Hi Dr Davis, nice post

The parallels you describe so neatly become self explanatory once you realise that niacin acts on the beta hydroxybutyrate receptor. Even without full blown ketosis, LC diets raise the level of the natural ligand for the receptor that niacin, at pharmacological dose rates, stimulates. And no flush from LC.

Regarding LC diets as a means to weight loss alone misses their intrinsic health benefits.

Peter

Nicotinic acid receptor subtypes and their ligands.
Soudijn W, van Wijngaarden I, Ijzerman AP
Med Res Rev. 2007 May;27(3):417-33

Thanks, Peter. I wasn't aware of that.

In your experience have you seen a lipoprotein benefit to a wheat-free diet in people where there is little excess weight to lose, say 5 to 10 lbs?

Yes, though the magnitude of benefit is usually less. In this case, small LDL in particular is largely genetically driven. You can only hope to suppress it to a minimum.

as soon as I started lc, after about three months my hdl went from 40 to 68 and stays there, I don't excercise much so its not due to anything but lc I assumed.

However,my score from scan went from 183 in '04 to 390 in 07 so that alarmed me but my doc said if I didn't lc, as I lc most the time, calcium score could have been way higher.lc is not only great for weigh loss but bg and craving control
Thnx for comparison list, wish ADA would recognize this.

Chickadee North - While I am a believer in reducing/eliminating processed carbs especially for people who have metabolic syndrome, are diabetic and/or overweight, you still had an increase in calcification of 30% per year.  That outcome is consistent with the results that occur when there is no intervention in terms of diet/drugs/lifestyle.  Thus, I am somewhat skeptical that the low carb diet kept you from having an even greater increase in calcified plaque.

There are other benefits from low carb that you don't see with niacin. Lower BP, lessening (at minimum) of symptoms of many chronic diseases, lower blood sugar and insulin levels...all very important in today's world!

Can you please comment on this article:
http://in.reuters.com/article/health/idINWRI08496320071210
"In middle-aged and older women considered to be at low risk for heart disease, calcium build-up in their heart arteries, an indicator of artery-clogging plaque, predicts the development of heart disease and heart-related events like chest pain, heart attack and stroke, new research shows."
Doesn't plaque and calcium build up in the heart indicate heart disease?

Yes, excellent points!

I believe that study is yet another piece of evidence that heart scans (for coronary calcium and plaque quantification) are vastly superior to risk factor analysis, such as that in the Framingham equation. As the study points out, the Framingham risk equation mis-classified a substantial number of people as low-risk.

Incomprehensibly, the report quotes some reviewers as saying "There is not enough evidence to support coronary artery calcium screening in low-risk women and they call for further studies to better identify who would benefit from such screening."

This is another study among many that have shown similar results.  How many people have to die or have heart attacks needlessly before the deeply entrenched habits of the status quo are broken?

Re: "In middle-aged and older women considered to be at low risk for heart disease, calcium build-up in their heart arteries, an indicator of artery-clogging plaque, predicts the development of heart disease..."

I think this relates to Dr. Davis orignal post on low carb.  Since glucose metabolism involves a lot more calcium than lipid or ketone metabolism then perhaps excessive calcium build up may be a proxy for excessive glucose metabolism?

  It may explain a curious fact that anything that switches metabolism away from glucose (e.g. niacine acting towards ketone b., vitamin D3, fasting or L.C. diet) would also at the same time act protective against the coronary heart disease?  Interesting!

Stan (Heretic)

But my question is....If there are already calcifications doesn't that mean there is already Heart Disease?

So the women with calcium plaques would HAVE heart disease, not be AT RISK of developing it?

"...calcium build-up in their heart arteries, an indicator of artery-clogging plaque, predicts the development of heart disease..."

Somewhat unrelated question:  
Angiotensin II inhibitors like Benicar apparently have the additional effect of dramatically lowering Vitamin D 1,25D in the body, and some think this is useful for people with Lyme disease and chronic fatigue system ("Marshall Protocol" http://snipurl.com/1v5s6). [Adherents of this protocol believe that in these diseases, opportunistic bacteria thrive on the additional Vitamin D.]

However, for hypertensives who don't have CFS or Lyme disease, does this trait mean that drugs like Benicar, while reducing blood pressure, might be increasing coronary blockage by interfering with Vitamin D?  (I guess my questions are, Am I concerned with the right form of Vitamin D?  If  so, are angiotensin II inhibitors problematic for blocking Vitamin D?  Do they make Vitamin D supplementation pointless? If so, what's a better drug for hypertension?)

