The best wheat for bread is grown in Canada, producing the highest amount of gluten in the grain. Gluten is also added to most breads to increase its elastic quality.

Mucus is a response to an irritant in the body. Because of gluten’s rubber-like quality, it is an extremely difficult protein to digest and break down. Celiac Disease is a complete intolerance to gluten. The only treatment is to completely remove gluten from their diet, then they could fully return to health and vigor.

A gluten-free diet has helped people with multiple sclerosis, schizophrenia, rheumatoid arthritis, regional enteritis and autism. There does not seem to be any known scientific understanding of why removing gluten from the diet can cause complete recovery from these crippling diseases. The fact is, the proof is in the gluten-free pudding. Dr. R. Shatin of Alford Hospital, in Melbourne, Australia, suggests that in the case of celiac disease, damage is caused in the small intestine and to the de-myelination of the nerve sheaths from the intolerance to gluten. He sees a pattern in the high rate of multiple sclerosis in Canada, Scotland and Western Ireland. All consume Canadian hard wheat, which has the highest amount of gluten-content of any wheat in the world. In comparison, Africans, who primarily eat millet and less wheat, have a very low occurrence of multiple sclerosis.

In 1974, Mrs. Hughes who suffered with multiple sclerosis, removed gluten from her diet. There was dramatic improvement. She became free from her wheelchair, walking normally. Witnessing such dramatic changes in Mrs. Hughes’ health caused a stir amongst the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Research on gluten is still shrouded with questions, but there are strong patterns that have begun to surface. Gluten is not a direct poison to the lining of the bowel, so why it causes such trouble is still a mystery. It is theorized that it may stimulate an immunological reaction of defense to rid the colon of an irritant. Gluten is a large sticky molecule that is acid-forming that many find difficult to digest.

According to Carolee Bateson-Kosh, an expert in food allergies, drawing from her 25 years of experience, she states Milk and wheat are the two most common allergic foods... With the exception of milk, whole wheat bread is considered to be the most mucus-forming food on earth. All foods which contain wheat, barely, rye, spelt and oats contain gluten, unless stated to be gluten-free. Rice, millet, corn, soy and buckwheat  flour  are examples of some grains and grain products that are gluten-free.

Why elevate a sticky, non-nutritious, gluten-filled, allergy-causing product to being the main dietary component for Canadians. It is largely to do with a complete misunderstanding of complex carbohydrates.

Let us unveil some simple mysteries to make complex carbohydrates simple to understand.

Whole wheat bread is believed to be a superior form of energy because like most starches, it is slow in breaking down into glucose, the pure energy the body uses. This is untrue with bread, especially with white flour, because of the milling and heating of bread. The breakdown of complex carbohydrates into simple sugars begins in chewing, through the amylase released in the saliva. Whole wheat bread whacks the bloodstream with glucose more quickly than white sugar, raisins, orange juice, bananas, or apples. (Refer to Blood Glucose Response Chart on page 49.) For most, this information will come as a complete shock, yet to a diabetic, blood glucose response information is essential to their survival.

Fruit is one of the finest foods for releasing the fuel the body needs gradually, without resulting in the all-too-familiar crash that comes after a glucose high.

Enzymes are vital to every chemical reaction in the body. When you force the enzymes in your body to concentrate on digesting concentrated, dead food, you are taking them away from other tasks that need to be performed to maintain optimum health.

Being in the health and nutrition field, we rub shoulders with many vegetarians who eat no animal products. We have been surprised to find many of them sickly, pale and suffering from ill health. Should they not be brimming with health, eating a diet free from fatty meats and dairy products? In talking to them, we discovered that they had replaced a high-meat intake with heavy, starchy cooked foods. In our opinion, it would be better for them to go back to eating meat rather than eating such a mucus-forming, high-starch diet. We believe that grain does have a place in a healthy diet, however, the majority of what you eat should be raw, enzyme-filled, easily digestible fruits, vegetables and sprouts.

There are some excellent, high-quality breads on the market today. Our first recommendation is manna bread, a sprouted grain bread that has been slowly baked at a low temperature. It is absolutely fabulous in flavor with a cake-like taste and texture. Its natural sweetness comes from the breaking down of complex carbohydrates and gluten into simple sugars. Stone ground rye breads such as pumpernickel are also excellent. Amaranth, millet and more uncommon grain breads can be found at your local health food store. Hopefully, these high quality breads will begin to make their way into grocery stores as people become more educated. Making your own flours fresh in small batches and baking your own bread is the best, but do not fall into the trap of overeating even the good quality breads.

Bread is a funny thing. It sneaks up on your diet, and before you know it, it is a major part. It would be fine if we were living 2,000 years ago, burning large amounts of calories because of an active lifestyle. Men and women’s hands were callused, and they needed these solid rich foods to sustain them through a long day’s work. Fruit is more suited to the calories you burn driving a car. Much more suited than a ham on rye. Eating concentrated foods without physical activity will result in eroded health.

The mucus-forming effect of grain can be reduced by chewing it well and not mixing it with sugars or fruits.

It is best to reduce or remove bread and grains in the diet if you have a health problem. Bread or any grain interferes with the healing process. If you avoid bread for a few weeks, then eat it, the sinuses stuff up within minutes. It will then take up to 24 hours for the sinuses to clear. This sinus-clogging effect occurs only after fasting or living for a time on a raw food diet.