If you’re asking yourself whether Einkorn contains gluten, the answer is “Yes, it absolutely does!”…but I have a secret to tell you. And I should probably disclose that this is not something your “everyday family doctor” is going to tell you. Here’s the secret: not all wheat gluten is created equal.
Tasty Pancakes with Blueberry Syrup
I like to explain by comparing sucanat and aspartame sweeteners. Imagine pouring a perfectly sweetened blueberry syrup over your hot-off-the-stove pancakes for your morning breakfast. If that syrup is made from natural sucanat sweetener or aspartame, it’s going to taste great either way. However, inside your body, the aspartame is killing brain cells while the sucanat is an unmodified substance that most people’s body can process naturally, without any damage to the body.
Einkorn has an entirely different genetic makeup than modern wheat. Modern wheats have been hybridized through years and years and millions and millions of $$$ in research. The goal of hybridization has been to increase yields, fight against plant disease, pests, weather conditions, etc. and many are starting to wonder if this long history of hybridization is the explanation for the rising number of people with a high intolerance to gluten.
I’m not saying I have all the answers…that’s why I have this website and it’s why I am researching the history and nutritional properties of Einkorn.
Einkorn differs from modern wheat in 3 important ways, all of which may contribute to gluten intolerance:
- Most modern wheat is a hybrid of many different grains and grasses.
- Einkorn has a 14 chromosomes , whereas modern wheat has a 42 chromosomes which changes the gluten structure
- Einkorn is considered more nutritious than modern wheat, based on the higher level of protein, essential fatty acids, phosphorous, potassium, pyridoxine, and beta-carotene.
Is it any wonder that so many people today are plagued with allergies and even extreme sickness as a result of eating modern wheat?
Anyway, getting back to the original question of whether Einkorn flour contains gluten. Most people ask this question because they would like to start eating bread again. I hope my answer gives you some hope.
Additionally, I have met some doctors who are working with suffers of celiac and gluten intolerance to see if they can safely eat specific, tested sources of Einkorn. These patients are going through a healing regimen first to get to this point and the initial results are very promising.
Stay tuned…I think we’re on to something here.
I made my living for 3 decades teaching folks what destroys gut health and how to heal gut health.
There are many ways we are destroying gut health but without question the # 1 reason for gut issues in the US is vaccines. ALL vaccines destroy gut health.
The pharmaceutical industry and Monsanto have both totally hoodwinked the masses into believing their clever lies regarding their so called “safe and effective” products.
My free advice if you want your family to be healthy-
Never ever vaccinate.
Have been GF for about 10 years. It is the wheat lacking ALL parts of the berry in the flour. Germ, endosperm and bran all work together for digestion. It is a miracle. If the flour is lacking any one part of this i can only assume that it would not be tolerated well. Maybe OK, not well. I don’t like to take the risk.
So, the simple answer is grind your own berries to ensure you get the whole berry OR purchase flour that is 100% extracted. The over hybridizing of all of our food sources, seeds for gardens, landscaping, etc slowly erodes away how nature was intended to be.
Unsifted.com will be a big help for all that are GF
as a biochemist, this answer makes no sense. if it’s gluten, it’s gluten, there’s no “different structure of it. if it has different structure, it may as well be called something else.
additionally, to suggest that sugar, although referred to by brand name in this text, has no bad affect on human body, is just preposterous. it is considered most addictive drug in the world, making everyone obese, diabetic, cancerous and so on.
Hello, thank you for your comments. Yes, the science has not quite caught up on what makes the gluten in einkorn different, but it is clear that it is not the same, or at least does not behave the same in the body. Perhaps it will be called something different when more research is done. We are not scientists but have A LOT of anecdotal evidence. Of course, that’s not the only kind of evidence that matters, but it should not be discounted. We have hundreds of customers who cannot handle the gluten in wheat but can handle it in einkorn. I have a friend I know well who will be throwing up hours after eating wheat, but she found she could eat flour in Europe with no issues. This made her want to try einkorn, and she has had no issues with it. We hear that same story over and over again, but we recommend that people with full celiac disease consult with a doctor since it does have gluten. We wish we knew all the reasons for this difference! And we are aware that sugar, even unrefined sugar, is not going to be like kale in the body, but we believe in moderation. We use unrefined sugar, honey, or maple syrup in small amounts and believe it is possible to make this part of a healthy diet and we much prefer it to sweeteners made in a lab. We appreciate your feedback and great points. I’d be happy to answer any questions you may have!
Happy to stumble across this article, and look forward to learning more about local artisan bakers in my area (Cape Cod) that might use more ancient grains like Einkorn. If you haven’t already, please consider checking out these two podcast episodes featuring an amazing human being, Dr. Zach Bush, who is a wealth of information on this topic, and has a ton of research/data to back up his content.
https://www.richroll.com/podcast/zach-bush-353/
https://www.richroll.com/podcast/zach-bush-414/
I am a celiac. I was diagnosed by three biopsies about 10 years ago now. People here need to understand that if you’ve been told by your physician your a celiac that sometimes people can eat gluten and not experience symptoms BUT the damage is still being done to your villi. This means your body won’t be able to absorb nutrients from your food and your at a increased risk of certain cancers. Eating a flour with ANY GLUTEN is dangerous to your health with celiac disease! This is very different if you only have intolerance issues. DO NOT eat EINKORN if your a celiac!
