I’ve often wondered how the various gluten free flours compare to each other in nutritional value, but was never able to find a comparison chart online. I decided to create one for myself (I’m a visual person). What an “eye opener” this little project was! I found that I’ve made quite a few incorrect assumptions regarding the GF flours I bake/cook with. For example, I knew brown rice flour was high in carbs, but I figured it was equal to millet and sorghum flour in calories and fiber. Boy, was I wrong! I use brown rice flour in a good portion of my baking, but that will be changing this year!
I know this chart probably shouldn’t have been such a shock to me, but it was. I wish I would have done this months ago.
This comparison chart is based on a 1 cup measurement of each flour/starch/meal, and is sorted by the “CARBS” amount (from the highest amount of carbohydrates to the lowest). Feel free to print this out and stick it to your refrigerator or the inside of your pantry/cupboard (that exactly where it’s going in my kitchen)!
Note for bloggers & other forms of media: Please do not reprint this comparison table without my permission. Linking to it, however, is very much appreciated. 
**Disclaimer: These nutritional figures are approximations, and may or may not be correct depending on the specific product brand/type of flour/starch/meal used. It is recommended you check the nutritional statements on all of your GF flours/starches/meals. I am not a doctor, nor a nutritionist. The ideas expressed here are solely my opinions. Always consult your doctor or physician before making any dietary changes.
I’ve often thought about following a grain free diet, but I know that’s impossible (for me personally & my family… just a matter of preference and what works for us). Moving forward, I won’t be completely eliminating rice flour from my diet, but I’m definitely going to scale back – big time. I use millet and sorghum flour often, but they will now become my 2012 GF flour “heavy hitters” with teff, amaranth, coconut, GF oats, flax seed, and almond meal following right behind them.
I knew starches didn’t have a whole lot of nutritional value, but WOW! I don’t know if I had my head in the sand, or what??! Starches will now ONLY be used when necessary and on a very limited basis.
Some of my other goals for a healthier new year are (and not necessarily in this order):
- Buy RAW honey only. I have small containers of raw honey in my cupboard, but I don’t always use it in my cooking – I use a generic honey from our local grocery store, because it’s what’s cheap and available. Have you read some of the articles floating around (like this one) explaining that most of the honey sold in the stores in the U.S. isn’t really honey?
- Quit buying canned beans. Soak, sprout and cook my own. This will not only (hopefully) scale back on the grocery bill, but also eliminate BPA contamination from the cans.
- Meal planning… I’ve been wanting to do this for a while now, but have never gotten around to it. Hopefully it will not only help reduce the grocery bill, but also ensure our meals are healthy and well balanced.
- Get more familiar with anti-inflammatory foods and spices (which I’m sure will include eating more RAW vegetables).
- Cook more in bulk and freeze (this is also where the soak/sprout/cooking of beans would come in to play).
- Continue to scale back on sweeteners and use stevia when possible.
- Move more. This one is so incredibly hard for me. Most days, because of my arthritis, just getting off the couch is a workout (not exaggerating here). I can’t run because of the swelling/pain in the feet, ankles, and knees, but I’m going to commit to walking – even if it’s just around the block. Something is better than nothing, right?
- Drink more water. I drink a lot of it already, but I know I can drink more.
- Focus more on my spiritual health by praying, reading my Bible, and just spending time “being still and knowing that HE is God.”
What about you? Do you have any health or nutritional goals to accomplish this year? Was the nutritional chart above a shock to you?
Wishing everyone a very blessed New Year!
Love,
Megan
This post is linked to Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Simple Lives Thursday, and the Gluten Free Homemaker.
What is your arthritis? I have had incredible success with rheumatoid arthritis using homeopathic mandragora (available from Weleda with a prescription); Osteo, I have no experience with.
Personally, sweeteners are either honey or whole sugars — I have had problems with any number of “lo-cal” sweeteners. so I minimize REAL sugars. Everyone is different. a lot of my issues are genetically modified problems. Not everyone’s problem..
When I cut out GMOs my problems went away.
Blessings to you.
Awesome list!!! I need to do many of things on this list! I love more Bible reading! Also the meal planning will be huge for me this year too. It’s easy to get crappy well you don’t plan and everyone is hungry! Best of luck to you!
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I just wonder about the fat content in the coconut,flax and almond flours. I usually use almond but I do have gallbladder issues. I feel like I may be sensitive to cononut too. I got the coconut creamer and have pain with it. I also really like cooking with my brown rice flour. I don’t eat a lot of carbs but when I do, it makes for some great treats. I use google calendar for my meal planning. You can create different color tabs. I have a different color for each family member and one for meal planning. This way I can post links to websites and look back from month to month. If I didn’t make a particular meal then I just click and drag to another day. I usually do a month at a time. I love doing it this way.
