Is 00 flour or wholemeal flour better? Answers the nutritionist

Is 00 flour or wholemeal flour better?

Answers Dr. Pietro Senette, nutritionist and researcher.

«White flour "00" is a food in vogue and in vogue in the last 60 years, present in bread, pasta, pizzas, sandwiches, snacks and sweets. It derives from a grain of wheat deprived of fundamental parts such as the fiber, the external bran, the wheat germ or internal embryo. This unfortunately implies a net loss of valuable micronutrients: 80% thiamin B1, 60% riboflavin B2, 75% niacin B3, 50% pantothenic acid B5 and 50% pyridoxine B6, 50% of calcium, 70% of phosphorus, 80% of iron, 98% of magnesium, 75% of manganese, 50% of potassium and 65% of copper. No wonder then, if the assiduous consumption of refined flours is to be considered to all intents and purposes one of the causes of malnutrition and wholemeal ones are normally to be preferred instead.

There is also a "derived" metabolic problem that is not exactly insignificant: the more products derived from "00" flour a person consumes, the faster the glycemic leap will be in that subject. This will cause significant stress on the pancreas which has to release a large amount of insulin into the blood, with immediate consequences such as lethargy, mental confusion, weakness and false appetite.