Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

2

Do you get bloated from coconut flour?

flag	asked Mar 1 2012 at 7:51 norwegian girl 1,513●7●17

	If I eat a lot, absolutely. It's got quite the fiber load. – Mscott Mar 1 2012 at 8:02
	Absolutely. It's not uncommon, either, from what I hear/read. – January Mar 1 2012 at 8:58
	Yep, mad bloat. – Renee Mar 1 2012 at 15:14
	Unfortunately in early Paleo - not so much any more. Perhaps gut dysbiosis was resolved? – Lady_Arwen Mar 2 2012 at 3:21
	Do you have the same reaction to actual coconut? i.e. you crack open a coconut and eat the inside? (Some people do have allergies to coconuts, so by trying actual coconut you'll know by elimination if it's the flour, the coconut, or some other ingredient that was baked/cooked with the coconut flour - maybe eggs, for example, in the baking process.) – raydawg Mar 2 2012 at 10:23

Milla · Accepted Answer · 2012-03-01 12:22:51Z UTC

Hey,

The one time I tried it, it felt like I had a brick in my stomach.

That's not surprising at all, since coconut flour is dried up, pulverized defatted coconut, thus almost pure fiber. (2 tablespoons contain 9 grams fiber). Furthermore, the fiber is mostly insoluble (93%), which can be problematic since it passes through the digestive tract intact and hence 'bulks up' the stool; its one of the cited problems with unrefined grains, and one of the reasons why people with IBS and other digestive issues are often told to favour, say, polished white rice over brown rice if they wish to consume it.

It might also present an issue to people with severe fructose malabsorbtion - coconut flour has negligible amounts of fructose but it may be enough to cause problems for very sensitive people.

I generally wouldn't recommend using it. It's hyper-processed and has very little nutrition compared to whole coconut. If you're into "paleo" baked goods, consider using creamed coconut/coconut 'manna' which is less processed, more nutritious and not as dense; it will also give a more moist result whereas coconut flour is often described as being too dry. And it works very well in thickening sauces, and dishes such as thai curries/soups.

Love

Milla

Dragonfly · Answer 2 · 2012-03-01 15:30:39Z UTC

2

You might want to get checked for fructose intolerance. I have a friend that is fructose intolerant and any form of coconut does that to her. Good luck!

edited Mar 1 2012 at 15:30

Dragonfly

answered Mar 1 2012 at 8:29

Heather
21●1

Yes, google FODMAPS. – Dragonfly Mar 1 2012 at 15:30

meret · Answer 3 · 2012-03-01 13:30:14Z UTC

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i totally have that problem and have been meaning to ask this question...

answered Mar 1 2012 at 13:30

meret
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yovanna · Answer 4 · 2012-09-20 20:14:41Z UTC

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The issue I've been having with coconut flour is that my recipes end up soooo dry:(..it kills the high of the nutrition and the expectation of he potential flavor :(

answered Sep 20 at 20:14

yovanna
1

Bloated from coconut flour?

4 Answers