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Why You Should Be Using Einkorn Wheat (and Why Gluten Isn’t Always the Issue)
I first learned about the dreaded GLUTEN about 8 years ago. I went gluten free for about a year because I thought that made sense at the time. But as time went on, I started to realize that gluten is not exactly the issue, at least for the majority of people. The issue is that conventional wheat is hybridized to grow faster and have higher yields (which has increased its gluten content) and it is sprayed with one of the WORST chemicals known to man: Glyphosate.
The World Health Organization declared glyphosate a probable carcinogen last year. However, it is still widely used worldwide. Glyphosate has also been shown to be a mineral chelator (meaning that it steals our minerals!), an endocrine disruptor, carcinogenic (especially breast cancer), and it can cause diabetes, autism, obesity, gastrointestinal disorders, heart disease, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. That is quite a list!
Gluten might be a real issue, but my money is that 9/10 people really have an issue with GLYPHOSATE. You can read this awesome article from the Health Home Economist for more info.
You can read a bit more about conventional wheat vs organic, ancient wheats here.
So what do I recommend instead of conventional wheat? EINKORN!
I’ve been mentioning this word more and more to people lately, and I’m surprised at how many people have never heard of it. Einkorn is considered ancient wheat since it was first cultivated about 12.000 years ago. Einkorn is the only wheat that has never been hybridized. People that tend to be sensitive to conventional wheat not only have no issues with Einkorn, but they tend to actually feel better after they eat it.
Einkorn has 30% more protein and 30% less starch than conventional wheat which makes it a lot more nutritious and easily digested. It is also extremely mineral rich with naturally occurring nutrients- it isn’t “fortified” like conventional wheat products! You can see the comparision of nutrients between einkorn and conventional wheat here.
I’ve tried a few kinds of ancient wheat, but Einkorn has been my absolute favorite. It bakes easily, it tastes amazing, and it is the closest thing to “regular” flour that you’ll find.
Jovial has great information about Einkorn, as well as recipes and cookbooks.
I buy Einkorn berries in bulk from Einkorn.com.
I grind the berries myself with my mill attachment on my stand mixer- nothing is better than fresh ground wheat!
Also, I have a Pinterest Board called Ancient Wheat that is mostly einkorn recipe ideas!
I just found another site that has a TON of einkorn recipes too! Everydaydishes.com
Gut Healing is the BIGGEST Key for Healing Gluten Intolerance
This is the biggest lesson I have had to learn as a health practitioner- it is not just about what you eat. It’s more about what you ABSORB. I have seen many people over the years that have to keep eliminating food groups because they start to react poorly to them. Gluten, dairy, histamines, and the list goes on. Eliminating every food is NOT the solution. The main reasons why we are reacting to foods are due to the quality of the food and the state of our digestive system.
In order for our bodies to utilize normal foods, we have to have a functioning gut and liver. Start here with gut healing, and then you can read more here about liver support. The book Eat Wheat by Dr. John Douillard is also an incredible resource for understanding why continually eliminating foods is not a real solution.
Einkorn Chocolate Muffin Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups ground Einkorn flour
- 1/2 cup cacao powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsps baking powder
- 1/2 tsp Pink Himalayan salt
- 1/4 cup organic cane sugar can even substitute with honey or maple syrup, or use up to 1/2 cup sugar depending on preference of sweetness
- 1/2 cup butter unsalted, melted ( I went for just organic since the sticks are easier to measure than the Kerrygold blocks!)
- 1 medium egg
- 3/4 cup milk (dairy, almond, coconut) it’s best to add 1/4 at a time to see what works best for you
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips optional
Instructions:
- As you melt the butter, mix all of the dry ingredients together well.
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Add the egg and melted butter, and then add the milk little by little until it’s all combined. My batter was pretty thick and I got 12 muffins out of it.
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Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
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Let cool for about 10-15 minutes and enjoy!
For baking pans: if you are looking for a “greener” option for your baking pans, check out USA Pans. You can get a set of 6 baking pans for about $90, and they last forever (seriously!). They are made with 65% recycled steel, a non-stick silicone coat that is PTFE, PFOA and BPA free, and they have a life-time warranty. When I did my research on pans a few years ago, this was one of the best options i found. I love them all- they are truly non stick without the worry of regular non stick items.