Video: Is almond flour a healthy choice?

>>> time now for "joy's diet s.o.s." where we answer your daily diet dilemmas. our favorite "today" nutritionist joy bauer is here from the healthiest peanut butter to the accuracy of calorie counters on workout equipment . we want to go to suzanne . she's checking in via skype from allison park, pennsylvania. good morning, suzanne .

>> good morning. hi, joy and al.

>> what's your question?

>> hi. i've heard that almond flour is good for you because it's low on the glycemic index . however it's significantly higher in calories. so i wondered if you think it's better for you thanary whole grain now flours. and i'm gluten free so i typically use a brown rice flour blend.

>> it's true that almond flour is low on the glycemic index . that means that it doesn't spike your blood sugar . that's because it's low in carbs and high in fiber. it's actually a really good gluten free option for diabetics and for people that have high blood sugar issues. but like you mentioned it's super high in calories and that's because it's basically ground almonds. and we know that almonds are super healthy like all nuts but they're also very calorie dense. i think the perfect compromise for gluten free recipes is look at how much total flour a recipe calls for, maybe healthy muffins or pancakes and then use a third almond flour and two thirds your traditional brown rice blend or any other flour, and then you get the benefits of the almond flour but keep the calories down.

>> all right. suzanne , thanks so much.

>> thank you.

>> now we've got glinda from rochester, michigan. good morning.

>> good morning, al and joy. i've always thought that reduced fat peanut butter was a healthier choice versus regular peanut butter . but when i look at the label, i've noticed that although the fat content might be less, it has higher amounts of other items that might not be so desirable. which is the healthier choice?

>> so, there's no benefit to buying reduced fat peanut butter . you really nailed it. whether it's reduced fat or traditional peanut butter , two tablespoons will give you roughly 200 calories. and the reduced fat peanut butter , when they pull out the fat, what are they doing? they're adding in extra carbohydrates. so you're better off getting the heart healthy fat from the peanuts for those calories than just extra carbohydrates. but the only caveat is on the market now, if you're looking for a super low calorie reduced fat peanut butter they have these powdered brands. the most popular is called pb-2 and they press the oil-roasted peanuts and extract about 85% of the fat. so you take the powder and you mix it with water and it's only 45 calories per two tablespoons.

>> how do they taste?

>> well, that's the thing. it doesn't taste bad. but you're definitely going to have to compromise a little bit on the taste and the texture. al, the company is going to kill me.

>> it's not horrible, but, you know --

>> for people that are looking for the dramatic calorie savings, it really does taste okay. but it doesn't taste like the real mccoy .

>> all right. or you can just grind up a corduroy suit and try that.

>> no! it doesn't taste that bad! he's lying. .

>> all right. a viewer e-mail here from virginia. she writes, how accurate are the calorie trackers on workout equipme equipment? some machines ask me my weight and age but some don't require that info.

>> unfortunately, the calories are not that accurate. they can overshoot by about 20%. and it really makes sense. because to figure out how many personal calories you're burning you need your age, your height, your weight, your heartrate, your fitness level, your body composition. so the machine can't take all of that into consideration. but i still think it's a great ball park figure. it's true encouragement but you just don't want to us it as the end all. for people who want a more specific number you can invest in a heart rate monitor because that will give you a truer reading.

>> do you burn more calories

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