Gluten-free eating may seem to be just the latest diet trend…

Yet, I seriously doubt that the many people buying gluten-free products are doing it for insincere reasons. I don’t usually buy or look for gluten-free labels when doing my grocery shopping even though I am conducting my own private gluten-free eating experiment. After noticing that every time I eat bread, pasta or pizza I would feel uncomfortable, tired, simply not as good, I have been keeping my meals wheat free, and have been feeling consistently better. However, I’ve also noticed that one particular brand of pasta, made from an ancient wheat called Einkorn, has no ill effects on me when I eat it.

I’ve been wondering about this, wondering why so many people are becoming gluten intolerant (they are, it’s not just better detection), and why this other form of wheat would be any different. Today I came across an intriguing article on this very subject. I was immediately drawn in by the story of a baker in California whose white wheat sourdough bread is very popular with the gluten sensitive. It turns out that the wheat used in most of the products we consume today is very different from the wheat we consumed in the past (thus the rising incidence of sensitivities).

Perhaps more importantly, this is the familiar story of how tweaking nature for reasons of convenience resulted in unwanted health consequences. This can and should be a reminder to include our long-term health needs among the goals of innovation.