“It’s gluten-free, so that’s great,” says New York City–based holistic nurse practitioner Victoria Albina, N.P., MPH. “It has a delicious natural sweetness, allowing you to use less sweetener in your baking.” Coconut flour is naturally gluten-free, which makes it an ideal option for people who either can’t tolerate gluten or are seeking out ways to reduce their intake. The nutritional info for coconut flour is as follows: If coconut flour isn’t available in your local grocery story, but you’d still like to try subbing in a gluten-free option in standard recipes, you might consider alternatives like buckwheat, sorghum, teff, or brown rice flour. One option that’s particularly popular is almond flour, made from ground, blanched almonds. Like coconut flour, it contains small amounts of minerals like iron, calcium, and potassium and is rich in vitamin E. However, it has more calories, higher fat content, and a different texture than coconut flour, so it may not fit into every recipe. The nutritional profile of almond flour per quarter-cup is approximately: She’s also a contributing editor at California Home Design.
