Is Einkorn Gluten Free?
If you’re asking yourself whether Einkorn contains gluten, the answer is “Yes, it absolutely does!”…but I have a secret to tell you. And I should probably disclose that this is not something your “everyday family doctor” is going to tell you. Here’s the secret: not all wheat gluten is created equal.
I like to explain by comparing sucanat and aspartame sweeteners.  Imagine pouring a perfectly sweetened blueberry syrup over your hot-off-the-stove pancakes for your morning breakfast. If that syrup is made from natural sucanat sweetener or aspartame, it’s going to taste great either way. However, inside your body, the aspartame is killing brain cells while the sucanat is an unmodified substance that most people’s body can process naturally, without any damage to the body.
Einkorn has an entirely different genetic makeup than modern wheat. Modern wheats have been hybridized through years and years and millions and millions of $$$ in research. The goal of hybridization has been to increase yields, fight against plant disease, pests, weather conditions, etc. and many are starting to wonder if this long history of hybridization is the explanation for the rising number of people with a high intolerance to gluten.
I’m not saying I have all the answers…that’s why I have this website and it’s why I am researching the history and nutritional properties of Einkorn.
Einkorn differs from modern wheat in 3 important ways, all of which may contribute to gluten intolerance:
- Most modern wheat is a hybrid of many different grains and grasses.
- Einkorn has a 14 chromosomes , whereas modern wheat has a 42 chromosomes which changes the gluten structure
- Einkorn is considered more nutritious than modern wheat, based on the higher level of protein, essential fatty acids, phosphorous, potassium, pyridoxine, and beta-carotene.
Is it any wonder that so many people today are plagued with allergies and even extreme sickness as a result of eating modern wheat?
Anyway, getting back to the original question of whether Einkorn flour contains gluten. Most people ask this question because they would like to start eating bread again. I hope my answer gives you some hope.
Additionally, I have met some doctors who are working with suffers of celiac and gluten intolerance to see if they can safely eat specific, tested sources of Einkorn. These patients are going through a healing regimen first to get to this point and the initial results are very promising.
Stay tuned…I think we’re on to something here.
122 thoughts on “Is Einkorn Gluten Free?”
Excuse me…That’s http://www.growseed.org !
Looks like http://www.growseed.com sells Einkorn berries or flour for $8/lb…May be something I try after my food sensitivity test results are read. Thanks for the info!
Hello,
For wheat to go from 14 chromosones to 42 chromosones whether you exploit a natural hybridization processes or a laboratory one the result is the same. The resultant wheat has been gentically modified.
To believe all natural hybridization is good because it is natural is like saying all natural hemlock is good because it is natural.
The end result is the same whether you get there quickly or slowly.
GMO foods are very different than natural or intentional hybridization. One thing very different is GMO seeds have pesticides inserted into the genes so it will produce it’s own pesticide. Further GMO cultivation comes an incredible amount of toxic and harmful chemicals. Mainly these plants are bred to withstand Round-up herbicide, a weed killer. The worst ingredient is glyphosate. It disrupts the Shikimate pathway in the plant which cause the plant to die. The ‘company’ claims it is not harmful to humans because we do not have that pathway… this is not true. The microbes and bacteria in our bodies which sustain our health have this pathway. These microbes and bacteria outnumber our cells 10 to 1. You may want to read up about what GMO really is.
Even though I agree almost entirely with the Stan’s post and plan to try growing some einkorn this coming year, there is one part of this post that is factually wrong and is misleading. There are no current varieties on the market that are genetically modified. Modern wheat varieties are grown from traditional wheat breeding programs. Although Monsanto has applied to market genetically modified wheat, that application has been denied, at least for now. We don’t know what will happen in the next round, but because wheat is so closely related to other grains and to grasses, there is good reason to believe that regulators will not allow this in the near term at least.
There is enough confusion about genetic modification in the popular press. We should all be careful not to contribute to this confusion.
Good point with being careful on how we choose our words to avoid confusion. Gene-splicing = artificial genetic modification or genetic engineering, while hybridization = natural genetic modification. But most people associate the use of the term “Genetically Modified” to mean gene-splicing. Would you agree? I’ll change the wording of the post to better follow common vernacular.
And, thanks for the info on Monsanto. I had thought about mentioning it, but decided to try to work it into a later post. Please keep us updated on that issue. Do you have your seed for planting Einkorn yet?
