More than a choice between wheat and white

Buying a loaf of bread used to be a choice between white and wheat. But the unfamiliar grains slowly making their way onto shelves are making the choice much harder. Enriched bleached flour was once the only option. Now there are honey sprouted grains, whole grains and rolled oat bread. Ancient grains like Kamut, Spelt and Qinuoa are even appearing in breakfast cereals and pasta. The company Food for Life claims to follow a recipe from the biblical verse Ezekiel 4:9 to make their products. "Take also unto thee Wheat, and Barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and Spelt, and put them in one vessel, and make bread of it." This is all part of the "whole grain surge" according to the Whole Grains Council, an organization that gives companies a whole grain stamp of approval. Statistics from the Mintel Global New Products Database posted on the Whole Grains Council Web site, wholegraincouncil.org, show that there was an 833 percent increase of new products in 2006 compared to the year 2000. Some of these innovative breads may have been created for the growing demographic of people with problems eating wheat. "I think what's happened is the food industry, or at least the health side of it, has retooled their product," business manager of the Clothey Wellness Center in La Mesa Tim Fellman said. "When people say they are allergic to wheat, they are generally allergic to the gluten that is in the wheat," Fellman said. People allergic to gluten have celiac disease. They have an "immune reaction to gluten in their GI track," according to Dr. Susan Algert, a nutritional counselor at the Wm K. Warren Medical Research Center for Celiac Disease at UCSD. After consuming gluten, the body creates antibodies that can make a person sick. One in 100 people probably have celiac disease according to Algert. She said that some people have it for years before it is officially diagnosed and that new symptoms are emerging. "We now have people that are coming in with migraines or anemia," Algert said. One of Algert's patients was treated for neurological problems before he came to her, but then found out he was simply allergic to gluten. Other people may not have the full-blown allergen, just an intolerance. The intensity of the symptoms vary from person to person. According to Algert, other people are allergic to wheat itself, not just the gluten. There is believed to be a genetic or hereditary connection, but sometimes the allergy isn't triggered until after a trauma in someone's life. Algert also speculates that the food we eat may be the culprit. "We haven't changed a lot biologically in the last 10,000 years, but our wheat has," Algert said. While she doesn't blame genetically modified food, she does believe that grains have been bred to contain more gluten. According to Algert, this makes the bread taste better and gives it more elasticity. "As we export that wheat to places like Africa we see more celiac disease," Algert said. Right now the only cure is consuming the right foods, but Algert is hoping experiments at Stanford will help in the future.

Whole Grain According to the Food and Drug Administration, whole grain means that all three parts of the grain, "the starchy endosperm, germ and bran are present in the same relative proportions as they exist in the intact grain." When bran and germ are removed during the refining process vitamins and fiber are removed, which makes the bread less healthy.

Sprouted Grain Sprouted grains are digested as a vegetable rather than a starch according to the San Diego bread company Oasis. Oasis claims that people sensitive to wheat can eat sprouted breads. Algert stands by her motto, "When in doubt, leave it out." People with extreme sensitivities should stay away, but sprouted grains might be suitable for people who are not as sensitive, according to Algert.