Would Kamut and Spelt also be as good as Einkorn regarding gluten?
Hi Roger, what makes einkorn’s gluten so unique is that einkorn has never been hybridized. That cannot be said of spelt or kamut, however they are better than modern wheat as far as gluten goes.
I would love to see your rebuttal to what this link by the author of Wheat Belly… says about wheat germ being toxic. I don’t know if he means all wheat germ or only hybridized wheat getm?
Did I forget to include the link?
http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2013/12/autoimmunity-and-wheat/
Hi Steve, most of our rebuttal is anecdotal. There is evidence that the gluten in einkorn is very different from modern wheat and is packaged in a way that our bodies are more equipped to handle. We know a lot about what’s in einkorn nutritionally and it’s exciting! But there has been little research done about why the gluten doesn’t cause the same problems as modern wheat. Combining the science we know with experience, it’s clear that einkorn just can’t be compared with modern wheat in terms with health. We’ve had customer after customer who can’t eat wheat tell us how good they feel eating einkorn. We recommend that everyone try it for themselves and celiac patients consult with their doctors first.
Lynn, I am glad you do not have a gluten intolerance. As for me, I cannot get diagnosed due to the requirement to eat gluten for three months before they can test for an intolerance. What I can tell you is that for me and my body, I cannot eat modern wheat. I get intestinal distress followed by three days of severe fatigue, mental fog, aches, pain and “attitude issues”. I found this site due to a bad purchase at the mamaker of some einkorn crackers that I ate by mistake. Funny thing is that instead of all the above issues, I had no bad reaction. Gluten free may be a fad diet for some people but for me it was a solution to years of migraines and other severe medical issues.
I have atypical and self-limiting reactions to wheat. Probably not to gluten, per se. Because I can drink beer without any symptoms. Vertigo, ataxia, involuntary eye movements, heart palpitations and something I can only describe as “blood rushes” to my head. Very vascular and very neurological symptoms.
So I am somewhat courageous in trying products since my cluster of symptoms has never really progressed in severity and last about 1-2 hours. Einkorn wheat sounding interesting and I had my husband make me some cookies with it. No symptoms at all. So I buy Einkorn wheat. 🙂
Hi JenniWest:
How were you able to link “[v]ertigo, ataxia, involuntary eye movements, heart palpitations and something I can only describe as “blood rushes” to my head. Very vascular and very neurological symptoms,” (which I assume are your symptoms) to wheat?
You mentioned “the aspartame is killing brain cells”. Can you point me to any resources?
Dawn have you tried Spelt Flour its much the same gluten intolarnt ppl can have this flour it makes a very nice loaf has a nutty flavor to it
Not sure what the evidence is for “extreme sickness as a result of eating modern wheat” in the general population. Gluten-free is a fad diet for those who do not have celiac disease.
While there are a lot of people jumping on the gluten free bandwagon, please know that there are some of us that have been diagnosed my a medical doctor to have a gluten sensitivity/intolerance.
My family has been gluten free for several years – we are not celiac, just gluten intolerant.
However, I ran across some bloggers using Einkhorn and so I read everything I could find on it.I started cooking with Einkhorn two months ago- I do use a starter, and make sourdough bread, pizza, cookies, biscuits, etc. The flavor of this wheat is fantastic, and it has not caused ill effects like regular wheat. My adult son was very skeptical, but he has had no problems with Einkhorn, either.
Another piece of info I found is that the U.S. routinely sprays its wheat with Roundup before harvesting, because it makes it easier on the machines harvesting it!! Also barley and several other crops. The pesticides in our foods are not helping any, either.
I can’t wait for the dbl-blinded, placebo-controlled study to begin, which may begin to sort out the fact from the fiction on this. Everyone is waiting for the definitive answer. It would have HUGE implications to our public health policy for years to come.
Anywhere we can find the results or published testing of the testing mentioned? Thanks! Great info.
So where can I buy seeds to plant my 30 Acres?
I would love to know as well.
Yeah, as a bread enthusiast who makes bread at home, I came here to find out more about einkorn flour because I read that it contains more minerals than modern flour because of the modifications made to dwarf wheat.
But, you had to ruin everything with the “aspartame is killing brain cells” nonsense. I mean, seriously, do you even science? There’s no evidence to back up that nonsense claim and all you’re doing is pandering to the part of your clientele that swallows the pseudo-science BS whole. I don’t – I actually care about science and I care about facts.
The fact is that when digested, aspartame breaks down into three compounds, two of which occur naturally in the body and a third that gets metabolized perfectly naturally and is not harmful to humans – and the amount you get from aspartame sweetened drinks is miniscule, in fact you get more of it by drinking natural fruit juice. That said, none of the quantities are large enough to be toxic.
