Your Guide To Clean Eating Flour
If you’ve ever had questions about this, I’ve created your guide to clean eating flour!
I get a lot of questions regarding clean eating flour and what constitutes a clean eating grain. Many people do not understand the difference between whole grains and processed grains, which leaves them lost and frustrated in the bread isle.
But it’s not as difficult as it may seem at first. This guide to clean eating flour will help you understand the basic concepts behind choosing things like breads and crackers when you shop.
YOUR GUIDE TO CLEAN EATING FLOUR
THE DIFFERENCE
Wheat is a grain. It is harvested, and then brought to a mill in its whole state.
At the mill, the wheat berries (which is the entire grain, minus the inedible, outside husk) can basically become one of two things:
- Whole wheat flour – This is simply the entire grain that has been harvested, ground up and put into a container or package as is. All the nutritious stuff is still in there because nothing was removed. It is the WHOLE wheat berry, therefore, it is listed as whole wheat, whole grain or whole meal.
- Wheat flour – The entire wheat berry is processed, most often bleached, and has all the good nutritious stuff removed. This creates a flour that makes baked goods very light and fluffy. It also converts to sugar much faster in the body. All the nutritious stuff has been removed. It has been processed (or altered), which is what clean eating avoids. This is most often listed as wheat flour, or even durum wheat semolina. If it doesn’t have the word “whole” in front of it, it’s not clean flour. That’s why you want to look for products that actually say “100% whole wheat/grain/meal” on the label.
READING LABELS
Labeling laws do not require all companies to label things the same way. It’s up to you to educate yourself enough to understand what each term means.
Refined – Has lost many nutritious components during processing.
Enriched or Fortified – Flour that has had all its nutritious components removed during processing and then has certain vitamins and/or minerals added back in. These are not as good as whole wheat or whole grains simply because the only vitamins and minerals added back in are the ones that are required by law to be replaced. This leaves out a wide range of other healthy nutrients that our bodies need and can get from whole grains.
Whole grain – Call it whole grain, whole wheat or whole meal. Regardless of the name you give it, it means that the entire grain has been used and you will receive the full amount of nutrient benefit that comes from the grain as mother nature intended it.
WHAT IS WHITE WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR?
Many people get confused when they see a bag of flour that says “White Whole Wheat Flour”. But don’t be confused. There are many different varieties of wheat available, even though we only find one predominantly in the market place. When a bag of flour is labeled as white whole wheat flour, it is still a whole grain flour. It’s just made from a different variety of wheat that is lighter in color and flavor. This is a fantastic “transition” grain if you are having trouble adjusting to eating whole grains. As long as the word “whole” is in the title, it’s clean.
WHAT IS WHOLE WHEAT PASTRY FLOUR?
This is mainly the only flour I use when I cook and bake. It is whole wheat flour made from spring wheat. It’s a finer “grind” and has a higher starch content and lower gluten content than regular whole wheat flour made from winter wheat. A finished muffin or other food item will have a tad bit less structure to it than it would if you use regular whole wheat flour, but it will be far less dense and coarse as well. This leaves you with something a little closer to a product made with regular white flour. It has more of that “fluffy” factor to it which is great for muffins and many baked goods.
WHAT IS WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR?
This is the variety most folks can find when looking for whole grain flour. It’s pretty common and easy to find, even in most mainstream stores. It is made of a winter wheat and will produce a coarser, denser, “breadier” result in whatever you use it in, as compared to the pastry variety.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN YOU SHOP
If you are trying to eat clean, then you will want to purchase only those products that say 100% WHOLE grain/meal/flour.
Be sure to read the ingredient list because if it doesn’t say “100%” then it will most likely have whole grain flour AND regular wheat flour listed, typically one right after the other. This is not a clean product. The package MUST say “100% Whole grain/flour/meal” to be clean.
ONE LAST NOTE
It’s worth mentioning that the wheat we eat today is not at all the same wheat that our great grandmother’s ate. We now eat a hybrid wheat which has been often attributed to the epidemic of wheat and gluten intolerance we are seeing today. While GMO wheat has not been approved by the FDA (yet), it’s likely that it will be approved some time in the future, and illegal GMO wheat fields have been found, which leaves one to wonder about cross contamination. But the general wheat supply (as far as we’ve been told), is not GMO wheat. It’s a hybrid.
That being said, most grains are covered in Roundup just prior to harvest to make harvesting easier. So choosing organic is always the better choice.
But any way you look at it, it’s been tampered with and we are now seeing the effects in many, many people. So whether or not you view wheat as truly clean is up to you and your standards of clean eating. Just be advised that if you do give up wheat, most gluten free products on the market are not clean and definitely highly processed. You will have to learn to make a lot of your own foods if you wish to eat clean and gluten/wheat free.
Hope that helps! If you have any further questions, please leave a comment and I will do my best to answer. I hope you’ve enjoyed your guide to clean eating flour!
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Whole foods does carry it, or you can order it from Amazon.com. The brand they sell is Bob’s Redmill. If you have to settle for something else, the next best thing is WHITE whole wheat flour. I believe walmart does carry that.
Have you read “Wheat Belly”? It explaines how wheat was taken from its original state and genetically change, the wheat we ate 20 years ago is not the wheat we eat today. So I am not sure, organic or not, you can ever say wheat is “clean” …..just food for thought
“Wheat Belly” says that we should stay away from ALL today’s wheat. It does not differentiate between Whole or processed. I’ve personally embraced coconut flour.
I am just starting to try to cook clean and some friends were talking about “splet” flour. They say it does not affect the glycemic index as much. Do you know if this is true? When I went to by this at my local Natural Foods Market, I was overwhelmed at the “whole grain flour” choice. I guess I am feeling confuses. I want a nice smooth flour.
