Is Flour As Bad As Sugar?

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So, no question/request too big or small 😎

❝Is flour as bad as sugar, and if so, is it just white flour? What about other flours like rice flour?❞

Short answer: the problem with flour is essentially the same as the problem with sugar, and by applying the knowledge of what the problem actually is, we can healthily enjoy either or both if we want to—with some important caveats.

The problem: for both of these foods (flour and sugar) the glycemic index is very high, and so is the glycemic load.

For more on what those things are and why they matter: Glycemic Index vs Glycemic Load vs Insulin Index

Now, in this case:

• white sugar has a glycemic index of 65 and a glycemic load of 65
• white flour has a glycemic index of 70–85, and a glycemic load of 53–65

You may be wondering: what happens, in each case if you make it brown? i.e. brown sugar and wholewheat flour?

• brown sugar: is now brown in color; that’s it; that’s the difference (didn’t make it any healthier)
• wholewheat flour: now has a slightly lower glycemic index, which will also lower the glycemic load (made it healthier)

For why it made it healthier in the latter case, it has to do with the fiber content, and that’s what makes all the difference.

For how, see: Which Sugars Are Healthier, And Which Are Just The Same?

This is also why, as we say, there’s no pressing need to “go against the grain” for most* people, if you do enjoy wheat-based foods, you can indeed indulge.

For more on this, see: Grains: Bread Of Life, Or Cereal Killer?

If you are going to, we’d simply recommend:

• go for wholewheat / whole grain bread, pasta, etc
• use the most fiberful flour you can find if you’re going to use flour directly in your cooking
• enjoy it with some kind of healthy fats (e.g. olive oil; see: All About Olive Oil, and, for that matter, Is “Extra Virgin” Worth It?), and also, ideally, other fiber-containing foods (see: What Do The Different Kinds Of Fiber Do? 30 Foods That Rank Highest)

As for why we want to add those latter things into the dish, specifically in the context of eating a food with a lot of an ingredient that has a high glycemic index, is because of this:

10 Ways To Balance Blood Sugars ← see #10, “put some clothes on your carbs”

*You may be wondering: why “most” people?

And the answer is, if you have a relevant allergy, intolerance, or sensitivity, you might want to skip the wheat, or skip any grain that contains gluten specifically, for example.

See: Gluten: What’s The Truth?

However, if you don’t, then you might want to not trouble yourself in that regard; see: Why Going Gluten-Free Could Be A Bad Idea

Now, as for “what about other flours like rice flour?”, there are of course many options, but here are some things you should be aware of:

• Rice flour has an incredibly high glycemic index (varies, but ranges up to 95), making it often about the worst choice healthwise for most people
  • …unless it is brown rice flour (which it usually isn’t), in which case it’s a more “middling” option
• Potato flour is a little better, but still has a higher glycemic index than white flour
• Cornflour (cornstarch) and cassava or tapioca flour are about the same as white flour, GI-wise
• Sorghum flour isn’t much better
• Quinoa, rye, and teff flour are all rather lower in GI, making them great options
• Nut flours (e.g. almond) and pea flour are even lower in GI and higher in protein, but have strong flavors that might not suit all dishes, and the high fat content of most nut flours will make them unsuitable for certain kinds of baking (can’t make a light fluffy bread with almond flour that’s 50% fat, for example)

For more details and numbers, see: What is the glycemic index of different flours?

Want to make your own healthy bread?

Check out our recipes section, including:

Delicious Quinoa Avocado Bread | Healthy Homemade Flatbreads

Enjoy!