Wheat intolerance has become normal in the past few decades. It has lead to what doctors refer to as celiac disease (or coeliac disease). In fact there has been a 400% (yes, four hundred) increase in celiac disease in the last 50 years. As a result there are now abundant resources for a gluten free diet.
One has to ask the question, why now when people have been happily eating bread made with wheat for centuries, with no apparent problem.
Although other cereals (barley, rye, oats, spelt) contain gluten, wheat is the biggest source in most countries of the world. Most conventional breads are made with wheat. And many packet foods contain wheat or gluten in some form.
The problems with wheat and gluten stem from what the scientists have changed. They have tampered with the natural, healthy wheat people once consumed with no problems. Unfortunately, not only have these changes made for gluten and wheat intolerances, they have also increased the ability to contribute to weight gain and chronic disease.
Wheat has been modified to shorten the stem. Hybridisation and genetic modification now produces stubby wheat that is higher yielding, sturdy (great for the farmers), but at the same time has more starch, more gluten (I believe this has increased over 10 fold) and more chromosomes.
In fact the starch is known as ‘super starch’ or amylopectin A. This translates into making bread (wholemeal, whole grain or white, it’s all the same starch) very like sugar. In fact a single slice of today’s bread has the same effect as more than a tablespoon of sugar. This is bad news for diabetics, but also leads to weight gain. It causes inflammation leading to chronic pain. It contributes to a fatty liver.
The greatly increased gluten also contributes to body inflammation which can lead to weight gain, chronic conditions such as diabetes, autoimmune diseases, irritable bowel, leaky gut, even cancer in those who have celiac disease as well as those who don’t.
Apart from the super starch and the increased gluten, today’s wheat also contains what is known as a ‘super drug’. During digestion, the proteins in wheat are converted into polypeptides known as exorphins. These are like the endorphins professional sports people experience. The problem is they make you more hungry, leading to binging and cravings.
These super drugs are known as gluteomorphins. When they are given to people who binge eat, they experienced a 30% decrease in the amount they eat.
Don’t fall for the gluten-free or wheat-free alternatives. Any processed food contributes to poor health.
Whether or not you suffer from wheat intolerance, from celiac disease or from gluten intolerance, if you care about your health and/or your weight, you are better off steering clear of all wheat based products. There are an abundance of natural, healthy foods that can replace these. Instead of toast for breakfast, have a green smoothie. Instead of sandwiches for lunch have a large salad or hearty soup.
Origins wheats such as khorasan wheat is an old variety that has not been tampered with. So if you can find any of this (preferably organic), then you won’t have the same problems. However, if you do have a severe wheat allergy, even this may stir up old symptoms.
And the best way to resolve this allergy is to seek out homeopathic treatment that will rebalance your tendencies to poor health.