Yes, I agree. Thanks for trying to set the record straight. Pseudo-science is the REAL harm.
Aspartame may or may not kill brain cells, I have no idea. But I DO know that for some people, my daughter and me included, it causes an INSTANT migraine.
Same here! -Right along with MSG, corn syrup, and other “pseudo foods”. I haven’t figured out all the science yet, but I don’t have a problem figuring out when something makes me sick! If it makes me sick, I’m not going to wait for all the scientific data to explain the “whys and wherefores”. I’m going to pay attention to my body’s signals and avoid it, while I continue searching. Eventually, the data comes out.
I have gotten some rather amazing explanations from Dr. D’adamo’s website on blood types. I decided to give the blood type diet a try, and my low blood sugar problems have almost completely disappeared and I’m finally beginning to lose weight. It appears at least for my blood type, that wheat gluten was a big problem. I would love to try the Einkorn flour, since I miss whole wheat bread.
I went off wheat 15 years ago. Up to that time I would get really bad head colds about 3 times a year, had trouble clearing my ears when flying, and was addicted to wheat goodies pretty much as Wheat Belly describes it. Since stopping wheat I haven’t been sick a day, I lost 20 pounds, my blood chemistry looks great (probably from eliminating refined sugar), and all the other symptoms disappeared. I did get sick once and the metal spaciness returned until I found out I was eating granola with wheat germ. I stopped and the symptoms when away.
Last week I tried sprouted Einkorn wheat. So far no reaction. Maybe this is it. This is not a gluten sensitivity. It’s just wheat. I’m trying a second batch today and my fingers are crossed.
has anyone gotten themselves a flour mill?…and grind your own flour?….KitchenAid has a good one you can run off your KitchenAid Stand Mixer….
Just don’t think that you can run it for more than 20 minutes, as you might wear out the motor on your KitchenAid Stand Mixer…after 20 mins. let it rest 20 mins., before continuing…I bought one early this year, and after my birthday in September am going to try making my own flour for breadmaking…I am diabetic and have to watch my carb and sugar intakes.
I am celiac and recently traveled to France and Belgium. I attempted to eat a little of their delicious breads and had no problems. I continued to eat bread products daily with no problems at all. In the USA, if I eat anything with wheat I have an immediate reaction. I wonder if my lack of a reaction in France and Belgium could be due to their possible use of Einkorn wheat.
I’d like to know more about this, too. I’m am not diagnosed celiac but am allergic to gluten but just returned from England, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. I just couldn’t help myself with the croissants, but I expected my usual instant stuffiness and difficulty breathing. BUT I had no reaction. So of course I ate more: croissants, bread, Belgian waffles, etc. No stuffiness or difficulty breathing. That’s why I’ve been searching the web since I got back and why I’m on this site.
It sounds from my other reading that Einkorn is only grown in limited areas and is not high yielding. So it seems unlikely to me that all of the bread products I ate were made with this costly kind of wheat. What else is different about European wheat?
Depending on where you were visiting in Europe, it may be. They may have used a different name such as farro piccolo. Learn about common names for einkorn here: http://www.einkorn.com/other-names-for-einkorn/
Many European bakeries also use traditional sourdough leavening and a long rise which makes wheat much easier to digest.
I would love to know if you ever found any more information on this. I have read other posts from people who had no reaction to eating wheat-based products in Europe. I think it may partially be due to the way the wheat in the US is harvested. The use of chemicals to kill it just before harvest so that it dries faster. That, in addition to the type of wheat grown, is enough to cause problems for anyone.
Hi Elizabeth,
No, bread and other wheat- based products which you can buy in bakeries in France are not made with einkorn. Einkorn (petit épeautre) is not at all common and won’t be found outside of organic shops. I’m French and am reading this article and its comments to learn more about einkorn. I’ve discovered i was sensitive to gluten (or modern wheat) by chance whilst I had been critical beforehand of the “gluten free trend”. I’ve noticed that einkorn didn’t seem to cause me the same problems, hence my research.
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I just stumbled upon your blog because a friend baked an Einkorn bread and I googled because I have never heard of it. You’ve sold me on this one. Your explanation is simple, straightforward and clear. Thanks so much for making me understand. Kind regards!
I just received Einkorn flour, cookies & pasta in the mail from Jovial Foods. I have developed a wheat intolerance. I noticed I had constant bloat and so didn’t eat wheat for a few weeks and then decided to try some spaghetti someone made at my work. I had an immediate asthma reaction, blotches all over my neck so cut out wheat altogether. That was about two years ago and started researching Einkorn, so decided to finally order some. I read where a local farm has grown heritage wheat as an experiment and have read about turkey red heritage wheat. I would like to know more information about this type of wheat. For now, I am pleased with the results using Einkorn. The first thing I made was pancakes and no headache, no congestion, no immediate bloating. I can’t wait to try bread next. Gluten free products just don’t taste the same at all. Dr. Schar is my favorite, but the breads are awful! Also, since most all gluten free products use rice flour, the carbs and calories are so high!
