Wheat isn't what it used to be, and that means trouble

Every time a food we had a symbiotic relationship with over the millennia begins to cause problems, we find that someone has messed with it.

Wheat is a cornerstone of our civilization, but the wheat we eat today has had some serious chemistry done to it so it is better suited to mass production, harvesting etc. So says the following article.

The article then goes on to describe the savagery done by wheat and its breakdown compounds in our guts. This is an article every bread lover should read before taking another bite.

Because it's not just what is happening in the gut. Wheat has on of the highest glycemic index values of any of the foods we eat, right up there with candy. And that means it contributes to big bellies and the packing of fat into visceral cavities.

Here's the link to the article: You Should Probably Stop Eating Wheat.


Back in 2006 I had to stop eating wheat. It was hard but not as hard as enduring the pain and intestinal distress, even bleeding, I experienced every time I ate it. I have not had wheat (except by accident) since. I don't miss it. It is not tempting. I am over it.

So I found this article fascinating because now I realize I might have avoided all sorts of other ills, too, including diabetes.

Well, just read the article. And then leave a comment here or share this post with your friends. Peg

Choosing yogurt

Yogurt can be a wonderfully healthy food. But check the ingredients to make sure the yogurt brand in your hand has just yogurt in the container!

Real yogurt doesn't need gelatin, pectin, tapioca, or guar gum. Real yogurt has made the transition from milk to thick, predigested dairy product through the action of one or more types of bacteria that ferment milk sugar (lactose) to lactic acid and cause the milk to thicken.

The conversion of lactose to lactic acid means that those who are lactose-intolerant can enjoy yogurt.

Real yogurt is sour, so the tendency in America is to sweeten it, usually with sugar or an artificial sweetener. Around the world, though, yogurt is eaten unsugared. I will add home-tested recipes for these foods here from time to time. When shopping for yogurt, check the ingredients to make sure it is unsugared.

Real yogurt also contains live bacteria. The milk the yogurt is made from will have been pasteurized, but the yogurt should not have been pasteurized after fermentation, or the good bacteria in it will have been killed. Because of wide-spread interest in yogurt as a healthy food, most brands no longer kill off the good bacteria through pasteurization but brag proudly on the label that they the product contains live bacteria. This is what we're looking for!

In our local farmers' market, we can buy local yogurt from two vendors. Both are whole-milk, unsugared, unadulterated yogurt, one 'greek' (extra-thick) and one regular consistency. In years past, a goat yogurt has also been available - I'll have to check to see if that vendor still provides it on a regular basis.

Yogurt has a good effect on digestion for many people. As a fermented product, it is inhabited by beneficial bacteria and pre-digested by them. You might want to read this Wikipedia article on Yogurt for more information.

A useful book on the value of fermentation and the pre-digesting of foods has been written by Sandor Ellix Katz. It is called Wild Fermentation. Yogurt is just one of a multitude of beneficial fermented foods he talks about.