The History of Wheat and Celiac Disease
Wheat of the centuries has been a source of food and nutrition all over the world for many different cultures. Originating in southwest Asia, the crop was bought and sold by traders from Europe and Africa and eventually making it over to the Americas by the early 1600s. The first archeological findings of wheat being made into bread can be found in ancient Egypt along the Nile River sometime around 5,000 B.C. as well as India, China, and even stretching all the way to England. It was said that the wheat grain could sustain a man and his livestock for a thousand years without hunger. People of the time became so dependent on wheat that if a shortage or loss of the crop occurred a global disaster could …show more content…
With this new grain – which grew twice as tall as before – production companies could produce foods containing wheat in higher quantities than before. The effects became so great that you would be hard pressed to find a restaurant that did not use it (WH Foods). Some foods most don’t even recognize as containing some form of wheat are lipstick, gum, some spice packets, and almost every vegetarian food on the market today (Davis). Now, this is not a coincidence as wheat contains many nutrients that our bodies need on an everyday basic such as vitamins B1, B2, and B3, zinc, copper, iron, phosphorus, and calcium to name a few (WH Foods). Now even though our wheat goes through a refining and bleaching process in some cases, enriched wheat flower is made. This enriched wheat flour contains all the nutrients and minerals listed above in similar amounts. This grain contains just the right number of nutrients that our bodies need. Per the USDA’s “Choose My Plate” diagram, roughly 20 to 30 percent of our meals should contain wheat or similar foods which contain starch. While nutrients are beneficial to our bodies, not everything is beneficial if eaten in excess. …show more content…
This disease is named Celiac disease. Per WebMD’s documentation, they define this disease as, “a digestive and autoimmune disorder that results in damage to the lining of the small intestine when foods with gluten are eaten.” (WebMD) The damage caused by Celiac can lead a person to starve themselves from a lack of nutrition. When a person with the condition digests any form of gluten, whether that be from wheat or an ancient grain, the villi in the intestinal track of the patients stomach – hair like structures which line the intestine use for the absorbing of nutrients – are severely damaged and can no longer absorb any nutrients until healed leading the patient to die of starvation and malnutrition. Not only that, but other symptoms of this disease include skin rashes, digestive problems, musculoskeletal problems (muscle cramps and joint pains), growth stunts, among various other side effects. If a person suspects they might have celiac disease, extensive blood tests can be performed along with other forms of testing that can detect nutritional deficiencies in a person’s body. As a last resort, a biopsy can be performed to inspect villi along your intestinal track to look for damage (WebMD).
Sadly, there is no cure that exists for this condition. Not only can a person not eat wheat for the rest of their life, but they also can’t eat any foods which contain any forms of gluten. If
Wheat of the centuries has been a source of food and nutrition all over the world for many different cultures. Originating in southwest Asia, the crop was bought and sold by traders from Europe and Africa and eventually making it over to the Americas by the early 1600s. The first archeological findings of wheat being made into bread can be found in ancient Egypt along the Nile River sometime around 5,000 B.C. as well as India, China, and even stretching all the way to England. It was said that the wheat grain could sustain a man and his livestock for a thousand years without hunger. People of the time became so dependent on wheat that if a shortage or loss of the crop occurred a global disaster could …show more content…
With this new grain – which grew twice as tall as before – production companies could produce foods containing wheat in higher quantities than before. The effects became so great that you would be hard pressed to find a restaurant that did not use it (WH Foods). Some foods most don’t even recognize as containing some form of wheat are lipstick, gum, some spice packets, and almost every vegetarian food on the market today (Davis). Now, this is not a coincidence as wheat contains many nutrients that our bodies need on an everyday basic such as vitamins B1, B2, and B3, zinc, copper, iron, phosphorus, and calcium to name a few (WH Foods). Now even though our wheat goes through a refining and bleaching process in some cases, enriched wheat flower is made. This enriched wheat flour contains all the nutrients and minerals listed above in similar amounts. This grain contains just the right number of nutrients that our bodies need. Per the USDA’s “Choose My Plate” diagram, roughly 20 to 30 percent of our meals should contain wheat or similar foods which contain starch. While nutrients are beneficial to our bodies, not everything is beneficial if eaten in excess. …show more content…
This disease is named Celiac disease. Per WebMD’s documentation, they define this disease as, “a digestive and autoimmune disorder that results in damage to the lining of the small intestine when foods with gluten are eaten.” (WebMD) The damage caused by Celiac can lead a person to starve themselves from a lack of nutrition. When a person with the condition digests any form of gluten, whether that be from wheat or an ancient grain, the villi in the intestinal track of the patients stomach – hair like structures which line the intestine use for the absorbing of nutrients – are severely damaged and can no longer absorb any nutrients until healed leading the patient to die of starvation and malnutrition. Not only that, but other symptoms of this disease include skin rashes, digestive problems, musculoskeletal problems (muscle cramps and joint pains), growth stunts, among various other side effects. If a person suspects they might have celiac disease, extensive blood tests can be performed along with other forms of testing that can detect nutritional deficiencies in a person’s body. As a last resort, a biopsy can be performed to inspect villi along your intestinal track to look for damage (WebMD).
Sadly, there is no cure that exists for this condition. Not only can a person not eat wheat for the rest of their life, but they also can’t eat any foods which contain any forms of gluten. If