Friday, March 5, 2021

Make Your Own Low Oxalate, Low Carb Macadamia Nut Flour

Low Oxalate, Low Carb Macadamia Nut Flour
I am a Type 1 diabetic and a kidney stone former. My doctor has recommended a low oxalate diet to prevent (or at least reduce or slow down) the formation of calcium oxalate stones in the future. This new development was a blow to me since I eat a very low carb, ketogenic diet to control my blood glucose, which typically includes a lot of nuts! Almond flour was my go-to alternative to wheat flour and I’ve been living on it for the past 8 years, consuming it almost every day. I was told that all nuts have oxalate, some more than others. I’ve since learned that almonds are the nut that is highest in oxalate content, about 400mg per 1/2 cup of almond flour! (Goodbye almonds.) Macadamia nuts, on the other hand, contain oxalate but at a much lower level, about 32mg per 1/2 cup of raw nuts. I’ve switched from making homemade almond milk to making a macadamia-coconut milk blend and like it even better. The best part is that the leftover solids, after straining the nut milk, give me a beautiful, finely ground macadamia nut flour that can’t be purchased anywhere. One-half cup of my macadamia nut flour weighs 20 grams and only contains 9.5mg of oxalate! Even lower is coconut flour which contains 4.5mg of oxalate per 1/2 cup. By substituting macadamia nut flour for almond flour in recipes really has lightened my oxalate load, while still allowing me to enjoy baking low carb, gluten free treats.

Low Oxalate, Low Carb Macadamia Nut Flour
Makes about 1 cup of flour

1 cup of raw macadamia nuts, soaked overnight
4 cups of water

1. First, make a batch of macadamia nut milk by draining the soaked nuts, then blitzing them with 4 cups of water in a blender on high. This only takes a couple of minutes. Using a nut milk bag or other fine mesh strainer, strain the nut solids from the milk. Add a pinch of salt and a couple of drops of vanilla to your macadamia nut milk and stir. (If desired, add 1-2 drops of monkfruit extract or stevia). Pour the milk into a glass container or quart mason jar and refrigerate. Consume the milk within 5 days.

Straining the nut solids from the milk
2. Take the reserved nut solids that have been finely ground and spread them on a cookie sheet in a thin layer. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit and then turn it off. Place the cookie sheet into the oven to dry out the nut flour, stirring occasionally and breaking up any clumps. Every once in a while, turn the oven to 200 degrees and let it heat up, but then immediately turn it off, so the oven is warm. You want to dry out the nut flour, not cook it! I usually leave mine in the oven overnight. However long it takes, you want the mixture completely dry.

Spread the nut solids on a cookie sheet
Spread nut flour into a thin layer
3. After the nut flour is completely dry, sift it into a fine powder and store in an airtight container or plastic ziplock bag. Store your macadamia nut flour in the refrigerator to assure its freshness. Use within 3 months. You may use this flour in a 1:1 ratio to replace almond flour in any recipe.

The nut flour dried out, but not sifted yet
Nutritional Information per 1/2 cup (20 grams): 143.6 calories, 2.8 g carbohydrate (1.7 g dietary fiber, 0.9 g sugars), 15.1 g total fat (2.42 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 0 mg cholesterol, 1 mg sodium, 17 mg calcium, 73.6 mg potassium, 1.6 g protein. Net carbs per 1/2 cup: 1.1 grams

Total Oxalate per 1/2 cup (20 grams): 9.5 mg;  Soluble Oxalate per 1/2 cup: 7.02 mg

Photos and recipe by Kathy Sheehan, copyright 2021
All rights reserved. Please do not duplicate without the author’s permission. 


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