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Low oxalate options to almond meal and different kinds of nut flour for keto or grain-free baking and cooking wants.
My grain-free blueberry pecan cobbler meals function within the weekly publication elicited quite a lot of questions for a low oxalate various to the nut flour portion of the recipe.
Why Do Some Individuals Keep away from Excessive Oxalate Meals?
Extra folks than ever are following a low oxalate food plan resulting from points with oxalate crystal build-up in bodily tissues.
Power issues with kidney stones are a trademark symptom.
About 10% of the inhabitants is genetically predisposed to break from a food plan excessive in oxalates.
As well as, these with extreme fungus (candida) within the intestine are in danger from excessive oxalate meals as effectively.
It’s because sure helpful strains of intestine flora, particularly species from the genus Oxalobacter, break down oxalates for us!
These anti-oxalate microbial strains are decimated by antibiotics and probably dozens of different prescription drugs.
When these strains are lacking in an imbalanced intestine, oxalates in meals have the potential to trigger signs.
Keto Diets and Extreme Oxalates
So as to add insult to damage, many people who find themselves delicate to oxalates are additionally consuming grain-free with low to no starch in an try to drop some weight and/or heal the intestine.
For instance, the GAPS food plan, Candida food plan, and Particular Carbohydrate Eating regimen all disallow grains and starch as a part of the therapeutic protocol.
Many keto dieters discover this out the arduous means.
They minimize out the grain-based and starch carbs and substitute with larger oxalate meals like almond flour solely to undergo a kidney stone assault or extra critical signs like vulvodynia inside a number of months.
With almond flour maybe the most well-liked grain-free possibility for cooking and baking, I believed I’d share a number of phrases on what the perfect options could be in case you are oxalate delicate and want to scale back publicity.
Low Oxalate Nut Flour?
Sadly, the time period “low oxalate nuts” is a little bit of an oxymoron.
Whereas there are nuts which might be decrease in oxalates than others, there actually aren’t any really “low oxalate nuts” that I’ve come throughout.
For instance, pecans, walnuts, and macadamia nuts are maybe the bottom in oxalates coming in at 10 mg, 8 mg, and 12 mg per ounce, respectively.
To be thought of “low oxalate”, a meals actually must be lower than 10 mg per serving.
Thus, even nuts that include the least quantity of oxalates are proper on the borderline of being too excessive.
Starch Flours
With regards to avoiding excessive oxalate nut flours, significantly almond which is highest in oxalates, potato starch or flour is the perfect various.
Nonetheless, keep away from cassava (tapioca) flour and arrowroot, that are each on the upper finish for oxalates.
Since potato flour may be very starchy, it might not be a suitable selection for these on a low-carb food plan for weight reduction functions or a gut-healing food plan like GAPS.
Nonetheless, for individuals who are capable of tolerate a starch-based various to almond flour, potato flour is the perfect low-oxalate possibility to contemplate.
Fruit Flours
One other good various to nut flour like almond is coconut, thought of a fruit flour as a result of it comes from a drupe.
Nonetheless, be careful for others like inexperienced banana flour and plantain, that are considerably larger in oxalate.
The draw back of coconut flour is that it can’t be substituted 1:1 in recipes calling for almond flour.
Solely small quantities of coconut flour are appropriate in a recipe.
Thus, one other flour will usually have to be blended with coconut flour to realize the suitable texture. Another choice is to make use of one of many flours under by itself when subbing out the almond flour.
My favourite choices to make use of for this objective are mentioned subsequent.
Seed Flours
By far, my finest advice for low-oxalate options to almond flour is seed flour.
Particularly, sunflower seed flour is my private favourite adopted by pumpkin seed meal.
Keep away from flaxseed meal or flour, nevertheless, which is unfortunately a very fashionable low-oxalate dietary selection.
It’s because flax may be very estrogenic, second solely to soy. Common consumption of flax can set off precancerous breasts amongst different hormonal points if eaten steadily.
I personally by no means embrace something flax on the menu. Our world is so polluted with pseudo-estrogens as it’s.
Even in case you reside very clear and eat high-quality meals, you might be doubtless getting uncovered to their results. Therefore, in my view, there’s solely a draw back to including flax to your food plan.
Sunflower seed flour is great as a result of you may substitute it 1:1 for almond flour in your recipes.
Bear in mind that you’ll want to make it your self as industrial variations are doubtless stale and/or rancid.
The excellent news is that it’s fairly easy to make.
I like to recommend shopping for sprouted sunflower seeds (that is the model I take advantage of) and milling into recent flour in a espresso grinder.
Alternatively, you may soak hulled sunflower seeds in a single day, drain and dry them in a heat oven (or dehydrator), after which mill into flour. This methodology is a little more time-consuming, however inexpensive.
Baking Ideas
Grain mills don’t work that effectively for milling seed flours as a result of oiliness. Thus, it’s a good suggestion to spend money on an affordable espresso grinder for this process.
If you’re cooking for a big family, make massive batches after which freeze for fast use later!
Frozen seed flour can be utilized in recipes straight proper out of the freezer with no thawing time obligatory.
Conclusion
Whereas larger oxalate meals will not be unhealthy and have been routinely included in conventional diets from world wide, in our trendy period, some folks have to keep away from them a minimum of briefly.
This is because of a necessity for rebalancing the intestine to a extra various and favorable microbial steadiness.
Throughout this time, grains are finest averted together with excessive oxalate almond and different nut flours.
Essentially the most sensible 1:1 substitution in recipes that can also be grain and starch free is sunflower seed flour adopted by pumpkin seed meal (a bit more durable to mill into high quality flour).
Potato starch or flour can also be an possibility for these capable of tolerate starch and never in any other case on a intestine therapeutic protocol.
As well as, coconut flour is an possibility, however solely small quantities work effectively in baking resulting from textural points.
For an optimum digestive and dietary expertise, I like to recommend milling sunflower or pumpkin seed flour from sprouted or soaked seeds.
References
(1) Low Oxalate Nuts and Seeds
(2) Finest Substitutes for Almond Flour
(3) Oxalates on a Gluten-free Eating regimen
