Is Gluten Really the Issue?

I first learned about the dreaded GLUTEN about 3 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 a few years ago. 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

Here is a recipe I made up myself. I couldn’t find a good einkorn muffin recipe that sounded good, so I created my first recipe! It turned out very good.

Einkorn Chocolate Muffins

• 1 1/2 cups of 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 (could use more if you like things sweeter, or you can even substitute with honey or maple syrup)
• 1/2 cup butter, unsalted, melted ( I went for just organic since the sticks are easier to measure than the Kerrygold blocks!)
• 1 egg
• 3/4 to 1 full cup of milk- I think that whatever milk you try, it’s best to add 1/4 cup at a time to see what works best for you
• (optional) 1/2 cup chocolate chips- My husband refuses muffins or cookies without extra chocolate so these were not optional for me haha!

Easy-peasy instructions: As you melt the butter (preferably not in a microwave!), mix all of the dry ingredients together well. 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. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 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.

2022 Update: I first wrote this post in 2016. I no longer stress about using einkorn personally however I have seen over the years that it truly is the preferable option for many people. Ultimately I always aim for organic wheat, dairy, and meats and I try to just do my best with other food items. Gluten really is not the big issue that it’s made to be- it’s the QUALITY of the grains being used, glyphosate, and the state of our gut.

Kristin

Welcome to Sassy Holistics! My name is Kristin, and I'm a Holistic Health Coach. I've been on the path to help people achieve better health using whole food nutrition, mineral balancing, and holistic healing principles for almost 7 years now.

The body is a whole and we must treat it as such! I have my Bachelor of Science in Natural Health Sciences, certificates in Herbal Studies from Herbal Academy, and I am constantly learning more about health to help my clients and followers.

My goal is to help you unleash your own inner healer! You already hold the power to heal inside you. My role is as a guide to help you realize this potential.