When I was first telling you about the Ultimate Healthy Living bundle sale, I mentioned that I was intrigued by Weeding Out Wheat, because I suspected I would disagree with the conclusion.  Having finished the book, have I changed my mind?  Well, yes…but no. {Luke and Trisha, I love you guys, and I hope you will read this post in the spirit of good-natured debate.}

Strictly speaking, I suppose I cannot disagree with the main premise or overall conclusion(s) of the book.  Yes, wheat is undeniably the cause of numerous health problems for numerous people in our current culture.  (I’m one of them.)  And, yes, it’s true that God’s provision is not necessarily/inherently obligation, and no one is going to hell over not eating wheat.  (Thankfully!)  But I do feel that a number of things were overlooked or skimmed over that impact the implied message of the book, and that affect some of the issue-by-issue discussion.

To be fair, it’s very hard to not be biased against something that is bad for you!  But if we’re looking objectively – and especially if we’re looking to arrive at our dietary conclusions in light of Scripture – I don’t believe we should come away with the message presented here.

Some “Play by Play” Concerns

First I want to address a few “smaller” specifics, and then I’ll explain why I think the message readers walk away with is not the most accurate takeaway in light of Scripture.

My biggest concern from a scientific perspective is that the hybridization of wheat was compared to Roundup-ready crops.  It is true that today’s wheat is highly bred to produce high yields (and high protein, for that matter).  And perhaps this hasn’t been an ideal development from a health perspective.  However, hybridization is not the same thing as genetic modification.

This is a very important distinction.  Hybridization is a relatively natural process.  It may be helped along by man, but it’s the crossing of species that can naturally breed, it can happen naturally, and it is a method that has been in use for thousands of years.  Genetic modification, on the other hand, introduces foreign genes that could not be present in the plant in its natural context.

Second, it is definitely true that today’s wheat is not the same as the wheat of our ancestors.  However, when we are talking about cutting out gluten, we are not just talking about cutting out modernized wheat.  We’re talking about eliminating modern wheat, yes, but also barley, rye, triticale (also a newer plant), and ancient forms of wheat like spelt and kamut.  It is misleading to suggest that hybridization has caused wheat to be harmful, but then treat all of these grains as interchangeable for practical purposes.

(I also found it a bit misleading to point out that wheat bread can raise the blood sugar levels more than Snickers.  Of course this is the case; Snickers contains peanuts, which are high in protein that helps balance the blood sugar.  This doesn’t mean that fresh whole wheat spikes insulin levels just as much as white sugar.  It just means we probably shouldn’t eat bread by itself.  But who does?  Most people at least butter it first – and the fat buffers the insulin response.)

Finally, the authors point out that Ezekiel’s bread, so often touted as a health food, was actually a curse when taken in context.  (He was obligated to eat nothing but a bread made of grains and beans/seeds cooked over an unclean fuel source for 390 days.)  Again, this is technically true.  It was a curse that he was to eat nothing but this bread for over a year.  But he survived on only this bread for over a year!  Clearly, this could only be so inferior a food!  (Although I would think it should be obvious that being limited to only one food would be something of a curse, no matter what that single food is.  I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t want to eat steak and nothing but steak for 390 days.)

The Misleading Message

All of those are small details, though, compared to my real concern.  The book says that God’s provision is not God’s requirement.  So far, so good.  But the overarching message of the book is that wheat is a bad thing – a curse, if you will – and the Bible clearly teaches that wheat and other gluten-containing grains like barley are a blessing.  In fact, although they may not be required for us today, they actually were required foods at certain times in the Old Testament.

In many instances where it isn’t spelled out, we can still extrapolate that gluten-containing grains were involved.  For example, the bread for the first Passover was unleavened as a result of the Israelites’ leaving too quickly for it to finish rising.  This strongly suggests a traditional yeast-based leavening, which would require a gluten-containing grain in order to work.  It is likely, then, that in future Passovers, where the bread is intentionally unleavened, a similar grain was used (because they were attempting to “reenact” the first Passover).

In fact, Jewish tradition is that the bread must be completed, start to finish, in 18 minutes or less to “count” as unleavened.  This doesn’t mean we have to use the same method, of course, but it does provide some insight into what bread-baking methods were passed down from ancient times.  (Incidentally, as the Last Supper was actually part of the Passover meal, it can reasonably be inferred that the first “communion bread” was wheat or barley bread, too.)