It sounds like Einkorn could be a great source of nutrition for non-celiacs, but despite the good intentions of this article, the misinformation is very dangerous to those living with celiac sprue like me. Celiacs cannot tolerate the gliadin that exists in gluten – and which exists in Einkorn gluten as well. It has nothing to do with the chromosomes. If I were to eat Einkorn wheat, like any wheat, it would mean that when the gluten enters my system, the white blood cells in my small intestines attack it so vigorously that they destroy the villi. Without the villi, my body fails to absorb nutrients while also failing to filter out toxins. This considered, I do hope that the authors of the article will correct the misinformation before recently-diagnosed celiacs who are still learning about the diet fall ill.
You are correct – celiacs should absolutely not eat einkorn.
Hello. Plz read the whole thread, it was answered a ton of times it contains gluten. Also do your own research do not blame others if you fail to and then get sick. A lesser chromosome count thus less gluten and gliadin content do make a huge difference. I cannot tolerate gluten in conventional wheat at all I have the same issue as you. I can eat the ancient wheats without problem. You can heal your leaky gut all by yourself, fyi, and then you should be fine to eat ancient lower gluten grains that our bodies recognize…..
I believe that you should be a little more clear with your answer. Is Einkorn wheat gluten free? No it is not. PLEASE be clear on this as people with Celiac disease depend on this kind of information! Eating Einkorn wheat is going to cause me to get very ill due to Celiac disease. IT IS NOT GLUTEN FREE!!!!
it clearly says that it is NOT gluten free. can you not read?
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Hey there I would like to try this but my daughter is celiac . any other celiacs out there this
The reviews are mixed with celiacs. I have found information both ways on multiple websites. If you find something credible please share as my neice has celiacs. Thanks
There has not been enough research to warrant eating einkorn if you have celiacs. I will certainly share more info if I hear about it.
EINKORN ISN’T OK FOR PEOPLE WITH CELIAC DISEASE.
TAKE A LOOK AT THIS BLOG :
http://theimpertinent.blogspot.it/p/einkorn.html
AND READ ABOUT results of a research published in the journal of American Gastroenterology 2012; 142: 5 (1) S272-273
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Fascinating trail of articles that ties together the introduction of a super high gluten wheat (dwarf wheat) in 1979 that IMMEDIATELY precedes the dramatic rise of obesity in the US. Fascinating and scary.
1. Normal Borlaug wins the Nobel Prize for “inventing” dwarf wheat with twice the gluten chromosomes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Borlaug
2. How Borlaug wheat compares to the “old” 14 chromosome Einkron wheat:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einkorn_wheat
In contrast with more modern forms of wheat, evidence suggests the gliadin protein of einkorn may not be as toxic to sufferers of coeliac disease. Einkorn wheat does contain gluten, but is different from most wheats in that it contains only 14 chromosomes as opposed to 28 in emmer or 42 in modern wheats. This alters the gluten structure which may be why it does not affect those with gluten intolerance as much as other wheats
3. Oops! Why Borlaug’s wheat is BAD:
The old fourteen chromosome containing Einkorn wheat codes for the small number of gluten proteins and those that it does produce are the least likely to trigger celiac disease and inflammation. The new dwarf wheat contains twenty-eight or twice as many chromosomes and produces a large variety of gluten proteins, including the ones most likely to cause celiac disease.
http://drhyman.com/blog/2012/02/13/three-hidden-ways-wheat-makes-you-fat/
4. Borlaug’s wheat is introduced to the US:
http://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/CAT80742336/PDF
By late 1979, 147 semi-dwarf varieties of wheat and 6 of rice had been
released. Many of these included varieties developed in the international
centers in their ancestry. Semi-dwarf wheat was planted on about 22 percent of
the U.S. wheat area in 1974 and roughly 29 percent in 1979. Semi-dwarf
rice varieties represented about 9 percent of the U.S. rice area in 1979. The
semi-dwarfs have represented an evolutionary rather than revolutionary change.
Their use is likely to expand.
5. ONE year later Obesity rates start to skyrocket:
From 1980 to 2008, the prevalence of obesity in children aged 6 to 11 years tripled from 6.5% to 19.6%. The prevalence of obesity in teenagers more than tripled from 5% to 18.1% in the same time frame. Obesity rates have increased for all population groups in the United States over the last several decades.[12] Between 1986 and 2000, the prevalence of severe obesity (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2) quadrupled from one in two hundred Americans to one in fifty. Extreme obesity (BMI ≥ 50 kg/m2) in adults increased by a factor of five, from one in two thousand to one in four hundred. There have been similar increases seen in children and adolescents, with the prevalence of overweight in pediatric age groups nearly tripling over the same period. Approximately nine million children over six years of age are considered obese. Several recent studies have shown that the rise in obesity in the US is slowing, possibly explained by saturation of health-oriented media or a biological limit on obesity.[13]
CDC info map here (scroll down and watch the map change, starts in 1985, 6 years after the introduction of Borlaug’s wheat):
http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html
6. This mutant wheat (now 42 chromosomes) accounts for 99% (no pun intended) of the wheat grown worldwide.
Yikes!