Have you read the book by the cardiologist Davis “The Wheat Belly”. In it he seems to contradict your argument.
Which part of his argument? The author of wheat belly has said einkorn is the exception, as far a a I have heard…
Thanks for the clarification; I also believe that gmo produced crops, the overwhelming amount of pesticides, etc. and the hybridized grains create a toxic mess for the body that is yet to be sorted out. I’m trying einkorn wheat and will get back to you.
Einkorn Wheat has been modified over 2500 times! Do your homework, my friend. Please research: Wheat belly, by Dr. William Davis. I think you will be better informed about GM wheat from this, plus many other publications.
D.
For the past ten years, I have been collected einkorn in the Golan Heights near Syria, France, Hungary, Germany and more. Am baking delicious einkorn products now. Be great to share the grains, breads and flours. It is important that celiacs have access to this food. Do you also offer einkorn? I welcome cooperation and exchange.
Kindly,
Eli Rogosa
We have just received a small package of einkorn seeds that we will be growing in test plots this coming season. We are a certified organic farm that specializes in heritage grains and Einkorn is on our list of target grains to produce in commercial quantities.
As an einkorn researcher and artisan baker, it is exciting to see more interest in the US. Einkorn is an important alternative to over-bred modern wheats. It is delicious and safe for most gluten sensitivities. I collected many populations of einkorn in the Fertile Crescent and Europe, and offer einkorn flatbreads and flour for sale. We welcome cooperation to bring this ancient grains to American consumers seeking a high nutrition delicous alternative grain.
Just wondering if you know if Einkorn flour or grain can be purchased in Canada. I live in BC on Vancouver Island.
Thank you,
Karen
You can buy organic einkorn flour from Daybreak Mill, southeast of Estevan,SK. I live only a few miles away. Give them a phone call. They ship everywhere. If you have a problem with gluten, though, you should talk to Nicole, the owner, because the einkorn flour would probably be milled using the same equipment as is used for wheat and other grains.
Cowichan bay has it 🙂 Forget the name of the place but they mill all their own flours.
Thrifty foods has a very small supply.. it’s in a box in the baking aisle .. expensive but available
Try and find this at a German/Dutch import shop. The brand name is Ap’ti. Weizen-mehl Type 405
Yes. A person may order it from [email protected] in Saskatchewan.
I have just recently been researching wheat and how it’s been genetically modified. If I wanted to buy the einkorn flour or wheat, how would I know if it is the same grain as it was thousands of years ago. I’m wondering, if the grain has been changed through the last say 50 years, how do we know the one selling as the original einkorn is actually the same one?
Was this the same wheat that was growing back in the 1st century around the time of Christ in Jerusalem ?
Hi Sandra, I don’t know enough about what was growing there at that time in order to answer that question. I do know that einkorn is the most primitive form of wheat.
Would like information on how to buy einkorn from you as you said you offer it for sale.
Thank you!
Eli Rogosa, I just stumbled on this article and saw this. I hope you still have the same email 6 1/2 years later, so that you will get a notification from my reply. I’m a mother that found gluten to be “one of the many culprit” of my children’s slight disability. Through strick whole food diet (one of which is being gluten free) combined with other lifestyle changes that may allopathic physicians would reject or cannot be open minded about), I was able to reverse my children’s asperger syndrome (I wanted to say Autism, but Asperger Syndrome has been taken away from the Autism umbrella a few years ago). After healing their gut, I am now open to trying einkorn for my children. And want to try differenr resources for it. Is there a website, company name, or link you can offer or post so that people like me have options to look at for purchase? Thank you so much. Hope to hear from you soon.
This is nonsense. You cannot reverse autism with diet. My autistic child eats a nutritious diet, as we all do in our family. But that diet will never reverse her autism. These kinds of comments and believes do nothing to help the autism community.
Gert, countless children have see their autism reverse and be free of the diagnosis after only 3 months of brain training and correct diet. Lookup Brain Balance in Golden, CO USA to learn more.
Gert, comments like yours can lead folks to think there is no way to improve the lives of thousands of children.
I would love to hear more about what you did to help heal your child’s gut. Thank you!
Amy-Lynn
[email protected]
Where can it be purchased?
Hi Karla, you can purchase our products here. Our flour is out of stock but should be back next month. Some health food stores have it but it’s hit and miss.
Do you have any recent updates to this 2009 blog topic? My husband and I are very interested in Einkorn wheat.
