White flour or bleached, refined flour made from wheat has the reputation of being unhealthy because of its refined carbohydrates and effects on blood sugar. Soy flour can be a higher-protein, lower-glycemic alternative and you can make bread from either one. Soy foods and enriched, refined white flour can both be beneficial components in an overall balanced diet.
Weight Control
Refined, white wheat flour weighs 125 g per cup, and has 455 calories. Full-fat soy flour weighs 84 g and has 366 calories per cup, while defatted soy flour weighs 105 g and has 346 calories per cup. Each cup of white flour has 96 g total carbohydrates and 3 g dietary fiber; full-fat soy flour has 36 g total carbohydrates and 8.1 g dietary fiber; and defatted soy flour has 40 g total carbohydrates and 18.4 g fiber. Soy flour may be better than white flour for controlling your weight because it has fewer calories per cup and is higher in dietary fiber, which can help you limit your calorie intake because it slows down digestion and decreases hunger. Eating a high-fiber diet can help you control your weight.
Heart Health
Meatless sources of protein can be heart-healthy alternatives to fatty meats, and soy flour is a better choice than white flour. White flour has 13 g protein per cup, while full-fat soy flour has 29 g protein and defatted soy flour has 49 g protein per cup. Soy flour is not only higher in protein than white flour but is also a source of complete protein, which means that it contains each of the essential amino acids that you need to get from the diet, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. The protein in white flour is not complete. White flour and defatted soy flour are both low in total and saturated fat, with less than 1 g of each, but in moderation, full-fat soy flour may be the best choice for your heart health because it is rich in unsaturated fats. A cup has 17 g total fat, including 1.1 g omega-3 polyunsaturated fats and only 2.5 g cholesterol-raising saturated fat. Most Americans do not get recommended amounts of omega-3 fats, according to the Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center.
Vitamins
Unenriched white flour is low in nutrients because many of the vitamins and minerals are removed from wheat flour during processing, but enriched white flour has a similar amount of vitamins as soy flour. Enriched white flour has thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and folic acid added to it, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Full-fat and defatted soy flour are naturally rich in these same vitamins, including 290 to 320 mcg folate, or about three-quarters of the daily value. Soy flour is a better source of vitamin E, a fat-soluble antioxidant vitamin.
Minerals
Enriched white flour has 5.8 mg iron per cup or nearly one-third of the daily value for iron. Soy flour has 5.3 to 9 mg iron per cup, as well as 2.5 to 3 mg zinc, or about 20 percent of the daily value. White flour and soy flour are low in sodium, with no more than 21 mg per cup, and soy flour has more than 2,000 mg potassium, which is an essential mineral for a healthy blood pressure. White flour has 134 mg potassium; thus, soy flour is a better choice for mineral content.
References
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Cereal Grains and Pasta
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Legumes and Legume Products
- Harvard School of Public Health: Protein: Moving Closer to Center Stage
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010; January 2010
- Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center; Essential Fatty Acids; Jane Higdon; December 2005
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