Zack, thanks for piecing together that trail. An interesting parallel is the formation of the International Wheat Gluten Association (IWGA) in 1979 http://www.iwga.net . It seems we have them to thank for our globally glutenized world.
In their own words–
> Since the International Wheat Gluten Association was chartered in 1979 by ten companies that manufactured wheat gluten in Australia, Canada and the United States, the Association has grown to its present size with members on four continents — Australia, Europe, North America and South America. Currently, the members of the Association represent approximately 90% of all world-wide wheat gluten production. One of the Association’s primary objectives is to help food technologists identify those areas where wheat gluten can play an important role in new protein-based product development. Today’s consumers require products with excellent appearance, flavor, nutrition and price-value.
As a natural food, the increasing awareness of the unique functional properties of wheat gluten coupled with the growing use of all vegetable proteins augurs well for significant market growth in the years ahead. <
The rest of the site openly details all the industries gluten can be applied to http://www.iwga.net/21applications.htm . There is one outside link for Celiac disease. Otherwise, no comment on gluten risks.
Ok, so just how do more chromosomes change gluten? Isn’t gluten just gluten and has a particular biochemical structure? Do you know how chromosomes work at all? I’d like to hear this. And more people today are getting sick from everything. It’s not gluten, it’s people. Auto immune diseases are WAY up with everything so gluten is not the culprit.
So much wrong thinking going on out there it’s no wonder we are falling behind the rest of the world. Too many guillable, non-thinkers.
I know this is a bit dated, but felt the need to correct what I think is a common misconception. People have the same kinds of confusions about sugar and fiber as well.
No, gluten is not “just gluten”. You incorrectly infer that there is merely one molecular configuration of one chemical, “a” protein called gluten. It just isn’t so.
Gluten is a catch-all term referring to a family of proteins and sometimes the cohort of associated enzymes and other chemical constituents. The two most important components are the gliadins and the glutenins, the balances of which, and the exact electromechanical configurations of which, like the rest of the cohort depend upon what the genes code for.
Different genes give different proteins in differing relative abundances, which are then modified by different chemcal pathways arising from the different enzymes.
Ok, so just how do more chromosomes change gluten? I’d like to hear this. And more people today are getting sick from everything. It’s not gluten, it’s people. Auto immune diseases are WAY up with everything so gluten is not the culprit.
So much wrong thinking going on out there it’s no wonder we are falling behind the rest of the world. Too many guillable, non-thinkers.
Kate asks, “Ok, so just how do more chromosomes change gluten?”
I don’t pretend to be a biologist or geneticist, but if I recall correctly from my college genetics and biology courses, chromosomes (via DNA/RNA transcription) code for every protein that an organism produces. The hybridization process (via polyploidy) almost always multiplies the number of chromosomes, introducing new genes from new sources with the potential to alter everything about the plant–from the quality and quantity of its proteins to its observed height and yield.
Kate concludes: “Too many guillable [sic], non-thinkers.”
Kate, your comments might gain more traction with readers if you eliminate the spelling errors in the sentence(s) wherein you accuse others of being “non-thinkers.”
I would love for you to provide me some proof that gluten is not the culprit. No one in my family has ever had a gluten intolerance and now my son and daughter do. Nothing else makes them sick. I would love to provide you information on how chromosomes can affect things. Take for example downs syndrome. One extra chromosome and the person is magically mentally retarded. I wish you would think about what you are typing before sharing with us. Thanks
Look up Wheat Belly on the internet or buy the book and read it.
Its a thingy called Gliadin and it rips your insides out. The wheat that has completely taken over the market right now comes from … The Rockefeller Foundation … so how can it be beneficial to us?
Read Wheat Belly by William Davis, MD. He explains your question in a succinct way. He also explains why people are getting a myriad of diseases/health problems. It has been very eye opening!
So if the problem is gliadin, not gluten, then einkorn is no better for you than any other wheat.
Marie, whether it’s gliadin or gluten, einkorn contains completely different proteins from modern wheat. Are those things present? Yes, but they are very different. It’s the difference between a diploid and a tetraploid.
I also used to be one of those people that thought (arrogantly) that outside of celiac patients, the whole gluten free thing was a farce. Admittedly, there ARE many people out there that are jumping on the GF bandwagon for no verifiable reason other than they think it’s “cool” – without having any real understanding of what gluten is. It’s like a naive college student that gloms on to a cause without having done the research.
However, I have autoimmune diseases and finally decided to try cutting gluten. Almost immediately I felt better.
It didn’t change the fact that I have a broken immune system or a faulty immune response. It did, however, change my level of pain, the location of pain in specific joints, and (and this is the scientifically verifiable part) my labs that showed my inflammation was abnormally low for someone with rheumatoid arthritis and Sjogren’s. Removing gluten was the ONLY thing I’d changed.
