Wheat Flour vs. White Flour: Which is Better for Your Health?

What’s a better baking base ingredient for a carb-crazy foodie: wheat flour or white flour?

Before definitively answering the question, you might assume that whole wheat flour is more nutritious. Creative advertising executives and copywriters--though some would argue they are manipulative--prominently plaster healthful claims on ubiquitous products.

“Made with whole grains!” … “100% Whole Wheat Goodness” … “Organic Whole Wheat” … “Whole grains are part of a healthy, balanced diet” ….

No doubt you’ve come across these clever marketing claims. But how accurate are they? Is whole wheat leaps and bounds better than white flour in managing blood sugar levels?

Regardless if you’re a bodybuilder striving to stay slim, maintaining a bodyfat percentage in the single digits, or somebody trying to improve diabetes, or, somewhere in between, you need to consume foods that only minimally raise blood sugar levels, if at all.

Where do wheat bread and white bread rank on the glycemic index?

If improving blood sugar levels is a top priority for you, then it’s highly probably you’re aware of the glycemic index, the scale that measures how quickly a food raises blood sugar levels. And maybe you’re also aware of the concept of glycemic load, which takes into account the amount of a specific food you’ve eaten and perhaps, what else you’re eating it with.

Taken by itself, whole wheat flour bread measures 67 on the glycemic index, placing it on the very high end of the medium index range; if you are trying to improve your diabetes, consider it sky-high off the charts!

By contrast, white bread is only 4 notches higher than wheat bread; there’s virtually no difference between the two, so if you think wheat bread is healthier for you than white bread, in terms of blood sugar, it’s not.

If you add to either wheat or white bread a protein source like eggs and a sparse serving of natural fat like butter, the glycemic load of both breads will be lower than if eaten alone. Don’t think that gives you the green light to have your bread and eat it, too! Even if eaten with protein and fat, your already overburdened pancreas will be forced to release insulin to carry the energy source (sugar) from the bread into your cells.

Both flours can be party crashers but there are better flours for you

If your blood sugar levels are already too high, your cells might deny entry to the sugar-escorting insulin; think of each of your cells as a house party and sugar molecules as guests...too many guests and the party hosts (cells) won’t answer the door and let any more chaperones (insulin) in. The result: your cells become resistant to insulin.

So what’s a baking enthusiast to do? If you ditch cooking with both wheat and white flour, how can you make pancakes, brownies, cookies and other treats? Well, for starters, if you’re trying to improve your diabetes, you’ll of course want to limit foods that quickly spike your blood sugar. That’s why replacing high-carb noodles with Miracle Noodle or Miracle Rice is smart, easy and cheap!

I already eat Miracle Noodle but I can’t bake cookies with noodles! What should I use for baking?

Miracle Noodle products are derived from the root of a plant found in Japan and China. The fiber-filled root is the ‘miracle’ all-natural component of the calorie and carb-free ‘konjac’ flour. You can buy konjac flour online and use it for baking!

Another healthy, low glycemic flour is almond flour. We recommend Elana’s Pantry for cooking awesome almond flour cakes.

In conclusion, don’t be duped by healthy claims made by food companies that label their wheat flour products as healthier than white flour. If you’re trying to improve your blood sugar levels, it’s recommended to avoid both as much as you can.

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