Wherever you go in the world currently, everywhere has been exposed to the rising number of people suffering from an allergy to wheat. We can all relate to how much this food source has dominated our diets worldwide. Many of us have begun to ruminate on, "Is wheat really that bad?". Perhaps, let's take a more holistic perspective.
If we consider ourselves, including our physical bodies, to be one with the Earth. It might be possible that our growing allergies to this abundant crop, are linked to the Earth's need for change too. It's true, that the wheat our grandmothers ate, was a different crop entirely, with less processing, spraying and better soil to grow in. Could our bodies be registering an accumulation of a food source, that isn't providing as much nutrition as it used to. Also, we could be sharing some energy with the Earth and it needs to replenish the soil, rather than depleting its nutrient source in the same way over and over. Wheat allergies can range from an unnoticeable inflammation that might arise as subtle symptoms (like headaches, weight gain, mood imbalances, brain fog and lethargy), all the way to Coeliac disease which can be a very serious condition. It's common to see in alternative medicine clinics, that most individuals have a slight allergy to wheat, whether they are aware of it or not. Confirmation usually flows from a restrictive diet, when this food source is omitted completely, they notice drastic changes in their weight, digestion, mood and sleep. However, it's not just one individual's reaction to wheat digestively that has me intrigued. It's more how our soils are becoming more and more deficient of the essential nutrients required to achieve well-being easily. Micronutrient deficiency can contribute to and cause conditions like depression (Rao, T et al. 2008), anemia (Petry, N. et al, 2019), cancer (Ames, B et al. 2002) and fatigue (Tardy, A et al. 2020).
The Earth might very well be communicating to us through our bodies about the need to change our farming and start replenishing soils for our long-term health. Could a worldwide allergy be helping us all transition into the dietary changes that will lead to greater evolution?
Perhaps mother earth is truly guiding us towards what serves us nutritionally and spiritually also.
By rotating crops and enriching the soil with the very micronutrients that wheat has drawn out for decades, we might be able to achieve more balance in our environments and in our diets also.
If you have the time and capacity, take some time to sit silently with this idea. Asking your body and tuning into the Earth to see what she is asking of you individually, and us as a community. I would love to hear from you if you receive any insights too!
Reference List:
Ames, B., Wakimoto, P. Are vitamin and mineral deficiencies a major cancer risk?. Nat Rev Cancer2, 694–704 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrc886
Petry, N., Jallow, B., Sawo, Y., Darboe, M. K., Barrow, S., Sarr, A., Ceesay, P. O., Fofana, M. N., Prentice, A. M., Wegmüller, R., Rohner, F., Phall, M. C., & Wirth, J. P. (2019). Micronutrient Deficiencies, Nutritional Status and the Determinants of Anemia in Children 0-59 Months of Age and Non-Pregnant Women of Reproductive Age in The Gambia. Nutrients, 11(10), 2275.
Rao, T. S., Asha, M. R., Ramesh, B. N., & Rao, K. S. (2008). Understanding nutrition, depression and mental illnesses. Indian journal of psychiatry, 50(2), 77–82. https://doi.org/10.4103/0019-5545.42391
Tardy, A. L., Pouteau, E., Marquez, D., Yilmaz, C., & Scholey, A. (2020). Vitamins and Minerals for Energy, Fatigue and Cognition: A Narrative Review of the Biochemical and Clinical Evidence. Nutrients, 12(1), 228. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12010228
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