When I started the ketogenic lifestyle, desserts rarely tasted like the sugary sweets I was used to, and coconut flour ruined the texture.
This is why so many wheat flour substitutes are flooding the market, promising perfect desserts. One such substitute is cassava flour. It works like regular flour and has no aftertaste. But is cassava flour keto?
Below, I will answer all of your questions about cassava flour. I’ll cover the carb content and nutritional information while looking at some of the low-carb alternatives.
Is cassava flour keto-friendly?
Cassava flour is not keto-friendly because one cup contains 110 grams of carbs, which will kick you out of ketosis.
But even more disturbing than the high carbohydrate content that cassava consists of maltose. This sweetener has a GI score of 105, much higher than table sugar’s GI of 65. This means that it raises blood sugar and insulin levels more than sugar.
Cassava flour comes from the cassava plant, which is a starchy, tuberous plant that is high in starch.
Fun fact: Companies use cassava to make tapioca flour, another impractical food on a low-carb diet.
Nutritional information for cassava flour
One cup of cassava flour provides the following macro- and micronutrients:
- 110 grams of carbohydrates
- Five grams of fiber
- 4.5 grams of sugar
- Two grams of protein
- Zero fat or cholesterol
You’ll also find trace amounts of vitamin C, calcium, and iron.
Can you eat cassava chips on a keto diet?
A serving size of cassava chips contains 17.8 grams of carbs and 1.8 grams of sugar, so you can’t eat them on a keto diet.
But the real problem with cassava chips is that they don’t contain thiamine. This is a concern because your body needs it Thiamine for carbohydrate metabolism. If you consume cassava chips, you are loading your body with carbohydrates, forcing it to use up all its thiamine stores, resulting in thiamine deficiency.
This can cause symptoms such as:
- exhaustion
- Anorexia
- Sleep disorders
- irritability
- Poor memory
So I suggest sticking to the keto-friendly chips you’ll find at drugstores and health stores. These chips contain very few carbohydrates and if you buy from a good brand, they will come packed with essential nutrients like calcium, iron and potassium.
Alternatives to cassava flour in the keto diet
Need keto-friendly flour alternatives for desserts? Consider these five low-carb options:
- Almond flour
- Lupine flour
- Sunflower seed flour
- Golden flaxseed meal
- Konjac flour
Almond flour
Almond flour It is the best keto-friendly alternative to cassava flour because one cup contains only 10 grams of net carbs and 56 grams of fat.
Almond flour is rich in vitamins such as:
- Vitamin E
- magnesium
- calcium
- copper
- manganese
This means that you can enjoy desserts with almond flour and at the same time boost vitamin A Fat intake.
I also prefer almond flour to an alternative like coconut flour because coconut flour is thin and dry. When you eat sweets, you will gnaw on pieces of coconut, which spoils their texture. In contrast, almond flour mixes well Keto recipes.
But even though it’s low in carbs, I would suggest not overdoing it because oxalates content. Oxalates regulate calcium in plants, but if you overeat it can promote kidney stones.
So if you have a family history of kidney stones, I recommend limiting your intake of almond flour.
Lupine flour
When you think of keto flour, you probably think of almond and coconut flour. but Lupine flour It is a useful substitute because it goes well with most recipes.
One cup of lupine flour contains 48 grams of total carbohydrates and 44 grams of fiber, giving it a net carb count of just four grams. This high fiber content aids digestion and regulates blood sugar levels, making lupine a good choice for diabetics or anyone who suffers from constipation.
It is also GMO-free and high in nutrients and antioxidants such as:
- carotenoids;
- magnesium
- phosphorous
- zinc
But lupine flour contains some lectins and phytic acid, which can irritate anyone sensitive to these compounds. However, the amount is quite small, so it shouldn’t be a problem in moderation.
Sunflower seed flour
The problem with almond flour is that you can’t use it as a one-on-one substitute for wheat flour in a regular recipe and expect it to work. You will have to stick to keto recipes.
This is where sunflower seed flour can help.
a cup of sunflower seed The flour contains less than 22 grams of carbs, so you can eat it on the keto diet. It also contains 30g of protein, which is useful if you want to build muscle.
The best part is that you can make sunflower seed flour at home.
All you need to do is grind a cup of sunflower seeds in a coffee grinder, sift the flour into a bowl, and you’re ready to go. From here, use your homemade flour as a one-to-one substitute for wheat flour.
Golden flaxseed meal
flaxseed The meal is a delicious flour option on the keto or paleo diet because it is low in carbs and you can use it along with xanthan gum to make flaxseed bread, rolls or granola bars.
Most health stores and pharmacies sell flaxseed meal. But I always get higher quality flaxseeds as I’ve noticed more brands are adding fillers to keep costs down.
Konjac flour
Konjac is made up of 97 percent water and only 3 percent fiber, so you enjoy it on keto. A cup of konjac flour provides 240 grams of dietary fiber with no net carbs.
These fibers do not affect insulin because they are not digestible. Unlike pecan flour, you can eat as much konjac flour as you can without interfering with ketosis.
Manufacturers actually use the konjac plant to make konjac noodles, more commonly known as shirataki noodles, which are also keto.
But the type of fiber that konjac has is unique. it contains Glucomannan Studies show that this fiber reduces hunger hormones, blood sugar and constipation.
Final thoughts on keto cassava flour
You cannot eat cassava flour on the keto diet. Cassava flour contains more than 110 grams of carbohydrates per cup, which quickly gets you out of ketosis.
The biggest problem is thiamine deficiency. Because your body needs thiamine to digest carbohydrates, eating too many carbs without supplementing with thiamine can lead to a deficiency, leading to symptoms such as fatigue and memory impairment.
Fortunately, there are many delicious alternatives to cassava.
Choose almond flour, lupine flour, sunflower seed flour, golden flaxseed meal, or konjac flour when preparing keto recipes. These options are low in carbs and produce better results than cassava flour.