There is much in the health news recently about Celiac Disease and gluten sensitivity. So much that, the marketing of “gluten-free” processed food has exploded. Wheat is the oldest farmed crop dating back more than 2000 years. Because it is considered a cash crop, over the years it has been over-farmed and thus in many cases over consumed.
It is my opinion that the FDA food recommendations are up-side down; too many grains being suggested. With that being said, there are many healthier grains than just wheat. Barley, millet, quinoa, steel-cut oats, lentils and buckwheat are better for you and at least should be phased into your diet if not replacing wheat completely.
Genetic modification of wheat, over the past 20 or more years, has produced a crop that is easier to grow, more resistant to pests and results in increased yields. At the same time it produces wheat that is less digestible by humans. Before genetic modified farming, the wheat plant had been naturally mutated with the help of unknowing farmers over the centuries. By domesticating the crop, it was made to grow in places that it would not otherwise grow and thus facilitating the cross pollinating and natural mutation of different varieties. Wheat even 100 years ago was far different, and less digestible than the wheat of 2000 years ago.
Wheat is inflammatory. It causes bloating and gas in most people. Most people are at least gluten-sensitive to some degree, if not allergic to it. The problem, mainly, is in the over consumption of wheat. Due to the inflammation it causes in our digestive tract and in our arteries, many health problems develop.
Gluten is one of the hardest proteins for humans to digest. This is why traditional cultures usually soak or sprout grains before eating them. There is some research showing that those who are more sensitive to wheat and still consume it have a shortened life span and reduced fertility.
For good health, consume sprouted wheat products; for better health, replace wheat with other sprouted grains; and for optimal health, minimize grains and increase your consumption of healthier vegetables and leafy greens.