Coconut flour is made from ground coconut meat, and as such, has all the nutritional benefits of the coconut. It is high in fiber and full of nutrients like calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, zinc, and a whole bunch of B vitamins.
Substituting With Coconut Flour
Coconut flour is also fairly low in carbohydrates, making it ideal as a replacement for wheat flour. Some people even prefer to use coconut flour when baking in place of wheat flour or almond flour. Although almond flour is certainly Paleo friendly, it does contain certain anti-nutrients, including phytates and Omega-6 fats. As such, should be limited. Coconut flour, on the other hand doesn’t have any of the anti-nutrients of wheat or almonds and is lower on the glycemic index. Be careful when substituting, though, as coconut flour has a greater tendency to soak up liquid in a recipe creating a product that is dryer than what you might prefer. To combat this, coconut flour is usually supplemented with tapioca or arrowroot flour to make a lighter, fluffier recipe.
Mark Sisson has a whole post on the pros and cons of coconut flour, as well as some suggestions for using it in the kitchen.
