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Is 7 year old flour still good?

The bottom line Flour has a long shelf life but generally goes bad after 3–8 months. White flour may last longest due to its lower fat content, while whole-wheat and gluten-free varieties spoil sooner. You can extend flour's shelf life by sealing it properly or refrigerating or freezing it.

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This article explains whether flour goes bad, reviews proper storage techniques, and explains the risks of eating expired flour.

Thus, you may wonder how long it’s safe to keep flour.

Many people keep flour in their pantry for long periods of time — even well past the expiration date. Although it traditionally comes from wheat, numerous types of flour are now available, including coconut, almond, and other gluten-free varieties. Flour is a pantry staple made by grinding grains or other foods into powder. Many factors influence flour’s shelf life, or the length of time it lasts before beginning to spoil. Most flours stay fresh 3–8 months at room temperature, usually long past their expiration date. However, the specific shelf life depends on the type of flour, its ingredients, and how you store it (1).

Types of flour

Flour is often categorized by its level of processing, which affects its shelf life. The source ingredient, such as wheat or arrowroot, also has an impact. For example, white all-purpose flour generally stays fresh longer than whole-wheat flour due to the ways in which each is processed. White flour is highly refined, meaning that the grain is stripped of the bran and germ, leaving only the starchy endosperm. Conversely, whole-wheat flour contains all three parts of the grain — the bran, germ, and endosperm. The bran and germ are rich in oils, making whole-wheat products more vulnerable to spoilage. This occurs when fats deteriorate upon exposure to light, moisture, or air, typically causing an undesirable taste and odor ( 2 , 3 ). Because gluten-free alternatives like almond or coconut flour are often high in oil, they may also be more prone to rancidity than white flour.

Storage methods

What’s more, the shelf life of flour depends on how you store it. According to the United States Department of Agricultural (USDA), flour is considered shelf-stable. This means that it can be safely stored at room temperature (5). Yet, it should be kept in an air-tight container in a cool, dry place to preserve its freshness. Refrigerating or freezing it may further increase its shelf life (6). For example, all-purpose flour lasts 6–8 months on the shelf but up to 1 year if refrigerated and 2 years if frozen (7). If you put your flour in the fridge, be sure to keep it away from moisture and water to prevent mold. This is best done by sealing it in an airtight container, such as a plastic bag or food bin (8). Keep in mind that you should let refrigerated or frozen flour reach room temperature before using it. This will prevent lumping.

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What happens if I only eat once a day?

Eating one meal a day can increase your blood pressure and cholesterol. This occurred in a group of healthy adults who switched to one meal a day to participate in a study. If you already have concerns in either area, eating just once a day might not be safe. Eating one meal late can cause your blood sugar to spike.

The “One Meal a Day” diet, or OMAD diet, claims to help you lose weight by forcing your body to burn fat. It’s a type of intermittent fasting, which alternates between periods throughout the day in which you can eat anything and periods in which you don’t eat at all. OMAD is particularly strict because you don’t eat for 23 hours, then consume all of your calories in a single meal. How It Works Like other kinds of intermittent fasting, eating one meal a day is a way of manipulating how your body finds and uses fuel. When you eat in a more traditional pattern, your energy comes from the food that you eat. When you take in carbohydrates, your body breaks them down into sugars. If you have more sugar in your blood than you need, a chemical called insulin will carry the extra into your fat cells. When you don’t eat for extended periods of time, your body produces less insulin. Your cells still need energy for fuel, so your fat cells release energy to compensate. For this to happen, however, you have to avoid eating for long enough that your insulin levels drop.

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