Learn about the science behind wheat and why gluten might not be the real issue in “Gluten is Not the Problem: The Science of Wheat”.
The Truth About Wheat: Dispelling the Gluten Myth
Gluten, a protein found in wheat and other grains, played a crucial role in the development of ancient urban civilizations. Despite being a staple in the human diet for thousands of years, there is a growing trend of fearmongering about gluten on social media, perpetuated by influencers who spread misinformation without scientific basis.
This fear surrounding gluten fails to recognize the historical significance of this protein in sustaining populations and enabling the growth of societies. From bread to beer, gluten has been a fundamental ingredient in many traditional foods that have nourished generations throughout history. It is important to distinguish between legitimate concerns regarding gluten intolerance and unfounded claims that demonize this age-old dietary component.
Wheat Wars: Debunking the Gluten Myth with Science
In the Bollywood film Moen jaro there is a scene where Kik Roshan tames a bunch of unruly horses just one problem the Indus Valley Civilization did not have horses horses are said to have been introduced to India by a wave of migrants from Central Asia that arrived after haraa and moino daru had already declined historical accuracy has never.
Been Bollywood strength and this movie is a great example but finally they accidentally got one tiny fact right there is a scene where food is shown and there is something that resembles a chapati and we do know from archaeological findings that the indust valley cultivated what is the topic of this video.
wheat like rice millets corn and sugar cane wheat is also a member of the grass family and was domesticated by people living between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Mesopotamia what is today Iraq approximately 10,000 years ago and the domestication of wheat changed the world it made large Urban States possible.
Egypt Sumeria and harappa were all made possible by wheat three out of five of the oldest Advanced human civilizations were built on wheat China was rice based and Mexico corn and the one thing that made wheat more impactful than other serial grains in creating and sustaining large Urban civilizations is the one thing the internet nowadays seems to.
Want to scare you about all the time gluten wheat and barley and dry are unique in that they have these two proteins glutenin and gliadin which in the presence of water becomes an elastic stretchable material that makes it possible to make bread and when I say bread I don’t mean the modern factorymade bread but flat breads like P.
Nan or chapati so you might wonder come on rice is so much easier to cook chapati or Nan is a lot of work so how come wheat based civilizations dominated early history and it turns out bread takes time to make but lasts for a much longer time than cooked rice a chapati has less moisture than cooked rice and spoils much later and is therefore more.
Suitable for travel in fact Traders and soldiers could easily carry a hard baked low moisture longlasting bread and travel easily compared to someone who had to carry cooked rice so gluten made Modern civilization possible so why is it so demonized today to understand that let’s go back to where it all begins in a green of wheat on an average every.
Whole kernel of wheat contains 70% carbohydrates 12% protein 2% fat 1.8% minerals and 2.2% of fiber this is for the whole grain of wheat with all its layers intact and a grain of wheat has three layers bran germ and endosperm The Germ has the embryo or the baby wheat plant the point of the grain is to help the plant to propagate itself so the.
Germ is packed with nutrients required by the embryo especially fats it contains multiple minerals unsaturated fats B vitamins antioxidants phytochemicals and a small amount of high quality protein the next layer is the brand which contains a lot of fiber and a tiny amount of B vitamins minerals and protein the third layer is the.
Endosperm this is about 83% of the whole grain it’s mostly starch and some protein and 80% of that protein are glutenin and gliadin which later become gluten now if you grind the entire grain of wheat between two circular stones that have grooves on their surface you crush the grains what also happens is heat generation which Cooks some of the.
Starch and causes it tiny bit of caramelization the flour therefore includes the bran germ and endosperm this is called ATA and that Stone Mill is called a Chucky this is how wheat has been made into flour in India for the longest time since a Chucky flattens all starch granules they have more surface area that means more easy digestion by.
Amyas in the mouth which is why a really good Arta results in a chapati that has a mildly sweet and caramelized flavor as you chew on it and the fact that brand and germ are included means that it is rich in fiber and micronutrients but at the same time this process also makes ATA unsuitable for anything other than a chapati if you need to ferment it to.
Make bread ATA is not suited for that because the cooked starch and the presence of fats in The Germ will get in the way of forming strong gluten structures required for making bread and the shelf life of ATA is not great in airtight conditions 3 months at best Remember The Germ contains fats that will oxidize and go rancid now different.
Parts of India have different preferences for how they like their R North India prefers it highly fibrous slightly coarsely ground and almost beige light brown in color while the South prefers it finer ground less fibrous and whiter in color companies will achieve this by sourcing specific wheat varieties and adjusting the Chucky.
Settings to achieve these specific Regional preferences if you’re a North Indian complaining about why the chapatis in Chennai are not great this is why food is rarely good or bad it’s mostly familiar or unfamiliar so this is now let’s get to the gers sing of Indian food mea in 18th century Europe with the Industrial Revolution population was.
Exploding and most of the population growth was in cities not Villages so whole wheat flour made from Chucky like Stone Mills did not have the shelf life to support this exploding population so we invented the Roller Mill one of the most remarkable inventions in human history this machine uses two cylindrical drums where you can adjust.
The distance between the drums with Precision to just crack the wheat grain and remove the brand and gerum then you can grind the remaining grain into flour remember fats in The Germ reduce the shelf life of ATA so without that you could now make flour that had a much longer shelf life this is what is called allpurpose flow in the west and MEA in.
India but a consequence of this was also a flour that had no fiber or micronutrients and that is at the heart of all the scare mongering about mea it is still wheat but it lacks the micronutrients and fiber that ATA does it has its origins in a civilizational need to feed a large growing Urban population of poor people but in a.
Modern context we have to be practical about this because if it’s shelf life met is ideal for making processed food snacks Like Biscuits Factory Made bread instant Noodles Etc if your diet is only mea and not enough vegetables that is the problem mea is not the problem having white bread with butter cheese eggs and vegetables is a perfectly okay.
Meal let’s now look at common wheat related myths one gluten is bad for you not true unless you have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity which affects a very small percentage of the population gluten is fine for you just don’t waste your time on glutenfree fats that said food and nutrition is deeply individual if removing gluten or using a specific.
Variety of wheat helps you then go for it just don’t assume that it works for everyone two mea will stick to your gut not true actually because it lacks fire fiber mea is very easily absorbed through your gut which is why it spikes blood sugar it can either stick to your gut or Spike blood sugar Common Sense dictates that it cannot do both at the.
Same time three mea is bleached with dangerous chemicals only partially true yes it is whitened using benzo peroxide because the market prefers a white colored flour even if some residue is left over after the stringent testing that happens in factories benzo peroxide breaks down into benzoic acid which is found in a lot of Natural Foods anyway.
Like berries and cinnamon so it is not dangerous the amounts used are very very small four raava suji is a healthy option y remember the roller mills used to make mea the first step is to remove the bran and Gem after that you can decide how finely you want to grind to MEA if you choose a coarse setting you get suji raava semolina that’s it it’s.
Literally coar ground mea again because of the surface area raava has a slightly less glycemic index than mea but always remember both suji and mea consume with vegetables and fats let me end with this mind-blowing fact the wheat plant triticum esum is one of the most genetically sophisticated organisms on the planet it has over.
107,000 genes in contrast we humans have approximately 25,000 genes this genetic diversity has allowed humans to historically breed wheat for everything from yield pest resistance climate and drought tolerance which is why it is the only grain that is grown in large quantities on every continent other than Antarctica.
