Is wheat good or bad? The recently published book Wheat Belly has caused a number of folks to mistakenly believe that genetically modified wheat has already invaded our food supply. While it is true that GM wheat is currently being tested in the UK (not for commercial production supposedly), it has not become part of the human or animal food supply as of now.
The warnings against wheat in Wheat Belly are in reference to hybrid wheat strains which is a very different thing from genetic modification or GM wheat which, as of this writing, does not exist in the consumer marketplace.
When a plant is hybridized, the basic plant DNA is not mixed with the DNA of another, completely unrelated plant species or even the DNA of animals or bacteria which is what happens with genetic modification.
The Difference Between Hybrid Wheat and GM Wheat
Hybridization of plants has been practiced for centuries and the truth is that most of the plant foods we consume everyday are hybridized in some form or fashion. Hybridization typically occurs through selection of desirable and inheritable characteristics that are either dominant or recessive genetic traits.
In the case of wheat, strains that are high in gluten have been favored in recent decades given that they are more desirable in food processing with the result that modern wheat is much higher in gluten than nonhybridized (wild) strains such as einkorn wheat.
In other words, hybrid wheat is not GM wheat. Â Does this mean that hybridized wheat is bad for your health?
Not at all. I personally have no problem eating high gluten hybrid wheat. Note that heirloom wheat varieties such as durum used to make traditional foodstuffs like bulgur are usually better tolerated though. I don’t feel this is the primary reason for the big belly problem that many Westerners suffer from today as claimed in Wheat Belly.
There are plenty of people who are wheat or gluten free that suffer from the same belly issues!
The real crux of the problem is the complete mess that the vast majority of Westerners have made of their gut environment with all the processed foods, sugar, rancid vegetable oils, antibiotics and other pharmaceutical use.  An imbalanced gut environment will most assuredly not be able to digest wheat that is high in gluten and undigested food rots in the gut producing excess gas, bloating, growth of pathogens, and breakdown of the gut wall that results in – you guessed it, “wheat belly” as well as autoimmune symptoms such as food allergies or gluten sensitivity.
However, is wheat the real problem?
No it’s not.
Fix the gut and hybrid wheat digests just fine in most cases .. particularly if you prepare the wheat properly by sprouting, soaking or sour leavening as practiced by traditional societies which breaks down gluten into more digestible form.
So if you want to avoid modern strains of wheat because you don’t digest it well, that is fine. Just know that it really isn’t hybrid wheat that is the problem.  Getting gut health in order is the real key to solving any food digestion or sensitivity problems over the long term!
For more information about how to reverse gluten sensitivity and other food intolerance issues which go a long way toward flattening that “wheat” belly, check out these previous posts on the GAPS Diet.
Now, if and when GM wheat is introduced into the marketplace, that is a whole new ballgame as it is unknown what effect this would have on human physiology and digestion in particular.
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Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
Sources and More Information
Sorry to give you the bad news, but all American wheat is geneticly modified and really bad for us. It has been modified to produce 10 times the yield, so we will never be able to go back to “real” wheat. Check out several cardiologists who are finally speaking out. One of them is William Davis, but there are others. Just Google “is all wheat bad” and look for the real articles – not the articles that are promoting wheat bread as the “healthy” choice – it isn’t.
For those asking “Where is the research? Where are the stats?”, you may be interested to read this article: http://www.cimmyt.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1549:wheat-improvement-the-truth-unveiled&catid=432:special-news
This is a direct reponse to the wheat belly, with expert advice from leading scientists – these guys know what they’re talking about.
For those who find that they have a severe reaction when they eat grains after cutting them out of their diet for a while, isn’t it obvious that your gut would be in shock if you eat a lot of something you aren’t used to eating? I have been a vegetarian for five years. There is no way I am allergic to meat, yet if I was to eat a steak now, I would feel really, really sick. Simply because my body is not used to it. Everything in moderation people. Please don’t complain when you eat no wheat for four months then feel bloated after eating an entire pizza. Try a daily slice of homemade, wholegrain bread for breakfast, and delight in its deliciousness.
I love the article. The only thing I would disagree with is the concern over high gluten wheat. My daughter has a severe allergy to wheat. It started as a gluten intolerance. As with all allergies, being exposed over and over to the gluten in wheat, her body began to build antibodies against wheat and gluten. The reactions were more and more intense. Now, when she accidently eats anything with wheat, she has antiphalaxis reaction. Her face, lips, nose eyes swell and angioedema is very present. High gluten has been attributed to autoimmune illnesses and numerous other conditions. My daughter was diagnosed with IBS for years. She suffered through it. As a nurse, I tried everything to help her to feel better. It wasn’t until I removed wheat/gluten totally from her diet for 3 weeks that I realized it was the wheat/gluten making her sick. She now must avoid all wheat/gluten. Antibody testing showed high antibodies that attack the ingested wheat or gluten. Thus, causing the severe allergic reaction. I don’t agree with our government adding high levels of gluten. If you think of how many carbs americans consume, those carbs contain the wheat with high levels of gluten. This is proof in itself that Americans are getting sick from wheat/gluten not just bad oils. Hydrogenated oils, High fructose coin syrup and malt have have traces of wheat in them as they are processed with this. Mayo Clinic has a wonderful article on things to avoid if you are allergic to wheat/gluten. These are included. Thus, the wheat/gluten appears to be a main culprit here. We are a family of four and have gone gluten/wheat free. It has made a huge difference in how we feel physically, emotionally and mentally. No more brain fog for me. I encourage others to research and rule out wheat/gluten as a culprit to illnesses. I only wish I would have learned this years ago, when my daughter was a toddler.
