American Wheat and Your Gut

Today, millions of Americans are gluten-sensitive, experiencing a wide range of symptoms that can vary from mild to severe. These symptoms include the severe Celiac Disease to minor upset stomachs, skin rashes, and brain fog. Have you ever wondered why so many Americans suddenly can't consume gluten when just 30 years ago, only a few people were unable to consume gluten? Is it due to improved diagnostic practices, or is there something more concerning happening with our wheat and farming practices?

Wheat of Today--Not our Ancestor's Wheat

There is quite a long history of wheat production worldwide, dating back thousands of years. However, let's fast-forward to the mid-20thcentury in the United States when hybridized wheat was introduced, gaining significant momentum in the 1990s. Prior to the 1990s, Americans really didn't have a problem with wheat products, nor did they consume wheat in the same amount as we do today, largely due to the size of the crop yields.

In the 1960s, wheat was targeted for hybridization be hybridized in order to create a better growing yield and disease resistance. The more wheat produced, the more they can put in our food! The hybridization of wheat resulted in larger wheat head than original wheat, resulting in the increase in wheat production. However, it was later discovered that this new hybridized wheat contains different types of gluten, all of which appear to be undigestible!

Suddenly, from the late 1990s into the early 2000s, the number of people with irritable bowel syndrome, celiac disease, gluten intolerance, and a variety of other digestive issues, as well as additional health problems, began to skyrocket. Even if it seems that you can digest wheat without any issues, that doesn't mean you aren't affected by it. Symptoms such as brain fog and vitamin deficiencies which can lead to a host of problems, including poor dental and bone health, as well as alack of quality sleep, for example.

Chemicals in Farming

"Back in the day" chemicals were not used on crops; instead, natural farming was implemented worldwide. Before wheat was hybridized, the stalks were tall, which helped prevent weed growth by blocking the scattering of seeds among the wheat fields. However, when hybridized wheat was introduced, it became shorter because the new wheat heads were larger and heavier, causing the stalks to bend and break. So, they hybridized it again to shorten the stalks. This change then allowed the weed seeds to scatter across farms, resulting in a weed problem among wheat farmers.

This is when using herbicides on wheat were introduced. In order to control the weed population that competes with wheat, herbicides are now being applied. Various herbicides and pesticides have been used over the years, but they all share the same goal: to eliminate weeds and pests, allowing farmers to achieve the highest possible yield from their crops.

These companies ,including Bayer / Monsanto, have all insisted that their chemicals are safe for human consumption. However, many people from all walks of life have learned and are actively trying to inform others that these are in fact slowly harming our population.

European Wheat is Different

Many Americans who are unable to eat gluten in the United States have recently discovered that they can consumer gluten food in Europe and not have any ill affects from it. Why? It's really quite simple: European wheat isn't nearly as hybridized as wheat from the United States. In fact, consumers can  still find, non-hybridized wheat grown throughout much of Europe.  This is called Einkorn wheat.  It has a much lower gluten count than it's counterparts grown in the United States.

Their chemicals are different too.  The United States sprays glyphosate on most crops here.  In fact, U.S. grown wheat is banned in Europe because glyphosate is banned in Europe! Potassium Bromate is added to our flour as a "dough conditioner" and is also banned in Europe.  Potassium Bromate is considered a carcinogen in many countries and can cause headaches, impaired thinking, personality changes, irritability...ADHD anyone?

Minimizing American Wheat in Americans' Kitchens

Unless you completely eliminate wheat from your kitchen, it is impossible to fully eliminate the harmful affects of US wheat.  But, everyone will benefit from changing some of their wheat habits around the house.

First and most importantly, don't buy cheap wheat products or cheap flour. Many mainstream flours are bromated but you can find non-bromated wheat. Some flour companies will state on their bags that it's not bromated--buy those.  I stick to organic flour; it has less glyphosate, less chance of it being bromated, and is a higher quality wheat anyway. Also, stay away from non-organic processed foods that contain wheat.  If it's mainstream snacks, it's most likely made with bromated flour. There are also many options available now that are gluten free!

Second, stay away from bleached flour.  I mean really, do we need an explanation? Unbleached flour is still white! I've never understood bleached flour.

Thirdly, if you have the wallet and can find it, buy Einkorn wheat.  It's not sprayed with glyphosate, it's not bromated and it's original, non-hybridized wheat. Another option is if you travel, is to buy a small bag of flour in Europe and bring it home.  Sounds extravagant but I know there are many travelers who frequent Europe. Instead of buying trinkets, by good quality flour instead! Europe has all kinds of different flours over there but be prepared to know your flour numbers! They don't use "bread flour" or "all purpose flour" labels.  They label it based on the mineral content.

These are the little things that can change the system.  If each one of us stops buying the bad and only buys the good, we can change the farming practices of the United States.  It is actively happening now with the organic foods available on the market today.  If it wasn't for a few individuals buying organic and spreading the word, we wouldn't be where we are today.  Don't think you don't make a difference because you do!

This is a great video of the Average Joe explaining more in detail what I mentioned in this article.

( I don't get paid to post this video, it's for information only.)