If you’re truly going for an anti-inflammatory diet, those beans aren’t doing you any good, and neither are the grain flours. Stick to almond, flax and coconut.Seriously, once you’re grain free for a couple weeks or so, you lose that craving for breads/pastas/cakes, etc.
Cooking raw honey destroys its raw properties. I use raw honey for any raw/fresh foods, and regular honey for any baking or cooking. Thanks for this chart! Very interesting! I disagree that just because a starch has nothing else to offer that it is automatically bad – even starches have a purpose. It’s a good idea to reduce straight starch but eliminating it completely is, I think, unnecessary.
What a nice chart. I’m kind of surprised about the brown rice flour as well. Glad to see my beloved sorghum flour looks pretty decent.
Hi Megan
I strongly recommend cutting your carbs way down. I was big on carbs for so many years and when I started my new style of eating, I found that I still was eating too many carbs (which included, I’m guessing, 1/2 cup quinoa, a slice of gluten free bread (or two), 1 cup of rice milk, gluten free snacks and some rice 1/2 cup or so in a day. When I cut it to just 1/2 cup of carbs (being brown rice, quinoa or wheat free oats) a day my symptoms get so close to disappearing after a couple of days but I am weak and am a big cheater!!! I have come a long way from where I started though and feel comfortable enough that I can eat like this with a big cheat days once a week or so. I also have psoriatic arthritis. I just don’t ever give up even after a few days of cheating. I get back at, or try to and keep on going. Not going back on meds is enough motivation for me. Sugar is definitely my enemy, I won’t get started on that though…but you can check on this great video on sugar
and if you are short on time…
Hi Megan,
One of my goals this year was to keep a food journal. It’s pretty easy to do, and one of the first things I noticed was that I was overeating carbohydrates, and not eating enough veggies. Even though my diet itself is very healthy, it was not balanced.
Tumeric is a natural anti-inflammatory spice, I like to put it in anything and everything possible (especially teas). One of the best exercise forms for osteo is rebounding (jumping on a mini trampoline). But don’t go out and buy one from the nearest superstore chain, save up and buy a Bellicon. Springs can be jarring, especially on poorly-made rebounders, so the elastic bands on the Bellicon are amazing. I got mine from a sweet lady in Florida at http://www.qibounding.com (“qi” is pronounced “chi’) , and it made all the difference! A great form of exercise for arthritis is aquafitness in warm water, usually 88°F to 95°F. CALA has some of the best information on rehabilitation aquafitness, but the website is really confusing and outdated (www.calainc.org).
Cheers!
Thank you for that chart! We’re looking to cut back on refined sugar and experiment with some different gluten free options.
You bet! Glad you found it helpful!
Megan
Your blog is amazing. I am also on the Circle of Moms blog contest but I am #48! Well done with your blog. I also have a sweet tooth. I promised myself a Vitamix if I gave up sugar for 30 days. It seems to be working! (I used to have a Vitamix but I gave it away to someone who was sick and needed it more than I did. Well, I really love your blog and it is very inspiring.
Kirstin
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I just found your blog because I have been GF for about a month now. So nice to find a local resource! When my arthritis is bad, swimming is the only thing that I can (sometimes) do to get some activity. I’ve been on Simponi for almost a year and having my hands and feet back is such a great thing. I’m hoping going GF will help me dial back on some meds and feel better naturally. Thanks for your blog, I look forward to pouring through the back-issues and finding out what I’ve been missing!
Hi Anna,
I too hope going GF will help you continue to feel better!! Best of luck!
Hugs,
Megan
I didn’t see this until now! Wow, thank you for posting this chart, it’s so interesting to be able to compare the different flours! As you know we mainly eat grain free, I can’t eat the millet flours because of my thyroid problems which wipes some of the wholesome flours on the list! I do eat oats occasionally but I KNOW they don’t like me
Lots of luck keeping to your goals!
Hugs
Vicky x
Oh! I just noticed this was posted January last year!! Did you keep to your goals successfully?
Hi Vicky,
That is such a bummer millet causes issues for you, it’s one of my favorite flours!
I didn’t do so great at keeping my goals, although I did successfully drastically reduce my rice flour intake. I also kept my goal of only using raw honey.
Resolutions aren’t for me. LOL!
Hugs,
Megan