Can I substitute arrowroot flour/starch for tapioca flour/starch? That’s a VERY frequently asked question. Unfortunately it’s really not a yes or no answer .. It’s largely dependent upon what you’re cooking or baking, the accompanying ingredients and the quantity the recipe calls for.
Tapioca & Cassava & Gari – Why They’re Not The Same
Then there’s the BIG question about whether tapioca flour/starch is the same as cassava flour and can we not just swap these out? And what about the lesser known Gari Flour? The short answer whether they’re interchangeable is a FIRM NO!
Tapioca flour/starch is more processed than cassava flour and the fiber has been removed, so you can NOT use them interchangeably.
Gari on the other hand is the left-over fiber from making tapioca flour/starch and it therefore is all fiber and contains very very little starch. Noteworthy too, Gari is a fermented product, so the flavor is sour.
When it comes to Cassava flour, it’s typically used for baking and you’ve got the Goldie locks scenario going on here – it has to be JUST RIGHT! That means you need to use Cassava flour when it’s called for in baking if you want your baked goods to turn out right! If you try using tapioca flour/starch instead, it’s likely to come out too gooey or very dense. Gari would change things again – the baked goods would be sour and very likely not hold together properly. This too is why you need to ensure you’re buying quality Cassava flour, and if a recipe creator recommends one brand over another – TRUST THEM – they’ve likely dabbled with more than one Cassava Flour brand and want to ensure your cooking or baking produces results when it comes to taste and texture.
You can read more cassava vs. tapioca and debunk some myths about cassava flour at the same time (no it’s not poisonous folks!) – check out the articles below.
https://aiprecipecollection.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/flour-powder-wheat-jar.jpg12801920Gail Shanklandhttps://aiprecipecollection.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/AIP-RC-LOGO-CLEAR-1500x515.pngGail Shankland2017-12-01 21:48:172020-11-27 09:31:01Arrowroot vs. Tapioca vs. Cassava
Should we use it? The answer to that question is up to you.
Since there’s much controversy about palm oil, sustainability and the endangerment of orangutangs in the rain-forests where it’s harvested, you might wonder why there are so many AIP dessert recipes call for it. With it’s creamy consistency it becomes an obvious substitute for butter .. and sometimes there’s no other alternative. You’ll find it in recipes for AIP frostings, fudges and other decadent treats, but since these are only to be consumed in moderation you may be able to avoid palm oil all together.
That said, there are some arguments that palm oil is a very nutritious cooking oil option, and that it can be grown and harvested sustainably. Not wanting to open up a debate however, I’ll simply stick to the facts and you can find some valuable resources below.
Nutritional yeast has a flavor that’s often described as cheesy, nutty, and savory. Just a tablespoon or two can add richness to soups and casseroles, while larger amounts can make dairy-free “cheese” sauces actually taste… well, cheesy. It’s typically sold in flakes or powder, and both blend beautifully into hot foods.
“Nutritional yeast is a food additive made from a single-celled organism, Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, which is grown on molasses and then harvested, washed, and dried with heat to kill or “deactivate” it. Because it’s inactive, it doesn’t froth or grow like baking yeast does so it has no leavening ability. Don’t worry; no animals are harmed in this process because yeasts are members of the fungi family, like mushrooms, not animals.” (Source: Fat Free Vegan Kitchen)
AIP Compliant or Not?
Here’s where things tend to get confusing.
Many people ask whether nutritional yeast is AIP compliant because some early gluten-free and autoimmune food lists flagged yeast as a potential gluten cross-reactive food. Naturally, that raised concerns — especially for anyone avoiding gluten for autoimmune reasons.
However, when you dig into the research behind those claims, things get less clear.
The evidence suggesting yeast is a true gluten cross-reactor is limited and inconclusive. As explained by Eileen Laird of Phoenix Helix in her work on gluten cross-reactivity, some studies weren’t able to determine whether immune reactions were caused by yeast itself or by gluten contamination in the tested samples.
“In some cases, it isn’t clear whether the immune response is due to true cross-reactivity or to gluten contamination of the food being tested.” — What is Gluten Cross-Reactivity?
