Wheat Flour: Unhealthy or Healthy?
Wheat flour is actually not unhealthy. It has a lot of nutrients and can be easily processed in food. Some people have problems with wheat flour if they cannot tolerate certain proteins, gluten or so-called FODMAPS.
Wheat Flour: Full of Nutrients - Still Unhealthy?
People have been eating wheat for several millennia. Nowadays, wheat is one of the most important cereals worldwide after corn. And not without reason, because the grains offer good nutrients.
- Wheat is a grain that is full of energy . About 1, 400 kilojoules donate 100 grams of wheat flour. Most of it comes from about 60 to 70 grams of carbohydrates, increasingly in the form of starch.
- Wheat also offers about 12 grams of protein, 1-2 grams of fat, 4 to 11 grams of fiber . Minerals such as iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium and phosphorus are also contained in the wheat. In addition, valuable B vitamins and a little vitamin E.
- Especially in the whole grain variant, wheat flour has the reputation of a healthy food: edge layers and shell components are not sifted out here. Therefore, it contains more fiber, but also more minerals, and vitamins than white flour.
- Many products contain wheat flour or wheat starch. For some consumers, exactly this frequent use can become a problem - namely if there is an intolerance to one of the ingredients in wheat or possibly also arises from the frequent consumption.
Why wheat flour can make you sick
In addition to the valuable nutrients, wheat contains substances that can be a problem for sensitive people. Whether celiac disease, allergy or irritable bowel syndrome - if you are dealing with one of these symptoms, wheat may cause you problems.
- Celiac disease is a disease that mainly manifests itself in the form of an inflamed intestinal mucosa. Triggers are in wheat - but also in other cereals - glue proteins that are grouped under the name gluten.
- Gluten triggers an uncomfortable series of symptoms. The intestinal mucosa ignites initially due to the supply of these special adhesive protein components.
- As a result, the villi regress and the nutrient intake is reduced . At the same time, you suffer from severe abdominal pain and diarrhea.
- Celiac disease affects approximately every 100th person . However, the so-called "full form" of celiac disease does not always occur, with which there is a very pronounced reaction with severe weight loss and diarrhea.
- If you only feel a hardly noticeable indigestion after eating wheat products, but show other symptoms such as iron deficiency, bone pain or arthritis, you could be affected by a mild form of gluten intolerance.
- It is also known that people can be allergic to wheat protein . If this is the case, typical allergic symptoms appear: abdominal pain, diarrhea, allergic swelling of the mucous membranes or reactions of the skin are among other things possible.
- Wheat allergy often affects children. It occurs in 0.3 percent of you. In contrast, only 0.1 percent of the European population as a whole is affected.
New sickmakers discovered in wheat flour
Because there are patients whose intestines are not inflammatory to gluten but who still show symptoms as soon as they eat wheat, other possible causes have been researched. The following substances are also discussed as triggers:
- So-called FODMAPs (fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and (and) polyols). These substances also include fructans in wheat flour.
- So if you find that you often have stomach or intestinal problems while eating wheat products, but at the same time there is no allergy or gluten intolerance, it could be due to the FODMAPS.
- Due to a different enzymatic structure in your intestine, these oligosaccharides go undigested into the large intestine than with average eaters. There you are then increasingly metabolized by intestinal bacteria and take care of your intestinal problems. Typical is, for example, a constant change of diarrhea and constipation.
- Likewise, scientists suspect so-called ATIs - amylase trypsin inhibitors - which occur in wheat flour but also in other cereals, causing symptoms such as diarrhea or nausea or inflammatory reactions in the intestine.
- Usually these vegetable proteins are meant to ward off predators and to support the germination of the seeds. In principle, an intolerance to these ATIs would therefore be a reaction that nature wanted.
- If you can't tolerate wheat, you should get to the bottom of the matter with medical attention . Depending on the diagnosis, your basic behavior will also have to be different. In all cases, however, avoiding wheat flour and products from it will help you.
Whether gluten, ATIs, allergy or FODMAPs: we will present good wheat flour alternatives in the next practical tip.