Buckwheat flour – is it what diabetics have been looking for?

Buckwheat flour may very well be the perfect choice of bread alternative for Australian diabetics. Unfortunately, food staples like white bread, that most of us take for granted, need to be avoided by those who suffer from diabetes. This is because refined starches, basically anything made with white flour, can elevate blood sugar levels and therefore cause serious complications for those with diabetes.

What is buckwheat flour?

You may not know this, but  buckwheat flour is not a wheat product at all. Its origins lie in the seeds of a flowering fruit closely related to the rhubarb plant. This ancient grain delivers a rich, toasty, nutty flavour, and  it is most commonly used as a wheat substitute when baking foods such as bread and cakes. Extremely popular amongst those suffering from celiac disease and with wheat allergies, this product may also be extremely beneficial for those with diabetes.

Research shows that buckwheat flour may help diabetics

Research has shown that consumption of buckwheat flour can lower blood sugar levels by 12%-19%. The study, published by the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry , tested the effect of buckwheat flour on rats with type 1 diabetes. The diabetics rats were shown to have dramatically reduced blood sugar levels having been fed buckwheat extract prior to consumption of their meal. The control group of rats, who were not fed buckwheat, experienced no such lowering of blood sugar levels.

The results indicate that consumption of this product may lower blood sugar levels in diabetes sufferers. This is due to the active ingredient chiro-inositol, which is present in high levels within this product but often absent in most other foods.

Managing diabetes with buckwheat flour

For the diabetes sufferer keen to introduce buckwheat flour into their diet, there are a range of ways to do so. When baking bread, cakes and muffins simply use it instead of traditional wheat flour. If cooking a stew, soup or pasta sauce then simply add this white flour alternative into the pot and stir thoroughly for added flavour and thickness. Alternatively, add ground buckwheat groats to your hot cereal or as an ingredient in your granola recipe. Lastly consider buckwheat pancakes when looking to treat yourself.

Australian Buckwheat flour products

There are three main forms of buckwheat flour products available for purchase in Australia. There is dark, light and kasha (toasted) buckwheat products that are readily available from specialist health food stores.

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