Anyway, if this question is too far afield, ignore it, and thanks for a great blog.

A few things we don't know about chickadee north;

1 her age. (did she just enter menopause or premenopause?
2 when she started her low carb diet.
3 how often her heart was scanned between 2004 and 2007.
Without knowing these, I think we have to give her doctor the benefit of the doubt.

Cindy--
Yes, you are absolutely right.

In arteries, calcium = atherosclerotic plaque, not risk for plaque. It is a risk for coronary "events" like heart attack, however.

The Benicar/ARB and vitamin D connection is interesting. I've never heard of it. Do you have any data or references?

Honestly, I'm a layperson and can't comment intelligently on it other than to suggest you look at marshallprotocol.com

Some of the things that jumped out at me were Benicar's (and to a lesser extent, other angiotensin 2 inhibitors) ability to block  at least one D3 variant, the idea that chronic fatigue/fibromyalgia/etc are the result of infection by a new form of bacteria that survives by hiding within immune system cells, the concept that because of this, D3 actually protects the bacteria in these patients, etc.

It's all wayyyy out there, but fascinating, and I thought you'd be interested.  (At the very least, it might affect your choice of hypertension med.)

I am 57 and am menopausal since 04, have lc since 03 and fell off wagon for almost a yr,was in extreme grief with death of kid sis and other significants in my life and neglected me.

Had one scan in 04 at 186 and then second scan in 07 ( 2 weeks ago) and it was 390, so yes about 30% a yr.

I assumed dropping A1C from 8 to 5.8 would have a bearing, no wheat products and eight loss of 80 lbs, way lower bp mostly about 110/68 or so would have given me less of  score.

For 5 months in yr I run a B&B and work hard enough to make a sweat and in winter I walk.

I only knew about Vit D and fish oil since coming here, few weeks back,  so take fish oil, its harsh to do as I have that HP bacteria and the fish oil makes allot of heartburn and distaste. I am waiting for the softgel Vit d 3 as can only get the dry form here, as well the l'arginine was ordered as well.
My ldl is 97, my hdl is 68 and trig are 78.Ratio is 2.5, have not got advanced lipid profile back, should all be back this week and CRP and lip protein  were all low and within norm levels.

I've been diabetic since 94 and needed insulin which I no longer need. I tried to use Actos as I read it reversed some plague so asked a doc for some, but it caused some chest pain and side effects so after 3 months I quit it.

Stress has been a factor with husbands illness, many deaths and just finished testing for lung cancer( on my recent heart scan the radiologist noticed something in my lungs???? and suggested the rule out cancer??)(never smoked a puff in my life but my mental health patients smoked in my office for a few decades until I put a stop to it in 1980 and got my wrists slapped for doing that).

Now I know I have no lung cancer am assuming my stress will decrease,husband being tested for asbestoses etc so lots of anxiety,I know thats not good for heart either,  typically I handle stress ok and use alot of humor in my life.

So now you know more and can make some impressions. This doc doesnt really know me but felt had I continued with my program from Cdn Diabetic assc which was hi grains I would have had a higher score and my A1C couldn't get under 7.8 on insulin and I needed 158 units of humalog a day to keep it there so now I am not as insulin resistant , since lc, so maybe I would have a higher score if hadn't lc.

I am only assuming and am only learning all about the TYProgram, I tried to introduce some oat bran daily but it spikes my BG way too much and I am aiming for AC under 5 so will stick with ground flax

Anyone have some insight let me know, oh yes my vit d blood level was low as was DHEA, hormone levels of progesterone and all estrogens very low too from saliva test so using bio identical progesterone cream.

I am assuming I will start on Niaspan to drop trig.

Hi, Chickadee--

I believe that you are on the right track. I encourage you to stay in contact through the Forum, where we can discuss your issues in more detail, along with feedback from other members.

Yes I plan too and once all blood work back I am hiring you to do a consultation via scanner, how new age is that!!!

I have had one diet pop a day as a treat for a sweet taste but am stopping that now too since reading about carbonation on the forum, lots of good info there for sure and dedicated membership

Lipoprotein(a) in 2004 was 0.21g/l and in 2007 June was 0.09g/l.....so there is hope for me yet
I should have new NMR results in few days.

This 04 one I had only been low carbing for one yr.So maybe prior to that it was higher, but never had it checked ??

