Both All-purpose flour, as well as whole wheat flour, have their own fair share of pros and cons. But the main reason why we are talking about substituting the all-purpose flour for whole wheat is that whole wheat flour has a lot of added health benefits and high nutritional value, which is somewhat missing in the all-purpose flour. Many ask “Can I Substitute all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour?” and the answer to it is “Yes, you can!” In order to know more, we may analyze the differences between them and find out why the best flour choice is whole wheat flour.
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Whole wheat Flour is made up of whole wheat grain. It has bran, endosperm, and germ. Because of the presence of these 3 components, it has high protein content when compared with all-purpose flour. Whole wheat flour has higher nutritional value, flavor, and more fiber. The high fiber content is extremely beneficial for health, especially in the case of digestion and cholesterol.
All-purpose flour is also known as white flour and is normally composed of a mix of hard and soft wheat, to accomplish the favorable protein content varying from 10% to 12% (depending on the quality of various brands). The bran, which is the outer layer of the wheat grain, and germ which is the inner part of the grain, are removed. This leaves us with only the endosperm. You may purchase ‘bleached’ that is treated with chlorine gas or ‘unbleached’. The bleached one has lower protein content whereas the latter gets brown faster.
This whole process of changing your flour from all-purpose to whole wheat is kind of like an experimental method. If your primary aim is to eat healthily and have a perfectly balanced diet, then you should really consider this switch.
When you are taking 2 cups of all-purpose flour to prepare a particular dish, try exchanging two to three spoons of the latter with that of whole wheat flour. The texture of both will be somewhat different, but the taste won't have much difference.
Slowly and steadily keep increasing the amount of whole wheat flour in the ingredients list to prepare the dish and decrease the amount of all-purpose flour. This slow transition will help you adapt to the change. This process helps when you are unable to or don’t want to make the shift because of the ease and habit you have grown to use the all-purpose flour.
Another thing to remember while making this change is that, since the whole wheat flour is ground from the entire wheat grain it has its own natural light flavor which might have a chance to affect your recipe a bit.
The reason why many dietitians and fitness coaches and advisors encourage you to make this shift from all-purpose flour to whole wheat flour is because of the nutritional values and the added advantages it has with respect to your health.
Nutritional Values of Whole Wheat Flour:
The following are the nutritional value present in India Gate Whole Wheat Flour per 100g:
|
Nutrition Category |
Whole Wheat Flour |
|
Energy |
341 kcal |
|
Fat |
1.7g |
|
Protein |
12.1g |
|
Carbohydrate |
69.4g |
|
Dietary Fibre |
12.5g |
The values of dietary fiber and fat present in India Gate whole wheat flour are two very important notable values as the presence of the dietary fiber in one’s daily diet is extremely important. This is because dietary fiber helps in maintaining the digestion rate and helps in reducing many stomach-related problems. Whereas the presence of fat in such a low quantity is a good sign as now the people who are fitness conscious can eat a wholesome meal without worrying much about weight gain.
The consumption of whole wheat flour is also beneficial as it helps in reducing the risk of heart-related diseases or the chances of cholesterol or even the chances of having sugar.
All-purpose flour does not have these particular nutritions at such high quantities as during the process of grinding and milling most of its nutritional values degrade.
A few of the Health Benefits of Whole Wheat Flour are as follows:
• The use of whole wheat flour helps in reducing the risk of heart-related diseases
• It helps in reducing cholesterol levels.
• It helps in maintaining and keeping the sugar levels under check.
• It plays a major role in a balanced diet.
• Helps one to have a wholesome and healthy meal.
• Helps in lowering the risk of obesity
• It supports having a healthy digestion
Many a time, people get confused while choosing which one is whole wheat flour and which one is all-purpose flour, as they both look a bit similar to each other. But there are a few ways with which you won’t ever face this problem.
The texture of the whole wheat flour is ‘crumbly’, a little less smooth. The best quality of whole wheat flour which is supplied by India Gate has a naturally soft and sweet aroma in its product. Sometimes if you purchase loose whole wheat flour you might get a degraded and unhygienic product that can be unhealthy for you and your family.
The texture of all-purpose flour is very smooth and it does not have the natural color of ground wheat. Most of the natural fiber gets extracted during milling.
Other than the high nutritional value as stated above, there is another aspect for which India Gate Whole Wheat Flour is your best choice. The whole process, starting from bringing the raw materials directly from the farm to packing the product under extreme supervision and care, is done by following all the health and hygiene protocols to ensure only the best premium quality of products.
When the raw materials are brought, they are washed to make sure no germ or dirt stays on. Then it proceeds to the next step of grinding and processing. It is made sure that the maximum amount of nutrition value is preserved. The products are screened and are processed through multiple quality checks before packaging. And finally, in the packaging process, it is made sure that the whole wheat flour is packed by following the hygiene protocols.
