How an ancient food staple became toxic junk food
Once we’ve launched our Organic Gluten Free Bread recently, some of our members asked me “What’s wrong with modern wheat?” I effectively noticed than since I leave in Thailand I got many digestive issues without finding the cause. I never thought the problem can be my regular consumption of bread, pasta or pizza, as I used to eat them for 40 years in Europe! But when I stopped to eat wheat flour products, all my problems has disappeared instantly. So I thought maybe I got coeliac disease, but my health check proved that I don’t have any problem with gluten. Then, I discovered the main cause was not gluten itself but what we call “Modern Wheat”.
For 10,000 years, we cultivated wheat, stored it, milled it and consumed it. The system worked, and it nourished civilization. Then, in the industrial era, we changed things.
First we invented mechanical technologies to turn wheat into barren white flour. Then, we invented chemical and genetic technologies to make it resistant to pests, drought and blight and easier to harvest, dramatically increasing yield per acre. And, while we were tweaking genetics, we also figured out how to increase glutens for better “baking properties” (fluffier results). Put another way:
We have mutant seeds, grown in synthetic soil, bathed in chemicals. They’re deconstructed, pulverized to fine dust, bleached and chemically treated to create a barren industrial filler that no other creature on the planet will eat. And we wonder why it might be making us sick?
Sadly, it’s not easy. The reality for the health-conscious consumer is that almost all supermarket flour is made from industrial modern wheat, and almost all of it is made with industrial processing.
Many people think “I just need to buy the healthy “whole wheat” flour. Sadly, nothing could be further from the truth. “whole wheat” is nothing more than white flour with some bran added back in. It’s processed on the same mills, in the same way. And other than that extra bit of fibre, it’s the same barren industrial filler. There’s nothing “whole” about it.
Here are 6 potential problems with whole wheat.
1) Wheat is loaded with gluten
There is mounting evidence that a significant percentage of the population may be “sensitive” to gluten. Gluten sensitivity can cause various adverse effects.
2) Wheat spikes blood sugar rapidly
Most whole grain products have actually been pulverized into very fine flour, which tends to raise blood sugars rapidly and can cause all sorts of problems down the line.
3) Wheat contains substances that “steal” nutrients from the body
Wheat contains a substance called phytic acid, which can reduce absorption of important minerals. It may also cause people to burn through their Vitamin D stores faster, contributing to deficiency.
4) Wheat consumption is associated with several brain diseases
Being sensitive to gluten is associated with many disorders of the brain, such as schizophrenia, cerebellar ataxia, autism and epilepsy.
5) Wheat may be addictive
The digestive products of gluten may be able to stimulate opioid receptors and contribute to addiction. However, this needs to be studied more before we can make any conclusions.
6) Whole wheat drastically raises small, dense LDL cholesterol
Elevated levels of LDL (the “bad”) cholesterol are associated with a greater risk of heart disease.
So, what can we do about it?
Fortunately there are many alternative to wheat, thanks to these non-harmful and gluten free flour available, such as coconut, quinoa, buckwheat, flaxseed flours… Most of them contains even more nutrients than wheat and are totally safe. Unfortunately, you’ll have to make it by yourself as it is very difficult to find wheat free products in Thailand. Today, we have this “Super Bread” that contains gluten free flour only, no yeast and no egg in the recipe. If you like noodles, you can also use the “Pad Thai”, made with rice flour. Unfortunately, if you like pizza, it will be a challenge for you to find wheat free pizza…
Sources: grainstorm.com & healthline.com