I am exited to know that and now to try your ideas as if I could do that without supplementation and often off the statins....then who knows whats next

Thnx soooo much for all your insights

chickadee-

That's curious: a big drop in Lp(a) with low-carb diet. Although the diet clearly works, I've never seen such a a dramatic effect on Lp(a). Was there anything else you did?

Yes I went off insulin, cozzaar,lipitor, slowly lost 80lb, ate only nutrient dense foods, more meat,eggs, only low gi veg,salads, olive oil daily,I am worried what if it was an error, will know in 2 days what new results are.
Oh I ate a ton of ground flaxseed, .....my chol went up &, and HDL went from 40 to 68 and stayed there,LDl went up in that time frame and Dr Westman from Duke said its probably big fluffy good ldl stuff as typically thats what occurs with people doing low carb and getting into ketosis...could higher hdl  move out sticky lipoprotein???

Hi, Chickadee--

If you're asking whether higher HDLs are more likely to reverse plaque, the evidence would suggest that it does. HDL is probably crucial for plaque regression, since it acts as a "scavenger" of cholesterol in atherosclerotic plaque.

...so if I add excercise then my hdl should go even higher right?

Yes, and the effect can be substantial if you're starting from a sedentary lifestyle.

...was thinking what I did, I also used a full dose adult ASA daily as read in (Edtmn Protocol( the ones who do the stem cell transplant for diabetes type I) that diabetics should use a higher dose of ASA, so have used that and folic acid 1 gr OD since 03. Dont know if this accounts for it.
I am not sedentary from May to Oct as run a busy B&B and bust my butt but in winter I only curl and quilt and my Christmas gifo to myself is a gym membership, keeping in mind I have a terrible mind set about excercise so am working to change thatMaybe I will get addicted to exercise rather than carbs.

The primary function of niacin, vitamin B3, is to metabolize fats, which can then produce a usable form of energy. Niacin, also known as nicotinic acid, is one of the B- complex vitamins, the water soluble vitamins, that all work together to covert the carbohydrates in our body into sugar, for the production and metabolism of our body's energy.

just found this site. I don't have any sign of heart disease as yet but my HDL is 6.

I never met anyone with HDL that low, so that is why I'm taking niacin, 250mg split into thirds cuz the flushing and rash are awful, though brief.

Already on low carb 35 - 45g per meal and lost 22 pounds since I was newly diagnosed diabetes 3 months ago.

Question: how long to take niacin to see a rise in HDL? I don't want to take this stuff for more than 12 weeks.

Thanks a lot for this nice informative post keep posting and updating the blog on regular basis....


Smith ALan

Wow! Thank you, so much for that link! That farm is only a few towns from us! We'll be sure to check it out!

Interesting experiment.  I certainly know that wheat was held in very high regard by Robert McCarrison, Weston A. Price, and others that witnessed entire populations thriving off of wheat.  The Maycoba of Northern Mexico (Mexican Pima) would be another example.  

This has always left me with some cognitive dissonance about the wheat issue, and a strong feeling that wheat intolerance in the modern world was a result of weak intestinal strucure and altered gut flora caused by non-wheat factors (such as refined sugar, nutrient-poor food, etc.).

Just curious if you plan to sprout it first. Can einkorn be tolerate by people with Celiac?

I'm looking forward to the results.

Is this a religious or Christian blog? (Serious question.) I don't follow the reasoning that if something is mentioned in the Bible it wouldn't be unhealthy. Lots of things that people ate or practiced in the ancient world were very unhealthy.

Nothing like a little hands-on experimentation -- I like the spirit.

Being in the Bible isn't much of a recommendation, IMO.

It'd be interesting to see the results of your wheat test there.

What about the other ancient wheat, Emmer? I think it can be found in Italian  pasta form, called Farro.

Very interesting and important angle to speak about since those questions comes up very often... especially the "but we have been eating wheat for millenniums"... now we have a good answer! Thank you!

Recently, I have discovered bread that is made from sprouted grain. How healthy this bread is relative to whole grain bread I do not know. The only store I can find this bread at is Trader Joe's.

Short of growing and milling your own eikorn wheat, is there a viable option for the rest of us?  Is there an acceptable commercially-available (i.e. found at larger grocery stores) product like hard red spring or buckwheat that would be a better alternative with fewer of the downsides of the more traditional wheat flours?

Looking forward to the results!  Thanks for the great content.

