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wheat through steel cylinders, it has
had a huge commercial success as
inexpensive, easily workable and with
a long conservation. Despite having
a white appearance, which inspires
purity, today it has been demonised
because, being very refined, i.e.
deprived of the best parts of wheat
such as bran and germ, it loses most
of its original nutritional properties.
This type of flour is detrimental
to our health because it has a high
glycemic index, i.e. it causes an
excessive increase of blood glucose
(blood sugar) resulting in massive
liberation of insulin (hypoglycemic
hormone, which serves to reduce
the excess blood sugar) from the
pancreas. In the long run this
mechanism of compensation, which
our body puts in place to protect us,
leads to a accumulation of fats and
in general to the weakening of the
organism by exposing us to serious
pathologies such as obesity and type
II diabetes which, in recent years,
represent a real social plague by
hitting increasingly younger people.
In general, compared to other flours,
the white one is therefore poor in
fibre, proteins, minerals and vitamins
and excessively rich in carbohydrates,
i.e. sugars, which for the reason
above in the long run are harmful.
To safeguard our health and weight it
would be useful to reduce its use in
the kitchen and opt for other types
of flour, such as wholemeal, as long
as it is in fact that. Pay attention to
the colour, it must be dark! (On the
market we often find wholemeal
flours made such by industrial tricks,
i.e. scraps of ground bran simply
added to the 00 flour that has no
more nutritional value, indeed, if In
excess could reduce the absorption of
iron and calcium.)
Wholemeal flour, (better if stone-
ground to keep intact its nutritional
qualities because the millstones,
working at low speeds, do not
overheat the flour preserving the
nutrients) contains the grain in all its
parts, both bran and germ, for this
reason it has a low glycemic index,
more proteins, more fibre, minerals
and vitamins. The dark colour does
not definitely make it palatable, its
incisive taste is unpleasant to some,
and it is more difficult to work
with but certainly better from the
nutritional point of view. Remember,
however, that both the above flours,
such as spelt and barley for example,
contain gluten!
Given the increase in celiac cases, we
can opt for other types of gluten-free
flour, such as rice obtained from the
grinding of the whole grain of white
rice. It is less used in Europe because
it does not have a great aptitude for
leavening because it contains a low
percentage of proteins, and being
very rich in starch (carbohydrates)
is consequently more caloric but has
a white appearance, a delicate and
pleasant taste, therefore the best
advice is to mix with other flours
(to reduce the glycemic index),
such as quinoa flour, obtained
from stone processing of quinoa
seeds, a herbaceous plant in South
America. From a nutritional point
of view it is a food rich in proteins,
carbohydrates with low glycemic
index, minerals and vitamins and
is therefore considered to be better
from the nutritional point of view
than the others. Maize flour, obtained
from the grinding of maize or corn
seeds, has a pleasant amber colour
and a sweet taste, is economical
and for these reasons has always
been widely used in the kitchen,
not only to obtain polenta but also
for sweets and baked goods. Also in
this case, opt for the one obtained
through stone grinding that keeps
intact its nutritional properties. It
is poor in proteins but contains
important amino acids (alanine
and leucine), mineral salts such as
potassium, fibre, starch, vitamins,
vitamin A above all. Buckwheat
flour, obtained from the grinding of
buckwheat seeds, (originally planted
in southern Siberia), is used more
and more frequently in the kitchen
both for pasta and for bread and
biscuits. However, it has a high power
allergenic therefore attention must be
paid to it. It contains low glycemic
index carbohydrates, provides a
discrete protein intake, potassium,
zinc, vitamins, rutin (antioxidant)
and fibre, therefore recommended
for celiacs but also to those who
want to stay in shape. Having a very
particular flavour it is often mixed
with other gluten-free flours.
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* Dr. Barbara Panterna is a medical
surgeon with Post-graduate
specialisation in human nutrition
obtained at the State University
of Milan. She is active in food
education and geriatrics and a
teacher/trainer for the Lombardy
region in first aid and microbiology
courses. She is the author of
several articles of medical/scientific
character and novels available on
Amazon books.
She recently published though
Passi Editore: Stories of Ordinary
Gynaecology, distributed in Italy by
Bayer Pharmaceutical. She carries
out her medical activity in Milan as a
private practice.
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