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The Unhealthy Evolution of Wheat
I have spoke a lot about healthy eating and drinking in my previous posts. It is crucial to eat a lot of vegetables, fruits and drink pure water; but what about wheat products? Wheat has evolved into something that is no longer a natural substance and can negatively affect your health.
We are seeing more wheat allergies than ever. There is a reason for this; the following will explain.
How Has Wheat Changed?
The production of wheat is not a new phenomenon. Wheat has been successfully cultivated for thousands of years. Since the industrial revolution, wheat cultivation has taken a dramatic shift. Everything has changed; how we grow wheat, how we process it, the way we store it and even the way we eat it. Yes, a lot has changed.
The steel roller mill appeared around 1870, replacing stone mills (almost completely within ten years). This is where industrial white flour was first introduced widely and cheaply. Instead of mashing all components together like the stone mill, the steel roller mill could separate the flour with ease, allowing for cheap production of white flour. Not only was technology booming in terms of machinery, but modern science began to take effect.
GMO's may be something that you have heard of. If you haven't, it is time to start learning about the dangers of GMO foods. GMO stands for 'genetically modified organisms'; meaning a seed for example, is tweaked so that it is no longer in it's natural state. This modifying creates a greater output, but at what cost to your health?
It is a vicious cycle really. Pesticide companies like Monsanto and Dupont, had a lot to do with the changes occurring. Pesticides complimented GMO's; creating a higher efficiency as well as a higher ou...
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...nutrients.
5. Buckwheat: This is technically a herb, but the seed is ground into flour. Buckwheat has been known to lower cholesterol and help with diabetes (lowering glucose levels).
6. Kamut: Kamut is actually a brand name. Most people recognise Kamut, which is actually the name for an ancient Khorasan wheat. This wheat provides protein, antioxidants, zinc and selenium.
These are just SOME of the healthier, more well-known alternatives. Notice that the benefits of these alternatives, are the opposite of modern wheat? Modern wheat causes a lot of issues that these alternatives actually prevent.
It is time to re-think our modern wheat. Start making small changes, incorporating more beneficial grains into your diet. Once you begin making these small changes, not eating wheat will become natural to you. More importantly, it will be more natural for your body.
One can look back in time and see how things have changed. It might have been because of one thing that set a different course, or a series of small things that might have seemed insignificant at the time. The culture of farming has changed drastically over the years due to new founded ideas relating to the food system. In the article, “How Genetically Modified Crops Have Transformed Rural America”, Adam Riesselman explains the effects of GMOs on farm life. In The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Michael Pollan explains how the production of corn has changed farms. Both these pieces of writing express ideas about GMOs, new technology used on the farm, and the diversity of crops on farms.
Although, it can also brings social challenges as well. The availability of strictly gluten free foods have increased dramatically over the last few years. But, a struggle that many people face is the difference in taste in some of the foods. Since these foods don’t contain gluten, it lacks the texture gluten gives it and does not bind as well as foods do with gluten. Foods often taste bland and do not carry the same flavors as expected. Hoyt explains that the foods she tried were “dry, crumbly, tasted like cardboard, and had absolutely no positive nutritional value” (Hoyt 3). To compromise, a person can modify their own recipes or find foods that have always been gluten free. Another “common strategy for maintaining the gluten free diet is reading product ingredients” (Bacigalupe, Plocha 1). In order to be sure that every food that is being consumed does not contain gluten, reading food labels is necessary. Learning how to read labels is crucial to living gluten free. A person has to be conscience of what ingredients they can and cannot have. To name a few; wheat, barley, rye and malt. If not, a person can buy and eat a food that they cannot have, contaminate themselves, and become
The controversy surrounding genetically modified organisms (GMOs) lies in the lack of acceptable research on the topic. While numerous studies and experiment have been conducted, unbiased results have yet to be published. On one hand, bioengineers claim their GMOs and GMO products are not harmful and may even be beneficial, while on the other hand, scientists and agriculturists claim they are terrified about the uncertainty surrounding these unnatural products. This paper will explain what GMOs are, then analyze positive and negative claims and determine if they have any validity.
Gluten is a protein found in common grains such as wheat, barley, and rye. Those affected with allergies to these foods (the most serious allergy being Celiac Disease) must follow a strict gluten-free diet in order to experience relief from their symptoms. Despite eliminating the ingestion of the allergen, gluten-free individuals begin to suffer from adverse side effects. In recent years, many Americans have begun to live an entirely gluten-free lifestyle with no medical necessity to do so. Many believe it to be a healthier diet, and even more believe it is an effective weight-loss tool. With this growing fad of adopting a gluten-free diet, under the false pretenses of varying health benefits, many Americans are exposing themselves to unnecessary health risks, over-priced and narrowly available foods, and an overall depletion of dietary needs.
The bran, which is the hard outer covering of the grain, high in dietary fiber, vitamin B and minerals. You can recognize it in whole wheat flour; it looks like tiny brownish flakes.
“Corn is one of humankind's earliest innovations. It was domesticated 10,000 years ago”(Ackerman, J, 1 Jan. 2002). With the advancements of corn starting ten thousand years and still continuing genetic modification today, we are able to morally provide for the world.