MH

I look forward to the report, both on how the bread turns out, and how you react to eating it.

Fascinating. I will be very interested to hear what your experiences with this experiment will be.

A quote from http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1996/v3-156.html

"The gluten of the einkorn accession had a gliadin to glutenin ratio of 2:1 compared to 0.8:1 for durum and hard red wheat."

If that means anything.

Our preliminary studies have not determined that all types of einkorn can be universally tolerated by those with gluten intolerance.  Please use caution if you have celiac or some form of gluten intolerance.  On the plus side, Einkorn is one tasty, healthy grain…it just doesn’t yield as much as modern (hexaploid) bread wheat, so agribusiness is reluctant to plant it.  I'm posting studies about the health benefits of einkorn and including all findings on my website at einkorn.com.  I'm very interested to see how you like the taste

Hi, Catherine--

No, this is not a religious blog.

I raise this issue because I hear this from patients.

Stan said exactly what I was going to say: There are insufficient experiences to know whether the gluten sequences in einkorn will activate the celiac response.

Eli Rogosa tells me that she also has seen several celiac people tolerate einkorn.

However, none of this should be construed as a clinical study.

Stoning people to death and slavery are in the bible, how can they be bad?

*rolls eyes*

Lately this blog has really become hit and miss.

To neolithic humans wheat must have seemed to be a miracle food. It could be stored for long periods and transported long distances. They could grow it, store it, or trade for it. No longer did they need to worry every day about finding something to eat. They could wait out the winter with full stomachs and calm minds, and some small portion of the population could freed from food production. To do what? As it turned out art, culture, religion, scholarship, everything we think of as civilization.

They may have even noticed that their primitive neighbors, who still hunted and gathered wild plants to eat, were larger and healthier. If they did, they probably regarded the greatly reduced fear of starvation and the ability of at least some to have some leisure probably seemed like very worthwhile tradeoffs.

It is only very recently- this century, even for advanced civilizations- that worrying about what you eat has been an option.

Thrasy--

Excellent perspective.

No doubt: Agriculture permitted specialization of occupation and the trappings of culture to develop. Wheat facilitated this cultural evolution.

Did it come at a price?

Great post. Thanks for the open-minded approach. Nonzero, I think you're missing the point. Dr Davis isn't saying that something must be good because it's in the Bible, but he's saying that some people do ask that question, so it's appropriate that he should try to answer it.

For you and me, perhaps he could just as easily ask: "Wheat has been used for millennia and has been the foundation of great civilizations; perhaps we shouldn't be too hasty to conclude that it's bad?"

Weston A Price also observed that traditional cultures that consumed wheat did so after the wheat was soaked & sprouted or fermented in some way.  These processes are rarely used anymore and certainly not on a large commercial scale so the question isn't simply whether wheat has good or bad effects, but what has been done to it as well.

Would you please clarify what exactly you mean by "we will eat it and see what happens"? Are you going to do a blood test after consuming the bread?

The things one finds in the bible...Check this:

In  Genesis  , Chapter Four, Eve bears Cain and Abel. 'And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.' That 'but' in the middle of the sentence is the first clue to disapproval. This disapproval is confirmed by verses three to five. Abel and Cain bring offerings to God: Abel of his sheep and Cain, the fruits of the ground. God, we are told, had respect for Abel's carnivorous offering, but He had no respect for Cain's vegetarian one.

Thrasy - I believe you're incorrect about the leisure comment.  Hunter/gatherers have been shown to have had far more leisure time than agriculturalists - it's just that they didn't need the trappings of society, since they did not produce anything that required customers.  And the oldest art in the world definitely existed before farming did...

My biggest concern with wheat is we are eating the seed and not the product of the seed. If you take a look and think about what a seed it makes sense.
The seed is a body shield/ armor to protect the information inside to ensure the plant continues to survice. Now we are taking that very complex material made up of many proteins such as Lectin that they body simply can not digest, so it aggravates the lining of your digestive system.
Not only does it not get absorb, but it also creates a auto-immune response as well as prevents nutrients the body is trying to absorb.

regardless if you can tolerate ancient strains of wheat over current strains, what is the value add that you can't get from a normal diet of meats, veges, and some fruits eaten seasonally?? what is so special that u think u need to have wheat in ur diet in the first place?

The good and bad aspects of grain as a product of agriculture are thematic in the early Old Testament. Remember that Cain and Abel are one generation out of the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve were gatherers until the fall; the first sin is plucking the forbidden fruit. At the time of the fall, God is the first to kill an animal, and at the same time, institutes agriculture through a curse upon the ground.