Also, how do you feel about xylitol or erthytol as sugar substitutes?
Thanks!
If you can find it, whole wheat pastry flour is a great option. After that would be white whole wheat flour. Spelt is a wonderful grain too though. Just depends on what you want to make.
I don’t consider xylitol clean, but many people do. So it’s a personal choice. Not sure about the erthytol (sp?)
Hi!
What are your thoughts on the new “super grains” becoming available? Including Teff, Millet, and Kamut? I saw these mentioned on doctor Oz and want to give them a try but also stay within the Clean Eating Lifestyle.
As long as they are whole grain, which I think they are, they are clean.
hi amy! can you give me a strait answer on almond flour? clean or not? i keep getting loads of mixed answers. i want to bake with just almond and coconut flour. thank you
As far as I know, it’s perfectly clean providing the only thing in the ingredient list is almonds. But you can also make it yourself. I have a recipes for it here on my blog. 🙂
** Tiffany, I’m sorry
This is one of the best explanations of what really constitutes the proper wheat flour that I’ve ever read. It’s amazing how deceptive some of the labeling is. You’re right….you really have to read carefully and know what you’re looking for to make sure you buy the proper type. So much of the stuff we buy has all the fiber stripped out of it!
Emma – Thanks. Glad you found it useful. 🙂
I was looking at a recipe that calls for wholemeal spelt flour. Can I sub for 100% whole grain flour?
Liz – Yes, it should work fine. Depends on the recipe though as spelt is a little different than the regular wheat we have now.
Hi Kristi ,
Yes ,I switched to einkorn flour few months ago , I also use kamut flour and spelt , as they belong to the family of ancient wheat .since I’ve read Wiliam Davis’ book “Wheat Belly” ,I realized how modern wheat is the reason of many health problems.
As I live in Canada I was not able to order einkorn from Jovial , luckily I discovered a farm located in Saskatchewan, Prime Grains Canada.Now, I bake all my favorite recipes the clean way.I feel great.
I have gone to the Paleo diet, using no grains. There are many wonderful recipes for breads using Almond and or Coconut Flour! Costco just started carrying Honeyville’s Almond Flour.
Leta – Yes, but you have to be careful with almond flour too. Heating it causes chemical changes in the flour that are not good for us in high amounts. I would not rely on that as a constant source of bread. Occasionally is okay, but not on a daily basis. Coconut flour, however is fabulous stuff. It is a very different animal compared to other flours though. Takes some getting used to.
What about King Arthur’s unbleached all purpose flour? It says its milled from 100% wheat. Is it considered clean?
Brooke – No. And here’s why… All purpose flour is white, processed flour. The only thing that “100% wheat” statement is telling you (if that’s the exact wording) is that they didn’t mix in any corn or oats or any other ingredients with it. So it’s completely, 100% wheat, but it’s still white, processed wheat. Now, if it said, “100% WHOLE wheat”, that would be different. That would be clean.
Would you consider trader joes 100% white whole wheat flour clean?
Brianne – Yes.
Hi! I just sent this article to my sister in the comments and noticed someone asking about whole wheat flour and why it is so dense. You are right, you get used to the different texture and, just as you do, I have learned to prefer. She might be able to add vital wheat gluten for a puffier bread, though.
CEIAL – Good point! I forgot about that.
Hi Gracious Pantry,
I have been following and cooking your recipes now for the past 6 months, however i would love to make these pretzels. I am in Australia and for the life of me i can not get my hands on whole wheat pastry flour, this there anything else i can use?
Tina – The next step would be White Whole Wheat Flour. Can you find some of that?
I cannot find any info on what patent flour is. I am new to clean eating. I bought bread at the farmers market called sourdough whole wheat. the ingredients are organic whole wheat flour, organic patent flour, organic whole rye flour, sea salt, filtered water.
Jeannette – “Straight flour is used to make patent, clear, and low-grade flours”. I don’t know a lot about it, but it doesn’t sound clean to me.
Some dietician recommend not to eat any flour because it’s processed and therefore not good for you I just want to find unprocessed flour What brands you suggest and where can I purchase them .
Thank you
Anna
Anna – All flour is processed. They have to process it from the wheat berries into the flour. But the process is basically just grinding. Something you would do at home if you grew your own wheat. The big deal is to avoid white flour because that is processed in more unnatural ways. They bleach it and so all sorts of things to it. Typically, whole grain flour is what you want. You can ask your dietitian about this to be sure, but I think that may be what he/she was referring to.
Is adding vital wheat gluten considered clean? I thought we were going for WHOLE foods here.
Ashley – I’m pretty sure vital wheat gluten is okay for clean eating, though I’d have to research it a bit more.
Thank you for this info on flour. I have two questions though: 1.) what exactly is the difference between all purpose white flour and all purpose sapphire flour? Is sapphire a bit better? 2.) is white whole wheat flour the same or close to whole wheat pastry flour? I don’t always keep white whole wheat on hand, but I do have wwp. Thanks!
Rachel – I have never heard of sapphire flour. Sorry.
I have a question on different flours…….probably the answer is already posted somewhere, but can’t seem to find. I am trying to figure out which flour to try using more for baking breads and sweet stuff, like cookies and brownies. So, going between white whole wheat flour and whole wheat pastry flour. Also, I have noticed with switching to all this whole grains, someone might be a little sensitive….don’t think need gluten free, just seeing if one of these might be better on the tummy while switching over to more whole grains over all the yucky processed stuff. Thank you!
Nicole – If you have access to whole wheat pastry flour, I have found that to give the best result in baking. However, I have no idea what the tummy issues are about or what would be better for that. Your best bet is to contact your doctor or a registered dietitian.