Almond Flour

Almond Flour

Almond Flour

What is it:

Almond flour is a versatile and nutritious ingredient that has gained popularity in recent years as a gluten-free alternative to wheat flour. To make blanched almond flour, the almonds are first soaked in hot water to loosen their skins, which are then removed by hand or using a machine. The blanched almonds are then dried and ground into a fine powder using a food processor or a high-powered blender. Unblanched almond flour (also referred to as almond meal) retains the almond skin and has a darker color.

Rating:

Almond flour is a minimally processed flour that is a great source of protein, antioxidant, healthy fats, and fiber, especially unblanched options.

Resources:

  1. Health benefits of almonds (review)
  2. Effect of processing on nutrient availability in almonds (review)

How we rate ingredients

Health is like a bank account, certain ingredients make a deposit into your health bank, meaning they add to
your health. Certain ingredients withdraw from your health bank. We want health promoting ingredients in our diet. To keep things simple, we rate ingredients on a green, yellow, red scale:

Clean

It is naturally occurring in food and has no harmful effects on the body. It is real food. It is health promoting.

Caution

It goes into one or more of the below categories

  • It is not naturally occurring in food but doesn’t have data showing it has a harmful effect on the body (additives like Gellan Gum)
  • It is naturally occurring but can have some harmful effects on the body (added sugars, oils, gums etc.)

We Avoid

It is known to have a harmful effect on the body (ex. All food colorings, Natural Flavors, MSG, Potassium bromate, aspartame, artificial flavors)

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