Bread has fed man for thousands upon thousands of years. It goes back as far as the Neolithic era (Bread Online). Bread has evolved over the years. Wheat has been around since before recorded history. It is very likely that wheat was usually chewed at first (History of Bread Online). Then it was discovered that it could be crushed. Later it was discovered that when the crushed wheat was set over fire, it hardened and thus flat bread came to be. In Egypt around 1000 B.C. yeast was introduced into bread. The Greeks picked up after the Egyptians then it went to Europe where it became very popular for the Romans. Bread for the Romans was thought to be “more vital than meat” (History of Bread Online). Even a person’s social status could be identified with the type of bread they consumed. Since white flours were more expensive, the darker the bread the lower the social status. This is not the case today however. Now, darker breads are
Wheat makes up about 20% of a daily human diet. It is highly nutritious, providing fiber, energy, and oils which are a necessity for productivity and efficiency in this fast-paced world. What creates the problem is that about 95% of wheat is refined, and the healthiest parts, bran and germ, are removed, leaving unhealthy white flour. The bran and the germ help digest gluten, but if gluten remains, it attaches to the lining of the stomach and slowly deteriorates is protective coating
Grocery stores are now stocking large amounts of gluten-free products to respond to the surge in popularity. Many people believe that living gluten-free is healthier and will help them lose weight. Recent studies have shown that a gluten-free diet may lack vital vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Some of the nutrients that these foods lack are B vitamins, iron, calcium, magnesium, and zinc. When you switch to the gluten-free diet you are adopting a whole new lifestyle. The diet requires you to abandon all food that contains gluten, so that includes most products made with grain and a majority of processed foods. Such a drastic change may put you at risk for nutritional deficiencies. Another drawback to is that gluten-free foods are typically more expensive. A 2007 study conducted by Dr. Green showed that gluten-free breads and pastas were often twice the cost of products containing
This report explains genetically modified food (GMOs) and discusses the benefits and risks associated with the consumptions of GMOs. Genetically modified foods (GMOs) are foods that have been genetically altered using engineering techniques. The most common technique used today is called recombinant DNA technology; this technology combines different molecules from different plant species to create a plant with a new set of genes, a hybrid plant. Another recombinant DNA technology being used is recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST) an artificial growth hormone; this hormone is being fed or injected into cows to improve milk production. (ThefreeDictionary)
... of satisfaction for your taste buds. They also are similar in the fact that they are processed from wheat kernels, are enriched with required nutrients, have similar fat content, and are cholesterol free. Whichever bread you decide to slide out of the plastic bag and load up with your favorite toppings, make sure that you are aware of the differences in the way the wheat grain is processed and the effects that has on your body, as well as, health. Bread can continue to provide quick healthy meals, yummy snacks, and sweet deserts, all while still holding the title for one of the best known invention, sliced bread.
Wheat itself has been a prominent ingredient for many years. Wheat dates back a very long time, and there are records of Ancient Chinese writings from 2700 BC that reference wheat. The reason that wheat was, and continues to be, so important is because the main product of wheat, flour, has been used to make breads and other baked goods for thousands of years. Bread has been a staple food throughout history because it was cheap, easy to make, and filling. Even nowadays it is still a staple, used to make sandwiches, served as a side with soup, made into croutons for salads, or turned into breadcrumbs, which have a number of other uses alone. I think it’s easy to see why flour is such an important ingredient.
Fortification is defined as, the adding of essential vitamins and trace elements to food. One of the first foods to be fortified in the United States, was wheat flour; which is still practiced today. Although the practice is no longer revolutionary, fortification of wheat flour is one of the topics growing worldwide that not very many people know about. For that purpose, this paper touches on the origin, what affects the basis, and requirements of wheat flour fortification in the United States.
Not everyone should go gluten free. Gluten is not as major as some make it out to be; it also will not benefit someone if they are trying to go just a gluten free diet. Gluten products are often just as high in saturated fat, sugar and sodium as other junk food, and these products often contain high-glycemic ingredients like white rice flour or fillers like potato starch that can affect your blood sugar and trigger cravings. It is clear that grains offer some considerable benefits as a food. Their caloric value is inexpensive, they provide the ability to feed a large number of people, and they can be stored for long periods of time. However, a majority of people do not realize that their bodies cannot digest this product and is not meant to be digesting it. Therefore, Going Gluten free is a key way to keep our bodies healthy and provide overall a well being by knowing what our bodies are truly intaking, the symptoms of eating gluten heavily affect us in a negative way, and it helps us to not run to the wheats and grains for comfort instead of Jesus.
The inclusion of whole grains in the diet of Australian’s can help protect against type 2 diabetes, heart disease, some cancers as well as helping to control excessive weight gain (NHMRC, 2010). Whole grains provide various nutrients including fibre, folate, vitamin E, magnesium, B vitamins, zinc and antioxidants (CSIRO and Australian Capital Ventures Ltd, 2009). A study undertaken in 2007 through the Agricultural Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture found that the in vitro antioxidant activity of whole grain foods are the same or highe...