If you are eating gluten-free, keto, paleo, or just looking for healthy food options, you must have come across the new flour substitutes that promise to deliver a lot of nutrition. And while almond and coconut are the most popular alternatives, banana flour is the latest addition to the lot. Made from bananas the flour is gluten-free, paleo-friendly, and extremely healthy. Here's everything you need to know about this nutritional powerhouse and how you can add it to your meals.

What is Banana Flour?

Made from green, unripe bananas, the fruits are peeled, cooked, and ground into a fine powder. The flour is mildly sweet in flavour and light in texture, so you can easily substitute it with all-purpose flour. Its a naturally sweet flour that can be great for baking. Gluten-Free Diet: What Are The Benefits (and Disadvantages) of Going Gluten-Free?

What are the Benefits of Banana Flour?

With zero fat, the flour is rich in both fibre and protein. A great source of potassium, the starch from unripe bananas acts as a prebiotic to feed the good bacteria in the gut. And although it is naturally sweet, you do not have to worry about the sugar spikes as it has a low glycemic index. Plus, it is naturally gluten-free and adds more nutrition to your recipes. Gluten-Free Pizza and Pasta Have Presence of Gluten, Says New Study.

How to Use Banana Flour?

Banana flour is versatile and can be used in different recipes, not just baking. Apart from baking, you can use banana flour as a thickening agent in smoothies, soups and even stews. Start with a tablespoon in your recipes and gradually build in from there. Gluten Free Diet: Replace Wheat With These Healthy Grains if You Are Gluten Intolerant.

However, note that banana flour has a high starch content due to which it absorbs more liquid than other flours. So, if you want something light, airy, and fluffy, you would want to choose other healthy flours for optimum results.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 09, 2020 04:18 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).