Also, can you explain “vital wheat gluten” that is for sale at health food stores? I find adding it to my Einkorn flour when I bake bread makes a much better texture, but I wonder if I’m just defeating the whole purpose of using Einkorn flour?
Hi Kjirstin, we don’t have any specific updates. It’s still true that the gluten in einkorn is very different from the gluten in modern wheat and a lot of people who can’t eat wheat can eat einkorn. We’re researching why that is. There is literature but it’s limited. Vital wheat gluten does defeat the purpose of using einkorn if you’re using einkorn for digestive purposes. If you just want the higher nutrient content, then the vital wheat gluten wouldn’t defeat the purpose.
One suggestion is to revert to making flatbread instead of raised breads. Thus omitting the vital wheat gluten.
Amazon has it.
Love the over-bred…..comment referring to bread products. You may not have intended the pun. But I laughed ?
Contact me at 727-313-6964 so I can buy your Products. Thanks, Kevin
What is your flour called? Are you on EB?
I’ve often wondered why so many people are getting sick from wheat these days. This is the best answer I’ve heard.
Thanks for your post. Over-hybridization is just one of the theories out there, but the others are more controversial. But yes, it does seem to fit: The desire for more profits leads to development of varieties that focus on yield and plant disease. I’ve never heard of a strain being developed that focuses on better nutrition.
Stan,
As an organic grower, I am always looking for new varieties that seem to have promise for both taste and health. You might be interested to know that the University of Idaho has recently developed two varieties of barley that are particularly high in beta-gluten, the component most related to heart health. This was an intentional part of their breeding program, but is also the exception to the rule. However, I entirely agree with you that almost all university-based and industry-based plant breeding programs have focused on yield almost exclusively. And we do know that both taste and nutritional content have suffered as a result.
Very interesting! Thanks for the info. Although I think you meant to spell “beta-glucans” instead of “beta-gluten”.
Erick, I think you meant beta-glucan. Not “beta-gluten”.
There was a big push in the late 1950s to come up with wheat strains that were resistant to fire blight (a devastating fungal disease that is difficult to control), and that had shorter stems (as we got away from animal/plant pairings, wheat straw was looked at as a negative byproduct).
Monsanto has also been marketing (not sure how successfully?) Glyphosate, aka Roundup, as a way to accelerate dry-down of wheat at maturity to farmers, and I haven’t seen any independent studies on what residues remain on harvested berries.
Monsanto applied for a patent in 2003 for Glyphosate use as an antibiotic (https://www.google.com/patents/US7771736), and 80% of our immune system is in our gastrointestinal tract, and the majority of our microbiome (bacteria) reside in our GI tract, and we’re just beginning to understand our body’s interaction with bacteria in our gut. If you trace the increased use of Glyphosate since GMO approval in 1993, it correlates pretty darn well with the explosion of autoimmune and GI diseases.
Totally agree!!!
I tried Eikorn wheat pasta….. Loved the taste, but woke up in the middle of night with a migraine and vomiting. Will never go near this stuff again. I have been wondering if I’m gluten sensative ( not celiacs ) because anytime I eat pizza, bread etc I have bouts of gastric reflex.
As was stated in the post, sometimes you need to heal the gut lining before using Einkorn. My grandson had migraines with vomiting before his gut was healed. He still can’t tolerate gluten but can now successfully eat Einkorn products.
Katherine Czapp posted some articles with the Weston A Price Foundation some years ago about a healing protocol for celiac disease (she used bone broth to help her father-in-law heal) and then, following some medical hypotheses, prepared lactc-acid fermented bread and pasta (sourdough) for him. He tolerated it. Lactic acid fermentation alters the structure of gluten in modern wheats. I think she said it denatures the toxic peptides, but I’ve seen nothing that confirms that idea. I don’t have links to her articles but they may be available on line. Also, Eli Rogosa in his book on Restoring Heritage Grains mentions the specific difference between the gluten in Einkorn and in bread wheat that makes Einkorn gluten less problematic. One further comment on some of the discussion: Modern wheat is not a” cross between wheat and many grasses.” It is a hybrid of many wheat species, all of which are grasses. (One is oddly called Goat Grass.). You could lose days reading about the history of wheat.
I think my intolerance to gluten developed because I was eating GMO wheat without realizing it. It seem to come out of nowhere. By the time I learned of GMO and what it does, it was too late. I had already developed gluten sensitivity. I seriously think GMOs are the main culprit.