When Cain kills Abel, it's the first murder. Why can't the farmer and the cowboy be friends? Because the farmer always wins.

It's grain that saves Jacob's family of herdsmen when Joseph convinces the Egyptian pharaoh to stockpile reserves for times of famine. After the Egyptian enslavement, the Israelites are gatherers during the Exodus, but gathering manna doesn't satisfy them, so God later sends quail. But their goal is the land of milk and honey, an agricultural land -- a land that is only wrested from the Canaanites through violent, genocidal warfare.

The food cleanliness restrictions of the Mosaic law center on avoiding foods contaminated by the cursed ground (i.e., cloven hoofs exposed an animal to the ground, but chewing cud is cleansing, so cows are okay but not pigs; similar distinctions apply to seafood).

The association of the adoption of agriculture with war and oppression is an aspect of the story of the fall as well as the Exodus story (even later, King David is a shepherd) -- the writers of the Old Testament side with agricultural development, urbanization, and the advance of civilization, but they also show a deep cultural awareness of the cost.

The theme never goes away; in the Christian New Testament, Jesus is both the Lamb of God, and the Bread of Life: the sacrifice of Cain as well as the sacrifice of Abel. In short, there many reasons to think that the Biblical story isn't simply that wheat is the best thing since sliced bread, even if Biblical wheat had a better effect on blood sugar.

Judging by the number and severity of Western diseases ancient Egyptians had, I would not be in any hurry to mimic any of their dietary patterns. That said, I encourage patients to give up the grains altogether. Without any nutritional pros and quite a number of cons, the continued use of grains is only a matter of custom and addiction; neither of which contribute to health or longevity.

Dr. C

myths are often centered around varying methods of food production and often change as methods change.  A hunter gatherers religious myths will be much different than an agricultural society's myths. I think that bread is mentioned in the bible because it is primarily a collection of myths of an agricultural society.

After decades of worsening hip pain, I stopped eating any wheat about five days ago, and am now pain-free.  Before, I could barely rise from my chair and could barely walk!  Now I rise up quickly and stride off with no thought of restriction.  I had abandoned weekly hard sprints last year due to the hip pain, but I may try again.  I had been eating two slices of sprouted, fermented whole wheat, and about two or three additional servings of other whole wheat products such as muffins, etc, each day.  I dropped the wheat after reading the recent post about a 25-year old man who gave up wheat with similar results.

"I don't follow the reasoning that if something is mentioned in the Bible it wouldn't be unhealthy. Lots of things that people ate or practiced in the ancient world were very unhealthy."

Can you cite any examples staple foods of that time that were unhealthy? Wheat, maybe, but the awful foods of our modern times were not invented yet. I doubt we'd have the Diabetes and heart-disease epidemic if people stuck to a Biblical diet from a young age onward. Lentils too are a food that is mentioned in the Bible and (unlike Wheat) it has a negligible effect on my blood glucose.

"
And Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils. And he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way.  Genesis 25:34"

I wonder if the large amount of fiber in the lentils might have reduced the hyperglycemic effect of the bread.

Genesis is one of our oldest history accounts written down from oral history that is much older. In summing up the large trends of the sweep of history as they knew it then, you can see them refer to the primal world and the original tribe in the garden of Eden and supported by nature but man, who decided to live in cities and who embraced knowledge and rules of society and agriculture, was considered to be "cast out" and God condemns them saying that Childbirth would now be painful etc.

Now match that with what we know about the skeletal degradation of the Egyptians compared to the people a few hundred mile up the Nile still living Paleo and it fits.
The story of Cain and Abel with God accepting meat and rejecting grains is consistent.

These are our oldest stories, and as an likely Atheist, I think they correlate in an interesting way.
http://www.amazon.com/Book-Genesis-Illustrated-R-Crumb/dp/0393061027

Dr Davis,
It's sad that you have patients that ask such inane questions. I can't believe there are people living in this century with such outdated belief systems. It must be difficult to deal with.

Hi Dr. Davis,  I can't wait to hear about your results from the einkorn grain you plan to make into bread!  I sure do hope it turns out well!  If it does then I will buy some and make bread at home and also turn it into  pastry floor to make deserts since I am a baker as well.

Looking forward in great anticipation to the results of you experiments!  Thanks so much for your efforts in locating it!!!