Sarah, Love your blog and most information you share, but oh my how I disagree. I apologize if you’ve since researched modern wheat a bit more in depth by this time. I know accepting the fact that wheat is unhealthy is difficult. I was in disbelief myself when I was properly preparing soaked grains and sourdough breads for my family and discovered my 3-year old was severely intolerant. So intolerant it screwed up his mitochondrial and looks as if he will be on treatment everyday for the rest of his life. Now I’ve realized that 90% of those with Celiac have no idea they have any ill effects from eating one of the most inflammatory foods available. The number of those with gluten-intolerance is much higher. Intolerance of the glue can be every bit as bad as Celiac. As we’ve seen with Monosanto, BASF (biggest producer of GE crops sold in US) is only playing with words and this post sadly supports their unethical behavior. I don’t think it was intentional on your part, I think you’ve been duped just like the rest of us by BASF – one of the world’s largest chemical giants. As I naively bought my non-GMO wheat flour for my love of sourdough, the thought never occurred to me I may be buying GE grains. BASF wheat may not be genetically MODIFIED, per se, but it is without a doubt genetically ENGINEERED. As with all of the Monosanto franken-foods, BASF’s Clearfield wheat is also BASF herbicide tolerant. How do you suppose that happened? Was it modified? Was it engineered? It was altered, same difference. That chemical engineering disrupts my sweet boy’s endocrine system. It disrupts mine. You belong to the same species as us so I feel confident in saying it disrupts yours too. Celiac is not called the silent killer for nothing. Did you know BASF was booted out of Germany by its citizens’ intolerance of these toxins and concern for these bio-engineered foods. BASF’s headquarters has relocated to a more GMO/GE friendly location, Raleigh, NC! Off to research more about the other BASF Clearfield GE crops like non-GMO rice…
Folks, Ladies
don’t waste your time here. This is an industry-sponsored Fake Blog to confuse the public from waking up to the fact of toxic, addictive, modified and health- destructive wheat.
i disagree with your review; i believe it is too harsh.
Dr. Davis often overstates his case. some are only his conjectures with little proof. but his message is important. also by his book has helps many (albeit could be due to wrong reason – by eliminating wheat, most processed food stuff is eliminated), he has helps many more people than most MDs. so i think you’re being unfair.
you’re correct that modern dwarf wheat is not GMO. but that does NOT make it a benign food stuff. the nutritious values are poor even if you prepare it properly.
by being so negative on his book, you’re doing more harm as some who really need to eliminate wheat might dismiss it. (& no, i’m not celiac)
i like Chris Masterjohn’s review, more fair & level headed.
http://blog.cholesterol-and-health.com/2011/10/wheat-belly-toll-of-hubris-on-human.html
i also disagree that it is dangerous to eliminate grains for all people.
also who said eliminating grain = low carb?
i get plenty of starch from tubers, much more nutritious. easier on digestion for some.
(having said that i do eat moderate amount of grains : white rice & properly prepared in the WAP tradition).
regards,
I believe this is true also. Even too much fruit causes problems because of too much fructose. I also have gone off all grains, starches, and most sources of sugar or anything that is not low glycemic/low inflammation. My husband had a heart attack and had high blood pressure most of his life. He is now on this diet and is off all meds. The meds did not even help. He lost weight and is thrilled. I have RA and asthma. I find as soon as I eat the typical American diet I have incredible pain along with joint destruction, asthma, etc. We eat meats, fish, eggs, cheese, salads, green beans, tomatoes, things like that. Homemade keifer and he drinks good German beer. We drink coffee, use stevia, and do eat alot of fat such as olive oil, butter, coconut oil, animal fats. I bake with almonds I soak, dry, and grind, plus, coconut flour. If I go off this diet I know real fast and I also start gaining and do not sleep well. Older woman and men-are you puffy? You can tell you need to make diet changes if you are. I can look in the mirror and see by just looking at my eyes.
Grains and starches raise blood sugar and cause inflammation. Inflammation, they are finding, causes disease. I know this is true from trial and error on myself and my husband.
I am not meaning to cause issues but so much is involved and becomes evident as one gets older. We will always eat this way to keep our inflammation down. My doctor was shocked at how low my inflammation was (by blood tests) by eating this way. I am 57.
The problem is carbs, for most people. Wheat = carbs = fat.
Wheat causes Asthma in me and I do not eat modern foods or take any drugs. I lost 50 lbs when I was forced to go Gluten free and will never even touch a drop of wheat in any form as it makes me wheeze almost immediately. You need to look at biopsies that show wheat causing leaky gut syndrome. I think we should eat as our ancestors ate, nothing under the ground like potatoes and no grains. I have found that the medical mafia uses MULTIFACTORIAL arguments such as ” Oh its your Genes and enviroment” to confuse people and basically say that they dont have a clue about how to help you other than throw a steroid at you ( Doctors jobs are not to cure you, their job is to push drugs ) then give you a colostomy bag when the surgeon decides that will cure your IBS. Read the book, it will change your life.
if your goal is to restore gut health, you must eliminate wheat from your diet.
the problem is the gliadin, increasing gut permeability. this isn’t a genetic issue, nor does it apply only to those with celiac disease. the problem is species-specific.
as far as i can find, there is no method to prepare wheat which removes/reduces the gliadin content.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2653457/
“Gliadin Induces an Increase in Intestinal Permeability and Zonulin Release by Binding to the Chemokine Receptor CXCR3”