Tag Archives: health benefits

Healthy Grains: 25 Reasons Einkorn Tops the List

Valeria learned the hard way about the importance of including only the most nutritious and healthy grains in her diet. Her struggle led to her discovery of Einkorn, and may give hope to others who are struggling with their health.

When she first moved from Russia to the United States, Valeria was excited about the hassle-free American style of cooking. She was awed by the colors and packages in supermarkets and wholeheartedly embraced this new way of life.

After a few years, this new way of life stopped being so awe-inspiring. The arrival of fatigue, dangerously high cholesterol, and debilitating migraines put a serious damper on her excitement.

After going on medications, Valeria decided to try Continue reading →

Einkorn Pasta – A Surprising Delight

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I usually tell people that whole grain pastas were never meant to be. They are slimy, don’t mix in the flavor of the sauce, and fall apart very easily on the plate. But after eating einkorn pasta, I’m taking that all back.

Jovial Foods Spaghetti Whole Grain Einkorn Pasta

I never considered that einkorn pasta could be very different than any other whole grain pasta until Jovial sent a free sample to talk about on the blog. Even then, it sat on my shelf for quite some time because I didn’t think it was worth trying.

Finally, I felt up to it one day and cooked the pasta for dinner. WOW! I loved it, and so did my entire family. I went to The Good Earth (our local health food store) and found it to be available at a great discount so I bought several more boxes.

A special dinner with guests was coming up so I decided to cook up the einkorn pasta with my special pesto recipe. It was a hit with our guests too!

The einkorn pasta adds a perfect flavor to the dish and it doesn’t taste grainy or feel slimy. Instead, it was sweet, slightly nutty, rich in flavor, the texture was very desirable. Einkorn’s nutritional qualities combined with the tasty pasta make it real winner in my book. Nice work Jovial!

I noticed they have several types of einkorn pasta listed for sale on Amazon but it’s often out of stock so it must be popular. Check out some of the pastas they offer:

Thanks to Jovial, I can eat whole grain pasta (and like it). Have any of you tried the einkorn pasta from Jovial? If so, leave a comment. I’m interested to know how you liked it.

Eli Rogosa & UMass Amherst Help to Establish Ancient Einkorn Wheat

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Eli Rogosa talks in this video about the UMass Amherst program to preserve and establish heirloom wheat grains, including einkorn (Triticum monococcum), into modern agriculture.

It’s interesting how she describes the root system of the heirloom grains compared with the shallow root system of modern wheat, which relies upon chemical fertilizers.

Lack of Toxicity in Einkorn Gliadin

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In 2006, the Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology released the results of a study which suggested the possibility of adding einkorn grain to the dietary options of celiac patients. I was able to get a copy of the full study but cannot post it entirely because of copyright restrictions. Instead, I have quoted the abstract and posted it below:

(For those who don’t know, the genetic classification of einkorn wheat is Triticum monococcum, which is an important detail as you read this post.)

Study Abstract

Lack of intestinal mucosal toxicity of Triticum monococcum in celiac disease patients

Cultivated Einkorn (Triticum monococcum)

Daniela Pizzuti¹, Andrea Buda¹, Anna D’Odorico¹, Renata D’Incà¹, Silvia Chiarelli², Andrea Curioni³ and Diego Martines¹

¹Department of Surgical and Gastroenterological Sciences, ² Department of Surgical and Oncological Sciences, ³Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Padua University, Italy

Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology, 2006; 41: 1305-1311

Objective. The treatment of celiac disease is based on lifelong withdrawal of foods containing gluten. Unfortunately, compliance with a gluten-free diet has proved poor in many patients (mainly due to its low palatability), emphasizing the need for cereal varieties that are not toxic for celiac patients. In evolutionary terms, Triticum monococcum is the oldest and most primitive cultivated wheat. The aim of this study was to evaluate the toxicity of T. monococcum on small intestinal mucosa, using an in vitro organ culture system.
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Types of Wheat: Nutritional Content & Health Benefits Comparison

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For over 7,000 years, mankind has cultivated and developed wheat for breads and cereals. Today, we consume more wheat, as a percentage of our daily diet, than any other food. Just think about that and the effects wheat can have on our health – good or bad!

Wheat Bread, just one of the many ways we like to eat different types of wheat

I’ve been researching the nutritional content of 19 different types of wheat, and I’ve included a link to all of my findings in this post. This post focuses on the nutritional content and health benefits of einkorn wheat compared with the common types of wheat of which most of our food from the grocery store is made.

In doing my research, it is easy to see why there has been renewed worldwide interest in ancient einkorn. The interest comes not only from einkorn’s unique gluten structure but also it’s incredible nutritional qualities.

Here are some interesting facts I learned about the nutritional content and health benefits of einkorn:

Wheat gluten studies have found einkorn may be non-toxic to suffers of gluten intolerance
Einkorn wheat has 14 chromosomes while modern wheats have 42 (Friendly to the body’s digestive system)
Einkorn contains 3 to 4 times more beta-carotene than modern wheats (Boosts immunity, helps prevent cancer and heart disease)
Einkorn contains 2 times more Vitamin A (retinol equivalent) than modern wheats (Healthy eyes, reproductive organs and prevention of many cancers)
Einkorn contains 3 to 4 times more lutein than modern wheats (Prevention of macular degeneration and cataracts)
Einkorn contains 4-5 times more riboflavin than modern wheats (Used by the body to create energy and is an antioxidant that slows aging)
Einkorn is a “hulled” wheat, whereas modern wheats are not. The hull can protect the grain from stray chemical contamination and insects making it an easier grain to grow ORGANICALLY!

Einkorn vs Major Types of Wheat Comparison Matrix

Brief Comparison of Einkorn and Major Types of Wheat

See my full nutritional matrix comparing 19 types of wheat (pdf), including einkorn. This matrix also includes my sources and references.