hi Deb,

I've merged your post in with the original thread about water chestnut flour. Alas ... I did some math, and it appears that this great and amazing discovery is NOT as low-carb as some sources seem to suggest.

According to our carb counter tool, 100g raw chinese waterchestnuts have 23.94g carbs/ 3g fiber. And 73.46g WATER.

1/2 cup raw waterchestnut slices (not canned) has 14.84g carbs/ 1.86g fiber. So 1 cup would have a bit less than 26g effective carbs.

If you remove most of the water, that would leave less than 30g dry solids behind .. of which 23.94g is still going to be carbohydrate. The carbs don't disappear with the water

From the specialfoods.com page, comes the following info:So, 1 cup of the flour (which weighs 150g, as noted in Bebe's post above) .. would have 127g carbs

Just for comparison, one pound of all-purpose bleached wheat flour has 1652 calories, and 76% carbs (346g). And 11% water. Cornstarch has 1729 calories, 91.52% carbs (415g) and 8.32% water.



Doreen

I'm so sorry

Doreen, should we delete this thread?

I feel responsible for this mistake, guys, I'm sorry.

Bebe

DON'T BE SORRY!!!

This is how we learn. We've had lots of "too good to be true" things show up. In fact, I should write to Low Carb Luxury and inform THEM that THEY are the ones posting the misleading carb counts on their website (and newsletter). I'd like to know where they got their information from.

Stay tuned dear heart, I'll find out, so we'll all know

Doreen

Just a note to say that I did email lowcarbluxury.com ... and I'll keep us all posted.

Doreen

Well, the reply from lowcarbluxury.com doesn't explain if the count is higher or lower ... but they will remove the reference and description completely to prevent further confusion

Hi Doreen,

Thank u so much for taking the time & trouble to write to lowcarbluxury & then posting here.

Have a great day!

Bebe

i just bought some yesterday to try next week!!! Now i'll have to throw it away. By the way i don't understand all the stuff about cups=this or that but i'm taking your work for it that it's not good.

Deb

Deb,

Please don't throw it away.

Maybe u can give it to a friend who isn't a LCer. I've tried using it as a breading & it was really crunchy & delicious. Even better than breadcrumbs......

Just a suggestion.

Have a good day, Deb

regards,
Bebe

and get similar results? I'd really like to try it still.

What does everyone think?

Deb

hi Deb,

I think waterchestnut flour can still be useful. It works out to be approx. 7g net carbs per Tbsp, which is comparable to cornstarch or arrowroot flour. Of course it's too carby for Atkins Induction level, but for higher carb plans or later stages of Atkins, it could be an option for occasional use, just like any other starchy food -- bread, cereals, crackers etc.

Personally, I'm pleased to find a non-grain flour option, since I have intolerances to most grains, including corn. Bean flours are okay but they taste "beany", and soy flour leaves much to be desired.

According to Lora's email above, a small amount of waterchestnut flour can thicken very well, so yes, you can use it for that purpose.

I've read that a small amount of arrowroot powder can be added to flourless baked goods to "lighten" them, make it less dense and heavy. It's possible that waterchestnut flour would have the same quality.

So ... all is not lost Use the product in moderation, and I'm sure you'll be fine with it.

Doreen

Hi All:

Thank you all for the great post about all the new ways to get a great LC crunchy coating...This can really be a change for the whole family!!!

Water chestnut flour is not at all low carb!!! I suggest you read all the previous replies back and forth on this before you use the product, otherwise you may want to blame someone here if it causes a stall or derails your plan.

Please read all previous posts on this subject.

deb

Hello All,

I received my waterchestnut flour order, and it indeed turned out to be the starch. From the nutritional information on the box, the serving size is 3 Tbs (31 g) and the carb count is 27 g, or 9 g per Tbs. I agree that it is good to find an alternative non-grain product, and plan to use it in moderation, perhaps in combination with almond flour, for a variation in taste and a little extra "crunch."

It was certainly worth checking out, and also good to see the responses on the forum in clarifying the details of uses and carb count!

hi froedrich,

Thankyou for posting the carb count for the starch! .. I had a difficult time finding information anywhere for either the starch or the flour product, and ended up having to do some rudimentary calculating with pen and paper

The flour is a bit less carby than the starch, since it's less refined, and has much of the protein and fiber content still in it. However, even fresh and raw, water chestnuts are relatively carby and high in starch.

I've gathered from reading some lowcarb sites that there seems to be a misunderstanding that waterchestnut flour has been "de-starched" somehow, and thus the carbs have been reduced. Everything I've read about this product from the manufacturers in Asia who make and distribute it .. indicates that the FLOUR is simply dehydrated water chestnuts, ground up (ie, nothing removed but water, therefore still a significant % carbohydrate). The STARCH has most of the protein, fat and fiber removed, thus is finer in texture .. and higher in carbs.

Doreen