Eileen Laird, Phoenix Helix
That distinction matters. If the issue is contamination rather than the yeast itself, then the practical concern becomes how the product is made, not whether yeast is inherently problematic.
Because of this uncertainty, most AIP practitioners now take a practical, risk-reduction approach rather than a hard yes/no stance.
Bottom Line
If you choose to use nutritional yeast, make sure it is certified gluten-free and non-fortified.
Gluten-free matters because of potential cross-contamination during manufacturing.
Non-fortified matters because many nutritional yeast products are fortified with synthetic B vitamins and folic acid, and fortified versions are often grown on corn or corn-derived substrates — both of which are generally avoided on the AIP.
Notes From a Trusted Brand
This is why some brands intentionally avoid fortification altogether. Sari Foods explains their reasoning clearly:
“Most nutritional yeast products are fortified with excessive amounts of synthetic vitamins to increase the nutritional count. At Sari Foods Company, we believe that synthetic, man-made vitamins are not only unnecessary , but that they can be harmful and toxic to our bodies, causing nutrients imbalances and forcing our kidneys and liver to work overtime while our bodies struggle to absorb them.”
My Best Advice:
As with everything — whether it’s technically AIP compliant or not — not every food agrees with every person or every condition.
If you’re dealing with issues like Candida or yeast overgrowth, mold exposure, or you simply feel unwell when using nutritional yeast, it’s probably best to skip it. That reaction isn’t uncommon, and it’s your body giving you useful information.
That said, if you’re missing the flavor of cheese and want to experiment, nutritional yeast can be worth a try — carefully.
If you do want to try it, keep it simple:
choose gluten-free, unfortified
start small
don’t stack it with other new foods
and listen carefully to how your body responds
If you don’t feel good after using it, that’s your answer — Cheesy flavor is optional. Feeling awful is not.
If you’re looking for recipes that use nutritional yeast for that cheesy flavor — think AIP cheese sauce, queso, or even AIP mac and “cheese” — head over to our Facebook Group and use the Group Search Feature.
Try searching: “nutritional yeast,” “cheese sauce,” “queso,” “mac and cheese,” and yes, even “mozzarella” or “parmesan!” You’ll find plenty of real-world experimentation and feedback from people walking this path right alongside you.
Ever feel like efforts to manage your illness are a bit like putting a band-aid on a battleship? That you’re just masking the symptoms and not getting to the bottom of things? I think we’ve all been there at one point or another, and that’s why I want to share this with you today.
While it’s amazing to receive an actual diagnosis and know what you’re dealing with – that’s just the beginning! Finding the root cause of your disease(s) is imperative if you’re ever truly going to achieve healing.
Since the online tool disappeared, I’ve been searching feverishly to find something equivalent to share with you, because it was a HUGE help to me on my healing journey.
Fortunately, I’ve managed to cobble together some information that will help you gather important information you can share with your Functional Medicine Practitioner. Trust me … they’ll be very impressed that you’ve taken the time to put the effort into this.
The process will help you to understand where your health issues started, and in turn you’ll help your health-care team to start finding solutions faster!
When I say “effort,” I really do mean it, you’ll need to dig deep and gather every stitch of information you can – I could save you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars and shave months or years off of your quest for better health!
While the Living Matrix program no longer exists, Functional Medicine Practitioners still use the same process of establishing your health timeline, so keep reading, it’s a powerful process!
The original program presented questions about various life events, health issues, family history and more. PLUS you were able to add your own life events that you feel may have bearing like stressful events, antibiotic use, food poisoning episodes or major flu that may have emptied your gut of all the good bacteria.
MyTimelineTM was a powerful tool that enabled you to easily document the unfolding phenomena that lead to ill health – a process that often occurs over many years, perhaps even a lifetime. It gave you and your practitioner the “Big Picture” so you could take the necessary steps to build back your health.
What is the importance of MyTimelineTM?
