Valeria learned the hard way about the importance of including only the most nutritious and healthy grains in her diet. Her struggle led to her discovery of Einkorn, and may give hope to others who are struggling with their health.
When she first moved from Russia to the United States, Valeria was excited about the hassle-free American style of cooking. She was awed by the colors and packages in supermarkets and wholeheartedly embraced this new way of life.
After a few years, this new way of life stopped being so awe-inspiring. The arrival of fatigue, dangerously high cholesterol, and debilitating migraines put a serious damper on her excitement.
Recently, many people are finding that, for their bodies, wheat just isn’t doing it. It seems to be causing more harm than good. But not all wheat sensitivity is created equal. It’s important to understand what goes on in the human body and what the options are. It’s hard to fix an unidentified problem.
In this article, we’re going to break down 5 different options for what may be going on in those people who find that the piece of toast just isn’t what it used to be. Let’s take a look: Continue reading →
When you eat modern bread wheat, do you experience bloat or congestion?
If so, you’re not alone, and that appears to be one of the reasons some people are eating einkorn, the world’s most primitive wheat.
Elizabeth asked einkorn followers, “Anyone out there who’s gluten intolerant but able to eat Einkorn?” Read the answers she received… These people are experiencing that Einkorn is easier on their gut than other types of wheat but what could the reason? Continue reading →
In the past week, our family has enjoyed several beautiful and delicious einkorn foods, including bread, tortillas, muffins, pancakes, waffles, and pie (crust). With each delicious food, I am reminded of the unique qualities of this dandy farro piccolo.
The first reminder comes about 2 minutes after the first bite. I don’t get the saliva drench and I don’t feel Continue reading →
Overseas scientists are desperate. A type of stem rust is threatening a most crucial cereal crop. This isn’t just any kind of fungus. It’s Ug99, or Stem Rust. This fungus climbs up the stems of wheat and within a matter of weeks, brings the wheat to it’s knees in a tangled black mess on the ground. The scary part of the fungus is that it travels by wind.
Stem rust has been around a long time. In fact Rome (384 – 322 B.C.) had a Rust God that they offered sacrificial animals to in hopes to relieve them of this disease. It may have even contributed to the downfall of their empire. Over time and many year later scientists discovered a way to control the outbreak, but in 1999 a virulent strain broke out in Uganda. From Uganda it traveled on the wind up through Africa, into Yemen, and across the Red Sea to Iran. It is now headed towards Pakistan and India.
This would be devastating to these countries. Wheat is the most widely grown cereal crop accounting for 35% of their caloric intake. In addition, it brings in the sole income for many farmers in these areas.
This is why stem rust is on so many people’s radar, scientists and government alike. This strain can affect 90% of wheat crops. 90 Percent.
This is where Einkorn can save the day. Einkorn is not one of those 90%. Einkorn carries the Gene Sr35. Researchers have determined that Sr35 has a near immunity quality to stem rust, and if they can pin point it, they can use it to stop the disease of stem rust.
This news attributes again to the incredible species that Einkorn is. Not only is it nutrient dense, low in heavy metals, carries the completely different gluten A genome for gluten, but there is high hopes that it will come to the rescue of the rest of the wheat family.
We call it “einkorn” but across the world, Triticum monococcum has many names, and that’s no surprise since it’s the world’s most primitive form of wheat.
The most popular name, einkorn, is German for “one grain”. This refers to how taxonomists identify einkorn in the wild. Einkorn has one row of grains on each side, whereas modern wheat has two rows on each side.
Starting in the 1960’s, and increasingly in the 1990’s, plant breeders undertook efforts to produce hybrid wheat varieties with the goals of improving yield and disease resistance. Both worthwhile goals but it’s possible that wheat hybridization may have led to the rapidly growing prevalence of celiac disease today.
We learn that not all gluten is created equally. A study identifies that, “Gluten proteins from wheat can induce celiac disease (CD) in genetically susceptible individuals. Specific gluten peptides can be presented by antigen presenting cells to gluten-sensitive T-cell lymphocytes leading to CD.”1
The same abstract explains that a study of over 80 varieties of wheat shows Continue reading →
Eli Rogosa talks in this video about the UMass Amherst program to preserve and establish heirloom wheat grains, including einkorn (Triticum monococcum), into modern agriculture.
It’s interesting how she describes the root system of the heirloom grains compared with the shallow root system of modern wheat, which relies upon chemical fertilizers.
In 2006, the Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology released the results of a study which suggested the possibility of adding einkorn grain to the dietary options of celiac patients. I was able to get a copy of the full study but cannot post it entirely because of copyright restrictions. Instead, I have quoted the abstract and posted it below:
(For those who don’t know, the genetic classification of einkorn wheat is Triticum monococcum, which is an important detail as you read this post.)
Study Abstract
Lack of intestinal mucosal toxicity of Triticum monococcum in celiac disease patients
Cultivated Einkorn (Triticum monococcum)
Daniela Pizzuti1, Andrea Buda1, Anna D’Odorico1, Renata D’Incà1, Silvia Chiarelli2, Andrea Curioni3 and Diego Martines1
1 Department of Surgical and Gastroenterological Sciences, 2 Department of Surgical and Oncological Sciences, 3 Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Padua University, Italy
Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology, 2006; 41: 1305-1311
Objective. The treatment of celiac disease is based on lifelong withdrawal of foods containing gluten. Unfortunately, compliance with a gluten-free diet has proved poor in many patients (mainly due to its low palatability), emphasizing the need for cereal varieties that are not toxic for celiac patients. In evolutionary terms, Triticum monococcum is the oldest and most primitive cultivated wheat. The aim of this study was to evaluate the toxicity of T. monococcum on small intestinal mucosa, using an in vitro organ culture system. Continue reading →