So what is the problem with wheat....

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As a Naturopath and Nutritionist I often advise my clients to avoid or at least reduce wheat/gluten, for so many reasons, I recently came across this post in wellnourished.com.au, it explains so brilliantly in a easily readable way, why. Georgia shares my views so closely it’s a little scary, it could be me talking. So I am unashamedly cut and pasting…

Georgia writes..

If you’ve been part of my audience for a while, you’ll notice that whilst some of my recipes contain gluten, they are always 100% wheat-free. I’m not pedantic about avoiding wheat. On the odd occasion, I eat out, I don’t fret if a little wheat creeps into my diet. But when I’m behind the dish, it’s wheat -free all the way.

I hope the following will help to support why I choose to largely avoid wheat in my diet (or am quite fussy with the kind of wheat I eat), and why I think you should consider avoiding or at the very least limiting wheat.

Wheat is simply not what it used to be

One of the most common arguments I hear for eating wheat is that we’ve eaten wheat for a long time, so what’s the big deal now? The thing is, the wheat we eat now is a completely and totally different grain to the wheat of the bible.

There are several things that have changed this grain significantly.

  1. In the 1960’s an American farmer tinkered with the genetic design of wheat to create a robust, high yielding grain (and in 1970, won a Nobel Peace Prize for doing so). The most distinguishing feature of his hybridized wheat grain (compared to wild wheat), is the presence of Wheat Germ Agglutinates (WGA) – a plant lectin. Lectins are part of plants immune system and are toxic to moulds, fungi and insects (so they protect the wheat so that the yield can be higher). Whilst humans have evolved to tolerate very small amounts of lectins, high doses exert pretty harsh effects. Specifically, WGA increases intestinal permeability (leakiness), wreaks havoc with the good flora (bugs) in the gut and triggers adverse immune reactions (inducing the symptoms that gluten often takes the sole blame).

  2. But in the last 15 years or so it’s got way worse. You see it has become fairly routine that wheat, in many parts of the world is genetically modified and sprayed with glycophosphates (commonly known as Round-up). Not only has the World Health Organisation declared glyphosate ‘probably toxic to humans’ – we know at the very least, glyphosates are killing our good gut microflora (particularly Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria). As well as this, glyphosate, via multiple mechanisms, impairs nutrient absorption and various essential enzyme pathways. These are all established causes of various diseases including gluten intolerance, gastrointestinal disease such as irritable bowel syndrome and the current and growing coeliac disease epidemic.

  3. Then there’s the processing of the grain. In a recent article published in the Medical Hypothesis, Dr Anthony Fardet, a nutritionist and agro-food engineer, stated that it is the denaturation of grains “by drastic processing that has rendered gluten unhealthy, toxic and not easily digestible”. Certainly, the way wheat is processed now is very different to days gone by. For example; the processing of bread now uses wheat that has been processed to remove naturally occurring and beneficial compounds (fibre and antioxidants) which help to offset gluten’s undesirable effects and also protect the colon walls. Another change is that an ungerminated grain is used and food processors have developed means to shorten the fermentation of the grain so that the gluten is no longer broken down as it would have been in the past. Couple this with the use of higher temperatures and pressure to process wheat, and then that wheat is most often coupled with other inflammatory and immune sensitive foods (like sugar and vegetable oils) and it’s no doubt that the health of many is declining.

  4. To add insult to injury, ‘vital gluten’, a purified gluten removed from its natural source is now added to bread and many other processed foods. Its extensive use has tripled since the 1970’s as has the drastic increase in the incidence of coeliac disease and gluten intolerance.

So knowing all this – I have to question if it’s gluten (or in fact wheat) that is causing harm? Or is it US and the way we have treated the grain? Certainly the rates of gluten-sensitivity is significantly less in countries where wheat is minimally processed, compared to countries like Australia where it is ultra-processed, chemically treated (if not organic) and highly refined.

Wheat is everywhere

The other issue I have is it is everywhere – pretty much every pre-packaged or processed food contains wheat in some form. Generally speaking, most Western Cultures are just over-exposed and nutritionally this is a problem. When consulting with patients, especially children, it’s not uncommon to see them having a wheat based cereal (like weet bix) or toast for breakfast, wheat containing snacks (crackers, sweet treats), bread at lunch and pasta, noodles or more bread with dinner. This really is a concern as they are only deriving nutrition from a very small range of foods and this is limiting their growth, development, and overall health.

Anything but natural

So you can see that wheat based cereals, bread and flour (even the wholemeal/grain varieties) are anything but ‘natural’. Certainly, the more we have tampered with wheat, the rates of gluten-related disorders has also increased.