We don’t have to look that carefully, though.  It gets more obvious.  Numerous passages refer very clearly to wheat and/or barley as a blessing, and/or to the celebration of their harvests, or even require their presentation as offerings.  The people were specifically told to celebrate the wheat harvest as a feast of the Lord.  (Ex. 34;22)

Wheat and barley were both included as descriptors of the produce of the Promised Land, together with foods no one questions as “rich”: grapes (“vines”), fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil, and honey.  These things appear to be God’s qualifiers of this land as a “good land.” (Deut. 8:8)  Again toward the end of Deuteronomy, the “choicest wheat” is classed together with curds, honey, fat, meat (apparently), milk, and wine.  (Deut. 32:14)  There is certainly no indication here that wheat is inferior to meat and dairy!

The Psalmist urges the people to praise the Lord “for He has filled [them] with the finest wheat.” (Ps. 147:14)

In Ezekiel, the Lord Himself specifies that wheat is to be given as an offering.  (Eze. 45:13)  “But,” you might say, “none of these spell out that the people were required to eat the wheat.”  When Aaron and his sons were consecrated as priests, several types of bread were to be made.  God instructed that at least one of these breads was specifically to be made with wheat  (Ex. 29:2)  – and Aaron and his sons were to eat it.  (Ex. 29:32)

So gluten-containing grains were good enough for – and required to be eaten by – both priests and prophets in the Old Testament.  (Bread was served to the Lord and His messengers, as well, by Abraham and by Gideon.)  Moreover, bread is the illustration Jesus chose to use for Himself.  While we are not commanded, as New Testament believers, to eat wheat bread, it seems to me that the biblical evidence overwhelmingly suggests that gluten-containing grains are a blessing of God, intended to nourish, and meant to be viewed in a positive light.

So What Gives?!

So what the heck is going on?  ‘Cause the fact that wheat is an issue today is just that – a fact.  To be perfectly honest, I think that at least some small part of what we’re seeing is a spiritual battle.  The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, and I believe that he takes great pleasure in the fact that our view of “bread” is so altered, we can no longer appreciate Christ’s imagery of Himself as our spiritual nourishment.  But clearly there are physical factors at play, as well.

The hybridization of modern wheat has already been mentioned.  The authors discuss that fairly thoroughly, and I believe it’s a very valid point.  Is it the whole story?  I doubt it.  Factors like contamination of our grains (and other foods) with pesticides and other toxins probably play a role.  The depletion of our soil might be a factor.

The methods by which we prepare our food have changed, as well.  I appreciate that the Gilkersons point out that phytates have been demonstrated not only to cause harm, but possibly to have some benefits, as well (a point which most gluten-free proponents omit).  I suspect that much of our problem lies not so much in what we do eat (grains, or grains prepared a particular way), but in what we don’t eat (fermented foods of pretty much any variety, which made a huge difference to the balance of gut flora in our ancestors).  We’re also bombarded by an onslaught of other toxins from a variety of sources: fluoride, chlorine, and other peoples’ medicines in our water; electromagnetic fields unnatural to our bodies from pretty much everywhere; diesel exhaust, pesticides, factory emissions, and other airborne pollutants; hormone disrupters and carcinogens in our cleaning and personal-care products…

It may be overly simplistic to say that wheat is the problem.  I think it’s possible that the wheat isn’t even the problem but, rather, the first and most obvious symptom of a larger health problem.  I don’t really know; I’m speculating.

However, I firmly believe that we have to draw our conclusions from Scripture and figure out how everything else fits, rather than the other way around.  And this may be even more true where dietary recommendations are concerned, because the health “information” that’s available changes with the seasons, and the Word of God is the only unchangeable standard we have by which to measure it.  (Although I may disagree with their conclusions, I also really appreciate that this is the approach the Gilkersons have taken, as well.)

I will definitely not try to tell you that everyone can eat wheat.  (My husband will confirm that I’m rather “crazy” on wheat or other gluten-containing grains.)  But I think that why so many of us are struggling with wheat demands further investigation, because if the Bible is true, it would seem that such widespread inability to consume gluten is not the normal state of things.

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Guess what?!  The Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle sale is being reprised for four days this coming (Black Friday) weekend!  It’s a great opportunity to get Weeding Out Wheat and the other 85 ebooks from the bundle for one low price.  I would encourage you to read the book and join in the discussion; we need to be talking more about the current food/health situation in our culture and – in light of Scripture – where we might look for solutions.