In search of wheat: Another einkorn experience

Lisa is a trained dietitian. Unlike many of her colleagues, she has "seen the light" and realized that the conventional advice that most dietitians are forced to dispense through hospitals, clinics, and other facilities is just plain wrong

I know Lisa personally and we've had some great conversations on diet and nutritional supplements. I told Lisa about my einkorn experience and how I witnessed a dramatic difference between bread made from einkorn wheat and that made from conventional whole wheat. So she decided to give it a try herself. 

Here's Lisa's experience:


This past Friday, June 18th, I conducted my "Einkorn Wheat Experiment".

7 am 
FBG [fasting blood glucose] 97 mg/dl

8 am-9 am 
1 hour high-intensity aerobic workout

10:05 am 
BG 99

10:05 am 
I embarked upon the journey of choking down, I mean enjoying, the hefty piece of Einkorn bread. Wow, was that bread dense!  It was a lot of work chewing. 

10:50 am 
(45 minutes after consumption, wanted to see what BG did a bit before the 1 hr mark)  BG 153

11:05 am 
1hr PP 120

11:35 am 
90 mins PP [postprandial] 113

12:05 pm 
2 hours PP  114 ... at this time I ate an egg & veggie omelet for lunch.

12:50 pm 
BG 100

Before dinner 5:10 pm 
BG 88

I was surprised with the BG of 153. However, it was good to see my insulin response is reactive and decreased BG 33 points in 15 minutes to end up with a BG of 120 1 hr after the bread.  

So, it appears my response is similar. A slight elevation of BG at the 1 hour mark, but not to the degree of conventional whole grain wheat bread.  

Of note, also, was the fact that I cannot remember the last time I ate a piece of wheat bread of this magnitude that did not make me bloated... not at all: No cramps, no brain fog, no headache and, did I mention not bloated?  

I believe you are on to something with tolerance of Einkorn wheat for those of us with wheat sensitivities, in addition to its apparent lower glycemic response.

Along with Lisa, I asked four other people with various acute intolerances (all gastrointestinal) to conventional wheat, i.e., people who experience undesirable effects from wheat within minutes to several hours, to eat the einkorn bread. None experienced their usual reactions.

Obviously, this does not constitute a clinical trial. Nonetheless, I find this a compelling observation: People like myself who generally experience distinct undesirable reactions to wheat did not experience these reactions with einkorn.

Note, however, that einkorn behaves like a carbohydrate. No different, say, from brown rice or quinoa. However, unlike modern whole wheat flour from Triticum aestivum,  in this little experience there were no immune reactions, no neurologic phenomena, no gastrointestinal distress--just the blood sugar consequences.

While this may not be true for all people consuming einkorn, it suggests that primordial einkorn wheat is quite different from modern conventional wheat for most people.

Comments (6) -

  • Anonymous

    6/23/2010 12:42:43 PM |

    Dr. Davis,

    Interesting. In your opinion, do you think Americans have genetically developed a sensitivity to wheat because of over-consumption? Or, do you think the current variety is just an inferior type?

  • Lindsay

    6/23/2010 1:16:37 PM |

    I do wonder how Spelt (Triticum spelta) might do in this kind of experiment.

  • Anonymous

    6/23/2010 1:31:06 PM |

    It would be interesting to try the same experiments with other early varieties which can actually be purchased retail, like spelt and kamut.

  • Gretchen

    6/23/2010 3:07:13 PM |

    I'd like to see the same experiment without the hour of high-intensity aerobic exercise just beforehand.

  • Cheryl

    6/23/2010 5:18:35 PM |

    wonder what the BG would have been had she done the high impact aerobic workout AFTER injesting the eikhorn bread.

    Carb injestion is suggested for high intensity workouts.

    Also wonder what the impact would be for a person with diabetes T1 or T2.

  • Anonymous

    6/30/2010 7:13:51 PM |

    Another interesting experiment could be to sourdough the eikhorn.  In the old days you couldn't just go to the supermarket and buy yeast. Sourdough is said to be healthier than normal bread because of the fermentation process.

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