My (Recent) Love Affair With Einkorn

Einkorn wheat was one of the first plants to be domesticated and cultivated. The earliest clear evidence of the grain is found in Pre-Pottery Neolithic archaeological sites in southern Turkey. Remnants of einkorn were also found with the iceman mummy Ötzi, dated to 3100 BC.

Einkorn wheat is hardy, drought tolerant, and naturally resistant to pests, making it a naturally sustainable food source, unlike modern wheat that requires vast amounts of chemicals. Einkorn almost went extinct since it only yields one fifth of what modern wheats produce. It grows very tall, as wheat did long ago; although each einkorn kernel is a third of the size of today’s wheat. 

The vast majority of the wheat we consume today has been drastically altered from its original form. Modern wheat has been altered through intensive conventional breeding. The cheap wheat most often consumed today is stripped of much of its nutrients and removes many of the benefits that can be found in ancient grains. All of this is done to lower costs. Research shows that it is how we have altered modern wheat that is resulting in so many health complications linked to wheat.

Ötzi the Iceman is Europe’s oldest mummy, dating back to 3,300 B.C.  Ötzi managed to eat a meal of meat, an herb, and bread made from einkorn wheat sometime shortly before his death.   The samples that were pulled showed einkorn wheat finely ground, that would have come from einkorn grain ground down to flour and baked into bread.

Einkorn has always remained the purest form of wheat. Like einkorn, most plants are diploids, which mean they have one set of chromosomes from a male parent and one from the female parent. Since einkorn is the only diploid species of wheat with two sets of chromosomes, it has remained as pure as it was thousands of years ago. So the benefits of eating baked goods and other foods made of einkorn wheat are enormous!

Here are 25 reasons Einkorn is a superfood: it improves digestion, aids in weight loss, promotes superior nutrient absorption, it’s anti-inflammatory, aids in cancer prevention, strengthens the immune system, supports healthier skin, hair, and nails, eye health, increased energy, improves vision, improves brain function, promotes heart, hormone and reproductive health, improves enzyme function, aids metabolism, aids in bone, muscle and nerve health, improves the health of cells and tissues, improves kidney health, promotes circulation and blood health, arthritis pain relief, improved memory, and improved sleep. Whew! There is no bloating or drowsiness like you get after eating regular wheat products. AND- it doesn’t impact glycemic levels like regular wheat, so it’s actually good for diabetics!

sources: einkorn.com – wholegrainscouncil.org – greenamerica.org