Grain of Truth: The Real Case for and Against Wheat and Gluten

With so many of us convinced that wheat and gluten now rival asbestos as a major health hazard, it's time someone started setting the record straight. When his wife reports she's been diagnosed with a 'gluten neck,' investigative journalist Stephen Yafa finds himself on an unexpected adventure through one of the most important food groups in human history, with surprising revelations for the millions who have glumly gone gluten-free.

Yafa tackles the questions that matter to us, straight on: What's in gluten that's so controversial? How can these complex proteins be broken down into safe digestible units by most of us who don't suffer from celiac disease? What valuable fiber and nutrients do we lose when we give up whole wheat? Is there a way to consume gluten comfortably and benefit from the experience?

In Grain of Truth Yafa makes a strong case that gluten itself is not the problem; it's the way we process wheat commercially that makes all the difference. Taking us inside mass production milling and baking facilities that churn out hundreds of bread loaves every minute, Yafa proves that when speed trumps the primacy of nutrition in food manufacture, we suffer the consequences.

Local artisan bakers, Yafa discovers, now offer a perfect source of wheat-based nutrition for many who consider themselves gluten-sensitive, and its name is sourdough. He explains how long fermentation combined with heritage strains of whole wheat provides superb taste and optimum health.

Pasta, too, gets a workout. We're introduced to boutique pasta makers who prove that processing methods and wheat sources make all the difference in health benefits and taste.

Expertly merging science, history, biology, and economics, Grain of Truth separates nutritional fact from popular myth in an instructive and entertaining book that, in the end, gives us back our daily bread.