Is Sweet Potato Flour The New Health Trend We All Need?

As people try to follow a healthier lifestyle, they often search for alternatives to common foods that will be kinder to their bodies. An excellent example of this is using sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes, as these substitutes offer fewer calories and carbohydrates. They also come with more vitamin A, which can do great things for your immunity and overall health.

Given the love for sweet potato nowadays, it's no surprise to hear that sweet potato flour is now an ingredient that people are starting to cook with. What exactly is this stuff, though, and why might someone want to use it in their food? Is sweet potato flour the new health trend we all need?

Scientists found a way to grind sweet potatoes down into flour

We've seen over the years that sweet potatoes are an incredibly versatile food. Nowadays, you can get them as all sorts of snacks and dishes, from french fries and tortilla chips to rice and noodles. For that reason, it makes sense that sweet potato flour is a thing, although not every food can be turned into this baking ingredient. Scientists apparently managed it with sweet potatoes by slicing them, drying them at a certain temperature, and then grinding them down. The result is something that you can substitute into a lot of recipes for far healthier creations. However, if you do plan on baking with sweet potato flour, you may need some xanthan gum and less water to ensure your efforts are successful.

The nutritional value of sweet potato flour isn't necessarily better

Of course, before you start tossing sweet potato flour into everything you bake, it's worth understanding the nutritional value of this stuff. Apparently, ¼ cup of Zocalo Gourmet flour provides 120 calories, three grams of protein, and no fat. It also has 27 grams of carbohydrates, eight grams of sugar, four grams of fiber, and 47 milligrams of sodium. These values can differ slightly depending on the brand of sweet potato flour that you buy. However, we should point out that the same portion of your standard all-purpose flour has slightly fewer calories, carbohydrates, sugar, and sodium. So, with that in mind, is this stuff really a good idea to start using?

Sweet potato flour does still offer plenty of excellent health benefits

While sweet potato flour might not seem like a healthier alternative, it's worth noting that some of the differences are pretty minor. For instance, the example listed here only has ten more calories than all-purpose flour, so it's not going to make a difference to your waistline. Moreover, this stuff apparently comes with plenty of benefits that you won't get with other products. For one, it's an excellent source of fiber, which is something that we should all probably be eating more of on a regular basis. Secondly, while sweet potato flour might have more carbohydrates, some of this is resistant starch, which can apparently help to slow the rise of blood sugar levels. Finally, the vitamin A that comes from eating regular sweet potatoes is still present when it's ground into flour, which definitely isn't a bad thing.

It's also a great alternative for anyone who can't eat gluten

People don't simply search for food alternatives because they want to help their waistline. Some are intolerant to things like dairy or gluten, so they need to find substitutes that don't contain these elements. One of the great things about sweet potato flour is that it falls into this category, at least for those who need to eat gluten-free products. If you've had to steer clear from baking or eating sweet treats in general because of regular flour, this stuff can be a real lifesaver. As long as you're not allergic to sweet potatoes, it should be perfectly safe to use. Just note that you may have to practice a lot when using it with existing recipes if you want to get the desired result. Apparently, it's best to only substitute this stuff for 25% of the regular flour in a dish rather than all of it. However, if you can't eat gluten, that isn't really an option.

Sweet potato flour isn't a food without its faults. It's clear, though, that this ingredient definitely offers some great perks that you won't find with the regular stuff. So, whether you can't eat gluten or you want some more vitamin A and fiber in your diet, this is certainly a health trend worth considering.