PB&J Nutrition Information

We made a decision when we started KRAM to make our PB&J with wheat because we believe it provides nutrients that are important for overall health. We dug deep into the research about wheat and thought it was important to share so you have another perspective (other than mainstream health trends) and can make an informed decision on whether wheat will work for your body.

Whole wheat has been vilified in the mainstream health media because of studies done on people with Celiac, IBD, IBS, and other participants that had previous digestive problems. This makes a lot of sense because if you are dealing with autoimmune disease or any gut issues, you may not be able to tolerate gluten (along with many other things like fiber). One thing we found in our research are studies that had been done specifically on athletes and healthy individuals without gut issues finding wheat is actually beneficial to overall health.

Negative statements made about wheat are as followed: wheat can cause diabetes, wheat strips your body of minerals, wheat contains gluten and gluten cannot be broken down causing the rise in celiac disease, wheat has a high glycemic index which leads to fat gain, wheat can cause chronic gut inflammation, wheat can cause gut permeability and many others. Some of these are correct in context but there are ways to overcome them with a little (or a lot of) preparation.

KRAM’S WHOLE WHEAT BREAD…

Through all of the research we’ve done, one big fact kept popping up…processed and refined products are the main culprit creating health issues, not wheat! Ultra-refined foods are extremely palatable and not satietating so people tend to overconsumption of calories leading to weight gain and disease. Since ultra-refined “wheat” falls in the “not so good for you category”, whole wheat gets lumped in there too (not very nice!). But..there is a happy ending to this story and there are many ways to bring out all the health benefits of wheat, including:

Organic, sprouted, fermented. These three steps are the ancestral keys to turn this “evil” grain back into a virtually perfect source of carbohydrates, prebiotics, fiber, and many micronutrients. We start with organic wheat because regular wheat can be contaminated with glyphosate either by spraying the crops to ensure a uniform harvest (crop desiccation) or through indirect contamination. Glyphosate has been linked with leaky gut, a possible cause for celiac disease, gut inflammation (sounds like what people say about gluten huh?), cancer, impaired gluten digestion, gut bacteria disruption, and much more. Many nutrition experts now consider glyphosate and other pesticides as a major cause of many digestive issues occurring in the American population.

Sprouting grains is extremely important yet most wheat is harvested before it can start its sprouting process. Sprouting is the process of tricking the grain into believing it is in the right conditions to start growing. This process is crucial in reducing plant defense mechanisms and enhancing mineral/protein absorption in the body. Studies have shown that sprouting increases insoluble fiber, vitamin C, vitamin E, folate, antioxidants & amino acids along with breaking down phytates. It gets better…In studies, sprouting wheat has been shown to reduce lectin levels (known to cause gastrointestinal problems but also shown to be beneficial in small amounts), pre-digest carbohydrates, increase enzymes (important for the next step, fermentation), and most importantly lowering gluten levels up to 47%. We didn’t want to stop here, so we took it one step further…..

Fermenting wheat is where the rubber meets the road. We love all you grain haters but this is the step that makes grains (whole grains) optimal for most people except for those with celiac. We are technically not a sourdough because we use kefir as our starter but kefir has a very diverse microbe profile and is comparable to traditional sourdough starter. We also ferment for a total of 28 hours which is longer than most sourdoughs. In studies, fermentation of whole wheat has been shown to reduce the glycemic index from 75 to under 55. This is believed to be due to the fact that when grains ferment, the bacteria and yeast that are fermenting the flour produce non-digestible polysaccharides (fiber/prebiotics) and is attributed to the organic acids developed from lactobacillus bacteria. Fermentation lowers gluten content even more by the bacteria/yeast releasing protease enzymes and organic acids thus breaking down that vilified protein into smaller and “less harmful” peptides/amino acids. Guess what? There's more…. like, how grain fermentation doesn't cause the same insulin spike (glycemic load) that regular wheat or even gluten-free bread does meaning you can have your carbs and eat them too. Read this study to get a more in-depth explanation.

CONCLUSION

We understand the fear that exists about wheat and even though we disagree with the common “health gurus“ perception regarding wheat, we completely agree with not eating overly-processed grains. But.. that is one of the reasons KRAM was born! We believe in putting the time and effort into making foods healthier to consume because we know the world needs it. We want to contribute to a healthier world by creating healthy on-the-go products while educating you with the most up to date nutritional science available.

RESOURCES ON WHEAT/GLUTEN

Is The Gluten-Free Trend Finally Over?

BLUE ZONES The Whole Truth: Whole Grains Increase Longevity, Studies Say

John Douillard on whole grains