Gluten is not necessarily the only villain (unless you have diagnosed coeliac disease)

So as you can see, it may not be simply ‘gluten’ that’s the villain – though food marketers have certainly ensured it’s somewhat of a scapegoat for our continuing decline in health because they make money from this being the case.

As I’ve stated in many previous posts, there are multiple factors at fault and simply removing gluten from your diet is not a holistic approach to resolving health issues and gluten sensitivities. Just as important is eating an organic (if possible), whole foods diet; opting for slow-fermented and sprouted grains and taking targeted probiotics, herbs and supplements if indicated.

In my experience, a holistic approach to your health and diet will reduce the likelihood of reacting to incidental gluten in your diet.

 

 

Ghee..... oh how I thee

in , , ,

Ghee

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Oh my lord this stuff is the best, tastes gorgeous melted over Kitcharee but as a cooking medium it's gold standard, such a high smoke point ie doesn't degrade into a "bad " fat with high heat and did I mention it's delicious!!!!! Ghee has a very long history in Ayurvedic cooking, I notice many recipes substitute it with coconut oil, another fabulous oil, in my experience flavour wise there is no substitution to Ghee. Ghee has many health benefits and when incorporating it with Ayurvedic practices like a Kitcharee cleanse I believe it's best to stick with tradition.  Ghee can be frightfully expensive especially organic, try doing it yourself it's dead easy.

5 Health Benefits of Ghee

All fats are not created equal and ghee, as an animal-derived fat, may be one of the best options. We are fast realising the dangers of partially hydrogenated oils. While it's taken modern medicine some time to catch up, traditional Ayurvedic medicine has long prescribed ghee for digestive issues, ulcers, and for the product’s natural vitalising properties.

That said, it’s important to choose the source of your ghee carefully, if the animals aren’t raised naturally or healthfully, as with conventional butter products, this concentrated ghee can have the opposite effect and at the very least, it won’t boast nearly as many health benefits.

1. Lactose-Free

Ghee is both lactose- and casein-free; both of these elements of butter are removed during the clarifying process. Ghee can often be enjoyed by those who cannot consume other dairy products. Do be aware that this is not the case for all lactose intolerant people.

2. Contains Alkalizing Short-Chained Fats

Unlike butter, ghee is an alkalinising food thanks to its short-chained fats known as butyrates which are thought to promote healthy bacterial growth in the intestines. This is one of the reasons why ghee has traditionally been used for bowel enemas in Indian medicine.

That said, you can obtain many of the same benefits just by consuming ghee, as Cate Stillman, founder of Yogahealer.com and Ayurvedic expert, explains, “Beneficial intestinal bacteria convert fiber into butyric acid and then use that for energy and intestinal wall support. Therefore, this aids in your body’s natural digestive function.”

3. Rich in Metabolism-Boosting Medium-Chain Fats

Ghee is also rich in medium-chain fatty acids which, like carbohydrates, are absorbed directly into the liver and metabolized as energy. According to Stillman, “Studies show that when replacing butter with ghee, metabolism increases, and cholesterol remains unaffected.”

4. High in CLA

An additional fat that is particularly present in grass-fed ghee is conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a fatty acid that has been associated with anti-cancer and weight loss benefits.

5. Good Source of Vitamins K, A, and E

When made from quality butter, ghee is also a great source of fat-soluble vitamins, including vitamins K, A, and E. “Since the volume is reduced, the concentration of these vitamins is increased,” explains Major. “Plus, with all the healthy fats, the required co-nutrients to help absorption are right there with the vitamins.”

The How To

1 block 250g unsalted best quality butter you can find
Ive recently found a supplier of hand churned butter made from unhomogonised happy cow milk, keep your eye out you'll find the better the butter the better the ghee

To make ghee, gently melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. After melting, the butter will separate into three layers. This should only take a few minutes.
Foam will appear on the top layer, the milk solids will migrate to the bottom of the pan and clarified butter will float between the two. Let the butter come to a simmer and hold it here until the middle layer becomes fragrant, more golden than when you started and clear - push the solids on top out of the way to have a peek.
The milk solids at the bottom will begin to brown. At this point it is a matter of preference, you can let the solids lightly brown, or let things progress a bit further. When the ghee is finished (I find it a little easier to skim off the top layer if you give it a minute to cool and solidify just a fraction) skim absolutely all of the top layer of foam into a bowl with a spoon or strainer, turn off the heat, and allow things to settle and cool for a few minute or so.
Next, carefully pour the golden central layer through a strainer, into a clean glass jar, leaving the milk solids at the bottom of the pan.
If you were able to get all the solids out and use clean and dry utensils in the jar, ghee will keep at room temperature for weeks. It can be used as a cooking oil, finishing element, and is also a traditional body moisturizer and massage medium.