You can find the clear, pearly tapioca in your pudding and the dark, chewy tapioca bubbles in bubble tea. Tapioca flour is also often used as a thickening agent in pies and breads. Tapioca is the gelatinized form of a starch that comes from the cassava plant. The cassava plant is a starchy root native to South America, similar in nature to potatoes and yams. While certain populations depend on tapioca flour as a staple food, its nutritional content is less than ideal.
Starch
Tapioca flour, like wheat flour, is very high in starch. Starch is a type of carbohydrate and while carbohydrates are an essential component of your diet, starch is very high in calories. Each gram of tapioca flour contains about 0.9 g of carbohydrates, with 1 g of carbohydrate containing about 4 calories. However, tapioca flour contains more starch per gram than regular white wheat flour and offers less of the other nutrients that wheat provides.
Protein
Protein deficiency frequently occurs in the regions where tapioca is the primary staple food. Tapioca flour is less than 1 percent protein, compared to white, unenriched wheat flour, which is 10 percent protein.
Fiber and Fat
Tapioca flour contains almost no fiber or fat. Per 100 g of tapioca flour, there is a little less than 1 g of fiber and almost no fat. Meanwhile, white wheat flour contains about 1 g of fat and a little less than 3 g of fiber per 100 g.
Vitamins
Tapioca essentially has no vitamins. Then again, white wheat flour also does not contain any vitamins except for niacin, a type of vitamin B. White flour contains about 1 mg of niacin. The daily recommended amount of niacin for adults is between 14 and 16 mg. Enriched flour and whole wheat flour often have higher amounts of niacin.
Minerals
Tapioca fares a little better in nutrition when it comes to minerals: 100 g of tapioca flour contains 20 mg of calcium, 1.5 mg of iron, 1 mg of magnesium, 7 mg of phosphorus and 11 mg of potassium. For comparison, white wheat flour contains 14 mg of calcium, 1 mg of iron, 22 mg of magnesium, 108 mg of phosphorus, 107 mg of potassium and 34 mcg of selenium.
Considerations
Overall, tapioca flour is not the healthiest choice when considering its nutritional value because it is not a significant source of vitamins, minerals, protein or fiber. It is high in carbohydrates and therefore high in caloric content. Add that to the fact that most tapioca comes with vanilla or sugar added in for flavor. However, people don't usually consume tapioca flour in large quantities or consider it as a major staple food, so the nutritional deficiencies should not pose a large problem.
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