Can I have gluten? Yes. Does my body respond to it negatively? Yep – almost exactly 20 minutes after ingesting it I, and quite possibly the people in my vicinity, know it.
If you don’t have a negative reaction to it, be thankful. But please don’t insult the rest of the population that has a genuine physical response to it. You never realize how right everything goes with your body until something goes terribly awry.
Hi Stan my son and husband are intollerant to cultivated wheat, my son gets really ill when having things containing modern wheat flour, he is not intollerant to gluten but to cultivated wheat, would this be a good flour in your opinion to try? I want to make him some bread but he is also intollerant to yeast do you know of any other raising agents that work that I could use in conjunction with the einkorn flour to make bread, thankyou sarah
Hi Sarah,
Why don’t you ferment your own sourdough starter ? Go to culturesforhealth.com
Linda
After years of escalating misery I finally found instant relief by eliminating gluten from my diet. All my symptoms disappeared and life was good…but back then there were little choices available and what was out there gluten-free was tasteless and not worth the ridiculous price so I began experimenting on my own. I got very good at utilizing non-gluten grains/seeds and made very tasty bread and pasta for those times I just had to have some.
I researched just as you did and came to the same conclusions. I decided to venture out on a limb and experiment with old variety wheat grains using myself as a Guinea Pig. I discovered that, in moderation anyway since I have been very conservative, I can eat Spelt, Kamut and Einkorn without any of my gluten-induced symptoms. It has opened up a whole new world! Thankfully the choices are getting better now that people are starting to see that a LOT of us are having issues with gluten. Now if I can just find a reliable source for Einkorn (that’s my new favorite!)
I am glad I found your page…keep up the good work.
Jovial’s Einkorn pasta products are the best tasting and most nutritious wheat I’ve ever found and tasted. My 6 year-old’s skin (eczema) doesn’t react to Einkorn wheat like with the modern wheat varieties of today. I order the pasta by the case and am looking into ordering the flour so that I make my favorite recipes again.
Thank you Jovial!! We love you!!
USA
Stan,
I have an organic homestead and remain unclear on this: Please explain the possiblility that hybridized types of wheat (or corn, etc.) growing within pollinating distance from an ancient wheat crop (Einkorn), may cross the Einkorn and render it changed.
I have also wondered if the sterile corn plants were to cross pollinate a conventional corn crop–would the conventional crop seed be sterile?
My search today is a result of the Wheat Belly book (Davis) and his assertion on Fox today that wheat has evolved for the worse.
Hi Trace,
Sorry I’ve been putting off trying to address your question since the answer is not a simple one. Wheat, Corn (Maize), Einkorn and all true grains are types of grasses. So, they all rely on the wind for pollination and it really depends on the variety of grass as to how susceptible it is to (1) cross-pollination and then (2) successful hybridization. First, a Colorado State Ag study showed that the maximum cross-pollination rate at 200 ft. for one set of wheat varieties, was 1 in 10,000. Wheat pollen only remains viable for a short time, I think a few hours depending on the weather, so timing would also play into this. In order for a cross-pollination event to result in a successful (fertile) seed being developed, the genome types would need to be compatible. Generally, a hexaploid (6 sets of chromosomes) like common (or GMO) wheat will not successfully fertilize a diploid (2 sets of chromosomes) like Einkorn. The chances of this occurring naturally are pretty slim, plant breeder have to work at making new varieties of wheat or other grains. The exception to that may be corn (maize), since the pollen is produced at the top of very large stalks and in much greater amounts. Well, that’s my take on the topic, if anyone else has better information, please chime in.
I have searched for hours, looking for seed. Where do I buy Einkorn seed. I found one site for saving heritage seed, but Einkorn was not available to buy. Are there any sites that offer the seed? I also found one in Canada, but the site did not offer me to order outside of Canada.
Try this link
https://www.azurestandard.com/shop/search?query=eincorn&brand=Azure%20Market%20Organics&brand=Azure%20Husbandry
Excuse me…That’s http://www.growseed.org !
Looks like http://www.growseed.com sells Einkorn berries or flour for $8/lb…May be something I try after my food sensitivity test results are read. Thanks for the info!
Hello,
For wheat to go from 14 chromosones to 42 chromosones whether you exploit a natural hybridization processes or a laboratory one the result is the same. The resultant wheat has been gentically modified.
To believe all natural hybridization is good because it is natural is like saying all natural hemlock is good because it is natural.
The end result is the same whether you get there quickly or slowly.
GMO foods are very different than natural or intentional hybridization. One thing very different is GMO seeds have pesticides inserted into the genes so it will produce it’s own pesticide. Further GMO cultivation comes an incredible amount of toxic and harmful chemicals. Mainly these plants are bred to withstand Round-up herbicide, a weed killer. The worst ingredient is glyphosate. It disrupts the Shikimate pathway in the plant which cause the plant to die. The ‘company’ claims it is not harmful to humans because we do not have that pathway… this is not true. The microbes and bacteria in our bodies which sustain our health have this pathway. These microbes and bacteria outnumber our cells 10 to 1. You may want to read up about what GMO really is.
