What is Spelt Flour?
I just happened to stumble across this grain while doing research about my families food issues. I read how some with gluten intolerance were able to eat Spelt and not have negative reactions to it. In fact, people talked about how much better they felt after changing to this wonderful grain. This prompted me to do more research and see if this might work for my family. I will do my best to describe and introduce you to this amazing ancient grain and let you decide if it would be right for you.
Spelt Flour is an ancient grain that has many health benefits and has not been genetically modified, cross-bred, hybridized, or touched by agribusiness. These terms seem to overpower our food industry today and have greatly changed our overall health. Spelt has remained the same in structure and nutrition since Bible times. It is considered a cousin to wheat, but is structurally and nutritionally different. Unlike wheat, The Spelt kernel is protected by a hard outer shell called a berry. This outer shell protects it from the outside elements; therefore eliminating the need for any kind of pesticides.
Spelt vs. Wheat
Modern wheat, has been bred to lose it’s outer covering during harvesting; to cut down on harvesting time and produce more product. This is why modern wheat is considered a “free threshing” product. In doing this process, it makes the wheat less nutritious, very vulnerable to outside pests, weather extremes, and diseases. So, more pesticides and chemicals are used to keep this crop in tip top shape for the consumer. Wheat has also been modified to contain high amounts of gluten to help in the mass production of baked goods. Is this what we want to be feeding our families? Could this be the reason so many Americans are having a variety of intestinal health problems like gluten intolerance? Spelt is very beneficial to our health. It is an excellent source of calcium, magnesium, selenium, zinc, iron, and manganese. Spelt helps regulate our metabolism and can even help maintain blood sugar levels. I always told my girls it was like taking a vitamin when we ate a piece of bread..:)
Spelt did not enter into the United States until the late 1800’s. By the early 1900’s many farmers were growing spelt in the United States. By the time our food industry started to boom, the wheat crops seem to start overshadowing the spelt crops. This led to a decline in growing spelt. All the focus and effort was put on the wheat crops and how to make more of it.
Is Spelt Gluten Free?
In short answer, NO, Spelt is not gluten free, BUT it’s molecular structure is different than wheat. The gluten protein in Spelt has not been modified and is just its natural form, which is totally different than the modern day wheat that we all buy at the stores. Spelt’s structure has more fiber, is more fragile and is more water soluble, which makes it easier to digest. I have read some stories of people with Celiac disease that found their bodies can actually process Spelt. It seems crazy to think that we have altered wheat so much, that we have made our bodies sick!! Like I mentioned before, wheat of today, has been modified to have much more gluten content than our bodies can handle. This is the exact reason why, I feel my family can eat it without having issues. We need to get back to eating the way God originally made our food and not the modified versions!
Photo by Dominik Martin on Unsplash
Please note: if you have been diagnosed with Celiac disease, Gluten allergy or Wheat allergy, you should avoid Spelt, unless you have discussed it with your Doctor.