Whole Wheat Flour vs. All Purpose

jnikitow

What are the benefits of whole wheat flour vs. all purpose flour?

I just looked at the nutrition facts and they were very close.

PJilly

Check the fiber in the nutrition info. A cup of enriched, bleached, all-purpose flour has about 3 grams of dietary fiber, and a cup of whole-wheat flour has 15 to 16.

stormieweather

A carbohydrate wtih little or no fiber is burned up much quicker than a carbohydrate with lots of fiber. So the no-fiber carb gets burned up fast (and spiking your insulin/sugar levels), leaving you hungry again but the one with lots of fiber takes longer and keeps you feeling full, as well as gradually affecting your blood sugar.

stephcheers

So how come whole wheat flour costs more?

stormieweather

It's lower in demand, and has a shorter shelf life. In other words, they can't mass process the flour to the degree they can white flour as much less is desired. So it takes more $$ per pound to package than white does. And it spoils faster, so has to be shipped more frequently and stocked more often.

liz72

White flour has zero nutritional value. They've depleted it of any nutrients in the processing.

Nich0le

all true comments.....although I would recommend mixing the two flours gradually building up to only whole wheat flour otherwise it is quite a flavor shock! I would start with a 50/50 mix and build from there. The whole wheat flour makes breads and muffins taste even better but cookies and cakes take some getting used too