Illness and disease do not appear overnight. They develop over time. Yet our healthcare system is not set up to accommodate this obvious fact. We pool together a pattern of symptoms, put a name on it, and call it a disease. Then, a one-size fits-all protocol is applied. When you come in with breathing problems and get a diagnosis of asthma, you get a prescription for an inhaler to help you breathe better. But what about the answers to questions “Why did I develop asthma?” or “What do I do to reduce my need for the medication?” It is the equivalent of focusing on and treating the exhaust pipe when your car begins spewing black smoke. Of course we want to feel better and need our symptoms addressed. But the bigger picture – the accumulation of all the small events that have occurred – facilitates the understanding of where the disease has come from.
Documenting the actions, events, and environmental influences that have occurred in your life allows for the construction of meaning and a “Big Picture” view of how your body got to where it is today. This opens up a conversation between you and your practitioner. MyTimelineTM helps you and your practitioner work together, evaluate holistically, look for patterns, and find correlations/triggers/mediators. Each of us has a unique history that accumulates over time and holds the clues that can contribute significantly to creating a personalized plan to get you back to the health you want.
Create Your Own Timeline!
In the original Living Matrix program plotted everything for you – it was amazing! It’s terribly unfortunate that it’s not available, but there’s no point crying over spilled coconut milk, so we’re going to kick it up old school and keep going!
Overall, it was designed to help you think not only about your symptoms and issues – but just as importantly – when they may have occurred. It asked about key events in your life so that you could begin to recognize the patterns and see the “Big Picture” of the relationships between life events, symptoms, and diagnoses.
Since the process is rather in-depth, I’ve created a separate post so things don’t get messy or confusing here. Follow this link to create your own timeline, but keep reading to learn what to do with that information once you have it compiled.
What’s Next?
If you’re not finding your traditional doc to be of much help on your journey of discovery and healing, I wouldn’t say I’m surprised. Traditional medicine is really “sick care,” not “health care” and their training involves very little actual instruction about the holistic care of the human body – they assess, diagnose and prescribe – yes, the old band-aid on a battleship approach, sadly.
So, what’s next then? Well, if you watch the docuseries/talks that I mentioned above, you’ll no doubt be interested to learn more about Functional Medicine and their approach to treatment. One phrase that sticks with me that I read about Functional Medicine is this, “Find the cause, fix the cause, feel normal again.”
What is Functional Medicine?
It’s a combination of holistic care and conventional medicine – to me a perfect collaboration! My Functional Medicine Doctor includes conventional medical testing with her practice but takes the time to search for the root of the problem so we can fix that – not just put a band-aid on the symptoms.
The Institute for For Functional Medicine describes it this way:
Functional Medicine addresses the underlying causes of disease, using a systems-oriented approach and engaging both patient and practitioner in a therapeutic partnership. It is an evolution in the practice of medicine that better addresses the healthcare needs of the 21st century. By shifting the traditional disease-centered focus of medical practice to a more patient-centered approach, Functional Medicine addresses the whole person, not just an isolated set of symptoms. Functional Medicine practitioners spend time with their patients, listening to their histories and looking at the interactions among genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors that can influence long-term health and complex, chronic disease. In this way, Functional Medicine supports the unique expression of health and vitality for each individual.
– See more at: https://www.functionalmedicine.org/
So – if you or a loved one is dealing with a chronic illness and you’re struggling to find answers, I’d highly recommend seeking out a Functional Medicine Practitioner (click here to find one).
https://aiprecipecollection.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/low-angle-photography-of-trees-in-the-woods-3938922-scaled.jpg17072560Gail Shanklandhttps://aiprecipecollection.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/AIP-RC-LOGO-CLEAR-1500x515.pngGail Shankland2017-04-24 11:08:162024-04-21 20:48:29Finding Your Root Cause
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Functional Medicine addresses the underlying causes of disease, using a systems-oriented approach and engaging both patient and practitioner in a therapeutic partnership. It is an evolution in the practice of medicine that better addresses the healthcare needs of the 21st century. By shifting the traditional disease-centered focus of medical practice to a more patient-centered approach, Functional Medicine addresses the whole person, not just an isolated set of symptoms. Functional Medicine practitioners spend time with their patients, listening to their histories and looking at the interactions among genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors that can influence long-term health and complex, chronic disease. In this way, Functional Medicine supports the unique expression of health and vitality for each individual.