Even though I agree almost entirely with the Stan’s post and plan to try growing some einkorn this coming year, there is one part of this post that is factually wrong and is misleading. There are no current varieties on the market that are genetically modified. Modern wheat varieties are grown from traditional wheat breeding programs. Although Monsanto has applied to market genetically modified wheat, that application has been denied, at least for now. We don’t know what will happen in the next round, but because wheat is so closely related to other grains and to grasses, there is good reason to believe that regulators will not allow this in the near term at least.
There is enough confusion about genetic modification in the popular press. We should all be careful not to contribute to this confusion.
Good point with being careful on how we choose our words to avoid confusion. Gene-splicing = artificial genetic modification or genetic engineering, while hybridization = natural genetic modification. But most people associate the use of the term “Genetically Modified” to mean gene-splicing. Would you agree? I’ll change the wording of the post to better follow common vernacular.
And, thanks for the info on Monsanto. I had thought about mentioning it, but decided to try to work it into a later post. Please keep us updated on that issue. Do you have your seed for planting Einkorn yet?
Have you read the book by the cardiologist Davis “The Wheat Belly”. In it he seems to contradict your argument.
Which part of his argument? The author of wheat belly has said einkorn is the exception, as far a a I have heard…
Thanks for the clarification; I also believe that gmo produced crops, the overwhelming amount of pesticides, etc. and the hybridized grains create a toxic mess for the body that is yet to be sorted out. I’m trying einkorn wheat and will get back to you.
Einkorn Wheat has been modified over 2500 times! Do your homework, my friend. Please research: Wheat belly, by Dr. William Davis. I think you will be better informed about GM wheat from this, plus many other publications.
D.
For the past ten years, I have been collected einkorn in the Golan Heights near Syria, France, Hungary, Germany and more. Am baking delicious einkorn products now. Be great to share the grains, breads and flours. It is important that celiacs have access to this food. Do you also offer einkorn? I welcome cooperation and exchange.
Kindly,
Eli Rogosa
We have just received a small package of einkorn seeds that we will be growing in test plots this coming season. We are a certified organic farm that specializes in heritage grains and Einkorn is on our list of target grains to produce in commercial quantities.
As an einkorn researcher and artisan baker, it is exciting to see more interest in the US. Einkorn is an important alternative to over-bred modern wheats. It is delicious and safe for most gluten sensitivities. I collected many populations of einkorn in the Fertile Crescent and Europe, and offer einkorn flatbreads and flour for sale. We welcome cooperation to bring this ancient grains to American consumers seeking a high nutrition delicous alternative grain.
Just wondering if you know if Einkorn flour or grain can be purchased in Canada. I live in BC on Vancouver Island.
Thank you,
Karen
You can buy organic einkorn flour from Daybreak Mill, southeast of Estevan,SK. I live only a few miles away. Give them a phone call. They ship everywhere. If you have a problem with gluten, though, you should talk to Nicole, the owner, because the einkorn flour would probably be milled using the same equipment as is used for wheat and other grains.
Cowichan bay has it 🙂 Forget the name of the place but they mill all their own flours.
Thrifty foods has a very small supply.. it’s in a box in the baking aisle .. expensive but available
Try and find this at a German/Dutch import shop. The brand name is Ap’ti. Weizen-mehl Type 405
Yes. A person may order it from [email protected] in Saskatchewan.
I have just recently been researching wheat and how it’s been genetically modified. If I wanted to buy the einkorn flour or wheat, how would I know if it is the same grain as it was thousands of years ago. I’m wondering, if the grain has been changed through the last say 50 years, how do we know the one selling as the original einkorn is actually the same one?
Was this the same wheat that was growing back in the 1st century around the time of Christ in Jerusalem ?
Hi Sandra, I don’t know enough about what was growing there at that time in order to answer that question. I do know that einkorn is the most primitive form of wheat.
Would like information on how to buy einkorn from you as you said you offer it for sale.
Thank you!
Eli Rogosa, I just stumbled on this article and saw this. I hope you still have the same email 6 1/2 years later, so that you will get a notification from my reply. I’m a mother that found gluten to be “one of the many culprit” of my children’s slight disability. Through strick whole food diet (one of which is being gluten free) combined with other lifestyle changes that may allopathic physicians would reject or cannot be open minded about), I was able to reverse my children’s asperger syndrome (I wanted to say Autism, but Asperger Syndrome has been taken away from the Autism umbrella a few years ago). After healing their gut, I am now open to trying einkorn for my children. And want to try differenr resources for it. Is there a website, company name, or link you can offer or post so that people like me have options to look at for purchase? Thank you so much. Hope to hear from you soon.
This is nonsense. You cannot reverse autism with diet. My autistic child eats a nutritious diet, as we all do in our family. But that diet will never reverse her autism. These kinds of comments and believes do nothing to help the autism community.
