 |
| Delicious Spelt Pizza! |
I talk to many people who are convinced that wheat is unhealthy, and many claim to be allergic to gluten, or have an intolerance to it.
I believe most of them are mistaken.
(If you believe you have an issue with gluten you NEED to be tested for celiac disease. It isn't something to be taken for granted, and you need to know. Celiac is a serious condition which demands a rigorous change in lifestyle. On the other hand, there is no reason to go through all that if you don't actually have it. Get the test.)
Why then does it seem that a much larger percentage of the population has an issue with wheat/gluten? Certainly, in my talking to people, a much higher percentage CLAIM to have an issue with it.
Here's why, in a nutshell.
While only 1-3% of people have an actual issue with wheat or gluten, nearly 100% of humans have an issue with highly processed and refined foods. Let's face it: nearly 100% of the wheat that most people eat in modern times is highly processed, over refined, nutritionally dead, and can hardly be called food. The closest thing most people get to "whole grains" is the occasional slice of wheat bread.
We should be pointing the finger and blaming ourselves for what we've turned an otherwise healthy food into. Instead we blame the wheat itself.
One of the most common arguments I hear is that modern wheat isn't natural. That it has been hybridized into frankenfood that is not only unnatural and unhealthy, but downright poison to us. These arguments are espoused in some books and many blogs, and I admit, they even sound like legitimate and rationale arguments. But I've never seen them followed by the next logical step, which is that if modern grains aren't healthy, we need to go back to eating the ancient grains. This >IS< where that argument should end up, right? But I've never seen it go there.
Instead, without exception, the "modern wheat is evil" arguments are always followed with "all wheat, all grains, all carbohydrates are evil and unhealthy." Imagine that. They make an argument against modern wheat and conclude that all grains, even the ancient ones, and non grains like potatoes are unhealthy. How do they make THAT jump?
Dr. McDougall is well known for pointing out that throughout all of verifiable human history, all large, healthy populations of humans have gotten the bulk of their calories from whole-food starches. These are the foods of health, the foods that brought us civilization in the first place.
Yes, the form most people eat wheat in is unhealthy and poisonous. The logical response is to eat those grains in their whole, natural form, with as little processing as possible.
Need some evidence? Here is a picture of me the day I got my grain mill:
 |
| Raymond Cool showing off his new Grain Mill. (2011) |
This was early in 2011. I weighed about 500 pounds. I made the decision to add whole grains into my diet with the hope of becoming a bit healthier. I had no real expectation of losing significant weight. I didn't believe I could lose significant weight. But I believed I could be a bit healthier, so I started eating whole grains. I bought this grain mill and started baking my own wholesome nutritious breads. I made my own breakfast cereals.
And I lost weight. A LOT of weight. About 300 pounds of excess weight!
Here is what I look like these days:
 |
| Raymond Cool |
I still eat plenty of whole grains, including delicious, wholesome breads. This is a picture of my dinner tonight:
 |
| Spelt Pizza - June 12th, 2016 (It was DELICIOUS!) |
It is a pizza made from wholesome, delicious spelt flour, which I milled by hand with love. It was absolutely delicious! Spelt is an ancient grain, and is one of many ancient grains that one could use instead of modern wheat, if you were convinced modern wheat isn't suitable for food. I eat a variety of wheat grains, including spelt, durum, kamut, and also modern wheat. I look forward to eating and cooking with more as time goes on.
The idea that you can eat food like this, lose weight, and become healthier in the process are ideas that many find too good to be true. So they cling to their "grains are bad" mantra, suffer with their low-carb diets, and find marginal success, if any at all.
One reason people cling to such thinking is this: They've heard the arguments, they've tried giving up wheat, and they felt better for it! How do I explain this? Easy! Since nearly 100% of wheat people eat in modern times is highly processed poison, it is logical to conclude that ANYONE would feel better not eating it. Again, the finger should be pointed at the highly processed poison... not the wholesome whole grains from whence it came. Their argument isn't against wheat, it's against highly refined wheat, and they miss out on some really good things by believing as they do. What's worse, since wheat is a natural human food, most people eventually "cheat" and sneak some. But when they do, it's not the whole-grains I eat, it's processed junk they used to eat, and of course, it makes them feel bad, and their convictions become even firmer.
Eat your grains. Eat them in their whole, natural state whenever possible. When making breads/pizzas, make them out of wholemeal flour. Better yet, buy a grain mill and grind your own! It is fun, it is healthy, it is the most delicious bread/pizza you'll ever eat!
Don't hate me! Join me instead! Better health comes with many delicious foods. Whole grains are our friends!
Happy Eating!
