb recipes, both on the
Atkins Center website and other, private recipe sites, call for Atkins Bake mix as an ingredient. However, it's very expensive. Happily, there are several alternatives:

- Aunt Pearl's Low Carb Bake Mix; 24oz cannister
available at www.lowcarbgrocery.com

- Carbolite bake mix (zero carbs)
Available at most of the large lowcarb vendor sites such as www.low-carb.com

Homemade:

Bake Mix #1

1 cup soy flour
2 cups protein powder
2 Tbl baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 Tbl Splenda

>>>>

Bake Mix #2

1.5 cups protein powder (unflavored is best, but vanilla will do)
1.5 cups vital wheat gluten flour
2 Tbl baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 Tbl Splenda

>>>>

locarbman's Flour / Bake Mix substitute

2 parts vital wheat gluten (24 carbs/cup [Bob's Red Mill brand])
1 part oat flour (48 carbs/cup)

FLAX SEED FAQ

They are small seeds produced by the flax plant (along with the fiber used in textiles, especially linen). The seeds are about the size of sesame seeds, but have a much harder outer shell. They come in two colors, a slightly reddish / dark brown and a golden color. They have a pleasant nutty taste.

Although taste is a very individual thing, most people I know who have tried both the brown and golden seeds find there's a BIG difference between the brown flax seeds carried by most health food stores and the golden flax seeds. The golden seeds are milder in taste, softer, not as gritty once ground. IMO, the golden seeds have it all over the brown ones; however, some people prefer the brown.

Flax oil is also available; it is extracted from the seeds and does not offer the fiber benefit of the seeds. It goes rancid quickly (within 6 weeks max.) and should be refrigerated in black containers to prevent spoilage.


BENEFITS

Flax seeds (called linseeds in the UK) are an excellent source of fiber as well as Omega 6 fatty acids & omega 3 oil (more than in salmon), which means they can help lower your cholesterol, among other things. Here are somee sites that explain the beneficial properties of flax seeds at length:

benefits of flax seeds

more info

(Note: these first two sites are vendors of flaxseeds, so there's an obvious bias. However, these claims have been substantiated elsewhere.)
And from Dr Barry Sears:

Dr Sears on flax seeds:

You may also find The Flax Council of Canada's site helpful:

more flax seed info

I recently had a problem with dry spots on my corneas. My opthamologist prescribed 2Tbl flaxseed oil daily =-) I'm happy to report it made a major positive difference.

Many people rely on flax seeds for regularity. They are as fiber-ful as any food item you can find, as you can see from the nutrition info provided for Heintzman Farm?akota
Gold flax seeds:

Calories 245
Protein 10.6 g.
Carbohydrates 12.4 g.
Total fat 16.9 g
Total dietary fiber 11.7 g.
Sat. fat 1.9 g.
Cholesterol. 0 g.
Omega-3 9600 mg
The net / effective carb count is a mere .7 for 1/4 cup, or 2.8 for 1 cup ;-) And there is NO question that the fiber in flax seeds is totally deductible.


USE

First, the seeds need to be ground or chewed really, really thoroughly to reap maximum benefit and release the helpful components that our bodies need (the omega-3 fatty acids and the lignans and likely many other molecules). If you do not grind or chew them first, they will pass through your system undigested.
A coffee grinder works very well for grinding the seeds. These are available at any cooking store, discount or regular department store, for $15 -60, depending on brand and complexity. And some people use a blender, but it is not as effective; some of the seeds usually remain intact.

You can purchase both flax seeds and flax seed meal at many health food stores; Bob's Red Mill is a widely available brand of flax meal (also available online at www.bobsredmill.com). Best price I've found for them online is Heintzman Farms; however I always buy them in bulk to save money. They are available at most of the large low carb vendor sites now, as is Flax-o-meal cereal (in several flavors) and Flax-o-Meal pancake / waffle mix.
However, once ground, or once a package is opened, flax seed meal should be stored in the freezer or hermetically sealed (you could use a Food Saver, for instance) as it goes rancid rather quickly.

Some people grind the seeds, add liquid (water, usually), and slug it down. It gets kind of gelatinous, so not everyone likes that method. You can also put ground flax seeds in a bowl, add a little artificial sweetener, cinnamon and / or extract of choice (banana, maple both work well), some chopped nuts if you like, hot water and VOILA! low carb cereal. See my recipes for Low Carb Cereal:

Low Carb Cereal Recipes

Flax seed meal is used by many low carbers as a substitute for flour in recipes for muffins, breads, crackers, pancakes; and as a filler in meatloaf & meatballs. Once subjected to high heat, the heart-healthy benefits of flax seeds are negated. However, it still provides great fiber, even after cooking.