Is it time to ditch Wheat?
I recently had to take this subject seriously because I've been struggling with a painful, sore and bloated tummy which has been getting worse for a few months now.
I was told back in 2016 that I should avoid wheat as I had a mild intolerance to it, ironically whole wheat affects me worse, so I was told if I did eat wheat to stick to good quality white flour but to avoid it as much as possible.
I did try going wheat free for a while, but it was a pain. And the shop bought bread was so expensive! I quickly got bored and wheat crept back into my diet again. Everything seemed ok, but I did notice that my tummy was always more bloated when I ate wheat than not.
I reached a point earlier this year when I realised that I needed to take another look at my diet because I was starting to really struggle with nasty symptoms.
I took the decision to ditch the wheat as advised, and after a couple of slip-ups (darn you, Gregg's vegan sausage roll!) I'm now entirely wheat free. My cupboards have been purged and are tummy friendly!
Now just to clarify, I'm not one of these harbingers of wheat doom that says everyone should go wheat and gluten free. Wheat is an important staple for many people, and I'm not opposed to it altogether, but I feel we need to have a conversation about it because there are a few key issues that most people aren't aware of when it comes to our favourite grain...
It's not the grain it once was
Wheat has been manipulated and hybridised, not to mention genetically modified to the point where it's barely recognisable anymore as the grain it once was.
No testing was ever actually done to check whether it would be safe for animals and humans to consume the highly modified strains, it was just assumed that wheat was still wheat whatever, and the scientists left it at that.
Reckless - well perhaps. Sensible, no not at all. Research is needed.
I was told back in 2016 that I should avoid wheat as I had a mild intolerance to it, ironically whole wheat affects me worse, so I was told if I did eat wheat to stick to good quality white flour but to avoid it as much as possible.
I did try going wheat free for a while, but it was a pain. And the shop bought bread was so expensive! I quickly got bored and wheat crept back into my diet again. Everything seemed ok, but I did notice that my tummy was always more bloated when I ate wheat than not.
I reached a point earlier this year when I realised that I needed to take another look at my diet because I was starting to really struggle with nasty symptoms.
I took the decision to ditch the wheat as advised, and after a couple of slip-ups (darn you, Gregg's vegan sausage roll!) I'm now entirely wheat free. My cupboards have been purged and are tummy friendly!
Now just to clarify, I'm not one of these harbingers of wheat doom that says everyone should go wheat and gluten free. Wheat is an important staple for many people, and I'm not opposed to it altogether, but I feel we need to have a conversation about it because there are a few key issues that most people aren't aware of when it comes to our favourite grain...
It's not the grain it once was
Wheat has been manipulated and hybridised, not to mention genetically modified to the point where it's barely recognisable anymore as the grain it once was.
No testing was ever actually done to check whether it would be safe for animals and humans to consume the highly modified strains, it was just assumed that wheat was still wheat whatever, and the scientists left it at that.
Reckless - well perhaps. Sensible, no not at all. Research is needed.
Modern baking methods have made our bread less digestible
Modern bread baking practises mean that most commercial bread producers use a faster proving and baking technology which doesn't break down the glutens properly, making it harder for our bodies to digest.
The Chorleywood Bread Process was developed in 1961 by the British Baking Industries Research Association based at Chorleywood in Hertfordshire, and by 2009 was used to make 80% of the United Kingdom's bread.
We're eating Weed Killer!!
Modern harvesting practise includes spraying wheat crops with glyphosate aka Monsanto's much maligned, toxic weed killer Roundup. It acts as a desiccant, making the crop dry out and be ready to harvest sooner and all at once, maximising profits for farmers, but meaning that traces of it are left on the wheat that is then turned into food for us. So we're basically eating glyphosate.
According to the soil association, the use of glyphosate has increased by 400% in the past 20 years in the UK alone, and The DEFRA committee on Pesticide Residues in Food (PRiF) found glyphosate in over 60% of wholemeal bread.
Not only that, in 2015, glyphosate was identified as a ‘probable human carcinogen’ by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (part of the World Health Organisation).
This all leads me to think that perhaps I haven't developed an intolerance to wheat as much an intolerant to what is passed off as wheat suitable for human consumption in this day and age.
I would caution you therefore dear reader, to be very selective in your choice of wheat products. It would be prudent to choose organic wheat as much as possible, and bake your own bread products if you have the time and endeavour.
As for me, my tummy really doesn't like wheat at all anymore, so whilst I've always included wheat free options on this blog, all my future recipes will be wheat free until further notice.
I don't think the wheat itself is necessarily the bad guy, and certainly older strains like einkorn, emmer and spelt may be more digestible from what I've read.
Some interesting books I've read on the subject include Wheat Belly by Dr William Davis and Not on the Label by Felicity Lawrence.
Whilst I will add the caveat that I don't agree with all the alarmist claims made by Dr Davis, his book it is still an very interesting read and a good source of information about the history of wheat.
I've come to the conclusion that there are some very bad wheat-based foods out there that might be upsetting your tum for various reasons as detailed above.
So I do recommend that you do your own research so you can make better, more informed choices if you suspect that eating commercial wheat products may be harming your health.
Modern bread baking practises mean that most commercial bread producers use a faster proving and baking technology which doesn't break down the glutens properly, making it harder for our bodies to digest.
The Chorleywood Bread Process was developed in 1961 by the British Baking Industries Research Association based at Chorleywood in Hertfordshire, and by 2009 was used to make 80% of the United Kingdom's bread.
We're eating Weed Killer!!
Modern harvesting practise includes spraying wheat crops with glyphosate aka Monsanto's much maligned, toxic weed killer Roundup. It acts as a desiccant, making the crop dry out and be ready to harvest sooner and all at once, maximising profits for farmers, but meaning that traces of it are left on the wheat that is then turned into food for us. So we're basically eating glyphosate.
According to the soil association, the use of glyphosate has increased by 400% in the past 20 years in the UK alone, and The DEFRA committee on Pesticide Residues in Food (PRiF) found glyphosate in over 60% of wholemeal bread.
Not only that, in 2015, glyphosate was identified as a ‘probable human carcinogen’ by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (part of the World Health Organisation).
This all leads me to think that perhaps I haven't developed an intolerance to wheat as much an intolerant to what is passed off as wheat suitable for human consumption in this day and age.
I would caution you therefore dear reader, to be very selective in your choice of wheat products. It would be prudent to choose organic wheat as much as possible, and bake your own bread products if you have the time and endeavour.
As for me, my tummy really doesn't like wheat at all anymore, so whilst I've always included wheat free options on this blog, all my future recipes will be wheat free until further notice.
I don't think the wheat itself is necessarily the bad guy, and certainly older strains like einkorn, emmer and spelt may be more digestible from what I've read.
Some interesting books I've read on the subject include Wheat Belly by Dr William Davis and Not on the Label by Felicity Lawrence.
Whilst I will add the caveat that I don't agree with all the alarmist claims made by Dr Davis, his book it is still an very interesting read and a good source of information about the history of wheat.
I've come to the conclusion that there are some very bad wheat-based foods out there that might be upsetting your tum for various reasons as detailed above.
So I do recommend that you do your own research so you can make better, more informed choices if you suspect that eating commercial wheat products may be harming your health.