Sincerely,  Meredith

As Thrasy pointed out, clearly there were bad effects of the early grains.  The stature changed for one thing.  And longevity for another.  I guess I don't understand the primes of your research here.

Ya know what? I like you; you're a scientist/scholar in the classical sense. You dig into an issue and keep digging and searching until you find the answers, no matter how complex or simple.

In the 1950's-60's the highest compliment we could pay someone was to say "You're cool". Well, you are. hehe. (Don't blush, we know you're old as the hills, just like me.) Keep up the good work Doc.

The question I'd to find answers for are:

Is all wheat bad, ancient einkorn and emmer included? Or, is modern wheat that emerged in the last 40 years bad, while its predecessors were no worse than other carbohydrates like rice and potatoes?

Because wheat is a readily-digested carbohydrate source, it is at least on a par with other carbohydrates. The question is where, how, and why it accumulated these other potential adverse characteristics.

well it might not be an issue according to this news about wheat fungus;

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=virulent-wheat-fungus-africa

Trev

homemade bread? Sounds good!

Fascinating comments. Bill's research is exciting for all.  Thank you Bill!

Years ago I found wild wheat growing in the Galilee when I was hiking. As an artisan baker and seed-saver, I began collecting, growing and baking with the vast biodiversity of heritage wheats, most of which are on the verge of extinction!

Modern wheat is bred to be dependent on agrochemicals,  an empty harvest. In contrast, ancient and heritage wheats have evolved over millennia to have high nutritional value, are well-adapted to organic systems, have deep roots that absorb organic nutrients and are tall for good photysynthetic activity.  

As for baking methods, sprouted, sourdough einkorn bread is delicious and full of life. I offer baking workshops and sell small amts of heritage grains so folks can grow your own.   Folks are welcome to visit our 12 acre seed conservation farm and bakery.   Email: growseed@yahoo.com

Green Blessings,
Eli Rogosa

I used to buy TJ sprouted "flourless" bread, too, thinking it was a good choice for my grade school aged son, who was the only person in our family still eating bread.  I only bought 1 or 2 loaves a month for him, which he would consume within a few days (bread *is* an easy to prepare item for kids), so some weeks he had no bread or wheat at all.   I began to notice there was a marked difference in his behavior and moods when he ate bread vs the weeks when he didn't.  He had difficulty concentrating and quickly became frustrated with difficult tasks (whether schoolwork or something fun, but difficult,  like building a complex Lego structure).  I paid attention to his behavior and moods and other factors and determined the "sprouted" bread was a significant trigger.  

Nearly all TJs whole grain breads have added gluten to boost dough performance and (rising and softer texture).   Truly fermented sourdough breads (with a long fermentation) are probably a better choice that simply "sprouted" wheat (who knows what "sprouted"  means with commercial bread anyway?), because long fermentation partially breaks down the gluten protein, which is difficult for humans to digest.  Sprouting merely neutralizes the phytate/phytic acid anti-nutrient content, but does nothing to the high gluten content of the wheat and added gluten ingredients (which are added to nearly any "soft" whole wheat bread as a dough enhancer).      

My son didn't exhibit the negative behaviors when he ate a true sourdough bread that was long fermented  (many sourdoughs are imposters with sourdough flavoring or only weakly fermented for a short time).  I purchased that locally made bread at another "natural food store", not TJs.

Nonetheless, for the past year+ we are a wheat and gluten-free family now, after my son and I tested positive with Enterolab for anti-gluten antibodies and other indications that gluten was provoking an undesirable immune response (as well as two copies of HLA genes that predispose to gluten intolerance and/or celiac and in my son's case, also fat malabsorption).

I used to buy a lot of our food from Trader Joe's.  I still shop there regularly, but mostly for simple foods and ingredients for meals I prepare at home with local CSA subscription produce, meat puchased in bulk (or wild game from my sister the hunter), and "back yard"  eggs I buy direct from the producers.  Too much of TJ fare is still highly processed food that is little better than the stuff at the conventional supermarkets.  

Also, someone mentioned Weston A. Price valuing wheat as a food.  True enough, but again, the point is that wheat has changed dramatically in just the past few decades.  The wheat of Price's time is not what is commonly available now.  Also, Price advocated freshly ground whole wheat.  Is commercial bread likely to be made with freshly ground wheat, or warehoused, fumigated, long-distance trucked stale flour that was ground who-knows when?

think of the healing humans, but not of blogging