Types of Wheat: Nutritional Content & Health Benefits Comparison
For over 7,000 years, mankind has cultivated and developed wheat for breads and cereals. Today, we consume more wheat, as a percentage of our daily diet, than any other food. Just think about that and the effects wheat can have on our health – good or bad!
I’ve been researching the nutritional content of 19 different types of wheat, and I’ve included a link to all of my findings in this post. This post focuses on the nutritional content and health benefits of einkorn wheat compared with the common types of wheat of which most of our food from the grocery store is made.
In doing my research, it is easy to see why there has been renewed worldwide interest in ancient einkorn. The interest comes not only from einkorn’s unique gluten structure but also it’s incredible nutritional qualities.
Here are some interesting facts I learned about the nutritional content and health benefits of einkorn:
- Wheat gluten studies have found einkorn may be non-toxic to suffers of gluten intolerance
- Einkorn wheat has 14 chromosomes while modern wheats have 42 (Friendly to the body’s digestive system)
- Einkorn contains 3 to 4 times more beta-carotene than modern wheats (Boosts immunity, helps prevent cancer and heart disease)
- Einkorn contains 2 times more Vitamin A (retinol equivalent) than modern wheats (Healthy eyes, reproductive organs and prevention of many cancers)
- Einkorn contains 3 to 4 times more lutein than modern wheats (Prevention of macular degeneration and cataracts)
- Einkorn contains 4-5 times more riboflavin than modern wheats (Used by the body to create energy and is an antioxidant that slows aging)
- Einkorn is a “hulled” wheat, whereas modern wheats are not. The hull can protect the grain from stray chemical contamination and insects making it an easier grain to grow ORGANICALLY!
Einkorn vs Major Types of Wheat Comparison Matrix
See my full nutritional matrix comparing 19 types of wheat (pdf), including einkorn. This matrix also includes my sources and references.
53 thoughts on “Types of Wheat: Nutritional Content & Health Benefits Comparison”
I would like to know the individual amino acid percentages as I am enjoying exploring whole protein recipes with different things (like almond flour and others). I can’t seem to find this information. The total amount of protein is not helpful for my purposes. Can anyone help, please?
Hi Peggy, we haven’t had that specific test done. Einkorn was fairly recently rediscovered and doesn’t have the body of research that other more common grains do yet. Hopefully more studies are done on it.
I would be interested to know the omega 3 and Omega 6 content of Einkorn.
Hello, unfortunately we do not have the data on that, but it’s a great question. Hopefully more research is done on the topic.
Does anyone have a good recipe for bread using Einkhorn?
I have avoided wheat for years, as the next day after eating it I suffer greatly with headache, joint pain, brain fog and it’s just not worth it. But I sure miss bread! Also, the ONLY health warning that showed up on my 23&Me DNA health report was a tendency to macular degeneration, which frightened me because I’m an artist. It appears Einkhorn wheat could be helpful I’m hoping if I can find a recipe that works.
Here are some of our recipes:
Einkorn Italian Sandwich Bread
Basic White Einkorn Yeast Bread
Naturally Leavened (Sourdough) Einkorn Bread
Einkorn French Bread
I also like this one, but I triple the salt:
I’m a little confused. You say that einkorn has a higher protein content than red wheat. The protein in wheat is gluten. Does that mean that there is more gluten strength? One of the comments said that is was a very dense loaf. With a higher gluten strength it seems like there should be a better rise—hence a lighter loaf.
Gluten is not the only protein in wheat. Yes, einkorn has a higher percentage of protein than modern wheat, but its gluten is not as strong.
Does einkorn baked items taste like modern wheat baked items?
Hi Brian, the taste is comparable, but einkorn does have its own great flavor. Some describe it as nutty. It is a delicious flavor but not overpowering.
Your full comparison doesn’t have buckwheat. I would be very curious to see that.
Hi Dickens, it’s not part of that table. But here is a link to some buckewhat specifics. You can draw your own comparisons from that.
I have been baking equal amounts of einkorn, & wholemeal spelt with added linseed, pumpkin seeds, chia & sunflower seeds plus some unground pumpkin seeds. Everyone who tried my bread loves it but so far no one has switched to baking their own. After reading the above I think I’ll try just einkorn. I currently have a sourdough starter of the above three flours on the go. My previous attempts at sourdough using simple wholemeal flour tasted too sour for my taste. I see that my local Aldis supermarket is,stocking sourdough but it looks as if its made with white flour.
Hi Kenneth, any sourdough starter will work fine. You just start feeding it with einkorn flour and it becomes an einkorn sourdough starter.
Made a loaf of einkorn bread today using dried yeast without added fat. It did not seem to oven proof when baked. Wondering why? Would like to try a simple fermented wild yeast recipe.
Hi Charlene, there is definitely a learning curve with einkorn. One thing I would suggest is making sure not to over flour it. We’ve found that a very wet dough rises much better (more wet than normal bread dough). When I’m making yeast einkorn bread, I don’t even knead mine with my hands because it’s too wet and sticky of a dough. So I use the dough hook on my bosch, and I use a spatula to get it into the loaf pans and I smooth it in the loaf pans with the spatula. It rises very well. That’s not the only way to do it, but the point is the dough works better if it’s wetter. Einkorn tends to be sticky and so people make the mistake of overflouring to get it not to be. It’s best to find another way to deal with the stickiness. Without being in your kitchen, it’s hard to know what else might help but hopefully that gives you an idea.
I very much appreciate the PDF. Thank you!