Ever wonder why so many people are now gluten intolerant? The change in landscape of the microbiome is certainly part of the picture however, the wheat itself has changed over time.
The original wheat was very labour intensive to grow and harvest yields were minimal. As the need to feed more people with less work grew, the idea was favourable to breed wheat so it had more appealing qualities to withstand the weather, differences in soil and reduced labour load.
Einkorn is the most primitive form of wheat on Earth. Einkorn is known by many names: Triticum monococcum (Latin, scientific name), einkorn (German), small spelt (Italian), farro piccolo (Italian), engrain (French), Le petit épautre (French), tiphe (Greek), siyez (Turkish), and sifon (Hebrew). It contains only 14 chromosomes, whereas modern wheat, with all the breeding changes, contains 42.
There are over 100 different proteins in wheat. Gluten is made of two parts, glutenin and gliadin. Glutenin properties lend to dough elasticity and breadmaking quality. Gliadin is the more adversely digestible protein that tends to produce negative reactions in the gut. Chemical analysis shows ancient wheat actually contain more gluten than modern wheat. Regardless of old or new breeds, gluten from all wheat is found to stimulate immune response.
Some claim those with wheat digestion issues may have better luck digesting the primitive einkorn wheat. One possible reason could be that einkorn does not have the D chromosome, which seems to be connected with wheat intolerance in many humans.
While no type of wheat is considered safe in celiac disease, perhaps those with milder sensitivities to wheat may find einkorn more digestible. If you are avoiding wheat and or gluten, best to consult with your medical practitioner before changing your diet. Remember gluten from all wheat stimulates an immune response!
When using einkorn wheat, it is best to buy the wheat berries and grind them yourself in small quantities as it spoils easily once ground. The wheat in its most wholesome nature uses all of the berry. Einkorn has a higher percentage of protein than modern wheat and is considered more nutritious because it also has higher levels of fat, phosphorus, potassium, pyridoxine, and beta-carotene. Einkorn flour generally lacks the rising characteristics desirable for bread, although it may be used in other types of recipes.
Some places in Canada the sell einkorn wheat:
Questions? Ask drlaura@southendguelph.ca or book a naturopathic appointment.
References:
Brouns, F., Geisslitz, S., Guzman, C., Ikeda, T. M., Arzani, A., Latella, G., Simsek, S., Colomba, M., Gregorini, A., Zevallos, V., Lullien-Pellerin, V., Jonkers, D., & Shewry, P. R. (2022). Do ancient wheats contain less gluten than modern bread wheat, in favour of better health?. Nutrition bulletin, 47(2), 157–167. https://doi.org/10.1111/nbu.12551
Norwig, M. C., Geisslitz, S., & Scherf, K. A. (2024). Comparative Label-Free Proteomics Study on Celiac Disease-Active Epitopes in Common Wheat, Spelt, Durum Wheat, Emmer, and Einkorn. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry, 72(26), 15040–15052. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.4c02657