Gert, countless children have see their autism reverse and be free of the diagnosis after only 3 months of brain training and correct diet. Lookup Brain Balance in Golden, CO USA to learn more.
Gert, comments like yours can lead folks to think there is no way to improve the lives of thousands of children.
I would love to hear more about what you did to help heal your child’s gut. Thank you!
Amy-Lynn
[email protected]
Where can it be purchased?
Hi Karla, you can purchase our products here. Our flour is out of stock but should be back next month. Some health food stores have it but it’s hit and miss.
Do you have any recent updates to this 2009 blog topic? My husband and I are very interested in Einkorn wheat.
Also, can you explain “vital wheat gluten” that is for sale at health food stores? I find adding it to my Einkorn flour when I bake bread makes a much better texture, but I wonder if I’m just defeating the whole purpose of using Einkorn flour?
Hi Kjirstin, we don’t have any specific updates. It’s still true that the gluten in einkorn is very different from the gluten in modern wheat and a lot of people who can’t eat wheat can eat einkorn. We’re researching why that is. There is literature but it’s limited. Vital wheat gluten does defeat the purpose of using einkorn if you’re using einkorn for digestive purposes. If you just want the higher nutrient content, then the vital wheat gluten wouldn’t defeat the purpose.
One suggestion is to revert to making flatbread instead of raised breads. Thus omitting the vital wheat gluten.
Amazon has it.
Love the over-bred…..comment referring to bread products. You may not have intended the pun. But I laughed ?
Contact me at 727-313-6964 so I can buy your Products. Thanks, Kevin
What is your flour called? Are you on EB?
I’ve often wondered why so many people are getting sick from wheat these days. This is the best answer I’ve heard.
Thanks for your post. Over-hybridization is just one of the theories out there, but the others are more controversial. But yes, it does seem to fit: The desire for more profits leads to development of varieties that focus on yield and plant disease. I’ve never heard of a strain being developed that focuses on better nutrition.
Stan,
As an organic grower, I am always looking for new varieties that seem to have promise for both taste and health. You might be interested to know that the University of Idaho has recently developed two varieties of barley that are particularly high in beta-gluten, the component most related to heart health. This was an intentional part of their breeding program, but is also the exception to the rule. However, I entirely agree with you that almost all university-based and industry-based plant breeding programs have focused on yield almost exclusively. And we do know that both taste and nutritional content have suffered as a result.
Very interesting! Thanks for the info. Although I think you meant to spell “beta-glucans” instead of “beta-gluten”.
Erick, I think you meant beta-glucan. Not “beta-gluten”.
There was a big push in the late 1950s to come up with wheat strains that were resistant to fire blight (a devastating fungal disease that is difficult to control), and that had shorter stems (as we got away from animal/plant pairings, wheat straw was looked at as a negative byproduct).
Monsanto has also been marketing (not sure how successfully?) Glyphosate, aka Roundup, as a way to accelerate dry-down of wheat at maturity to farmers, and I haven’t seen any independent studies on what residues remain on harvested berries.
Monsanto applied for a patent in 2003 for Glyphosate use as an antibiotic (https://www.google.com/patents/US7771736), and 80% of our immune system is in our gastrointestinal tract, and the majority of our microbiome (bacteria) reside in our GI tract, and we’re just beginning to understand our body’s interaction with bacteria in our gut. If you trace the increased use of Glyphosate since GMO approval in 1993, it correlates pretty darn well with the explosion of autoimmune and GI diseases.
Totally agree!!!
I tried Eikorn wheat pasta….. Loved the taste, but woke up in the middle of night with a migraine and vomiting. Will never go near this stuff again. I have been wondering if I’m gluten sensative ( not celiacs ) because anytime I eat pizza, bread etc I have bouts of gastric reflex.
As was stated in the post, sometimes you need to heal the gut lining before using Einkorn. My grandson had migraines with vomiting before his gut was healed. He still can’t tolerate gluten but can now successfully eat Einkorn products.
Katherine Czapp posted some articles with the Weston A Price Foundation some years ago about a healing protocol for celiac disease (she used bone broth to help her father-in-law heal) and then, following some medical hypotheses, prepared lactc-acid fermented bread and pasta (sourdough) for him. He tolerated it. Lactic acid fermentation alters the structure of gluten in modern wheats. I think she said it denatures the toxic peptides, but I’ve seen nothing that confirms that idea. I don’t have links to her articles but they may be available on line. Also, Eli Rogosa in his book on Restoring Heritage Grains mentions the specific difference between the gluten in Einkorn and in bread wheat that makes Einkorn gluten less problematic. One further comment on some of the discussion: Modern wheat is not a” cross between wheat and many grasses.” It is a hybrid of many wheat species, all of which are grasses. (One is oddly called Goat Grass.). You could lose days reading about the history of wheat.
I think my intolerance to gluten developed because I was eating GMO wheat without realizing it. It seem to come out of nowhere. By the time I learned of GMO and what it does, it was too late. I had already developed gluten sensitivity. I seriously think GMOs are the main culprit.