Friday, October 28, 2016

book review - in memory of bread




From amazon.com - "When Paul Graham was suddenly diagnosed with celiac disease at the age of thirty-six, he was forced to say goodbye to traditional pasta, pizza, sandwiches, and more. Gone, too, were some of his favorite hobbies, including brewing beer with a buddy and gorging on his wife’s homemade breads. Struggling to understand why he and so many others had become allergic to wheat, barley, rye, oats, and other dietary staples, Graham researched the production of modern wheat and learned that not only has the grain been altered from ancestral varieties but it’s also commonly added to thousands of processed foods. "

Even though I don't have celiac disease, I found this book an intriguing read due to the sudden popularity in the US of gluten being our enemy. And although I'm not truly gluten-intolerant either, I do find myself bloated after I eat gluten, so it was interesting to find out why so many people like myself are experiencing "wheat belly". The author, Paul Graham not only writes about his physical and mental journey of foregoing gluten, but a couple of the chapters got into the history and science of gluten. Those chapters were a bit too detailed for me, but if I or a loved one had celiac disease, I'd definitely pay more attention to those chapters.

I received "In Memory of Bread" from Blogging for Books for my honest, personal opinion review.

10 comments:

  1. That sounds like an interesting read, Melanie. I'll see if our library has it. I don't think I have problems with wheat or gluten myself, but I know it's becoming common. I know a lot of people who self-diagnose too, and I think it may be a mistake on their part to change their diets so drastically without medical advice. I know how interested you are in dietary topics so I'm glad you had the chance to review this book.

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  2. That must be quite a read, Melanie. I love the title. I do think there are quite a few people that don't really have celiac disease but think they do and change their lives accordingly. I don't know if it hurts them, and it is their choice, but it is not always a correct diagnosis. They say there is a 1% rate of it- so 1 in 100 people actually have it. Guess that number would add up pretty quick when I think about it. Hope you have a great weekend. xo Diana

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  3. Sounds like an informative book, Mel, but I don't think I could have stayed with it. My reading time is so limited, I really have to have something that relates to me when it comes to non-fiction.

    I feel for those who have celiac disease. Abby has a friend her age that truly and no doubt has it. She was so, so ill in high school and was seen and had testing at some of the top hospitals here in Chicago. Finally she was diagnosed and she has been on a gluten free diet for about six years. She is as healthy and happy than any of her friends. We just love her. She strictly adheres to her 'diet' and I think that's great for a 25 year old.

    I know its hard to read a book you might now choose offhand but you are doing fantastic with your reviews!

    Jane

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    1. My reading time is limited too, Jane. I purposely chose this book because as you know, I am fascinated by nutritional and medical information and health and wellness, in general.

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  4. As someone who totally understands the reasons for avoiding gluten if you have coeliac disease - as I do - I am not sure of a health reason for avoiding it otherwise as coeliac disease is an autoimmune disease which is triggered by gluten I would be interested to know what benefits there are to those without coeliac disease so this is probably a good read to find out more about that.

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    1. Here in the US, our grain supply is grown and harvested with chemicals. It is not the same kind of wheat that our ancestors grew up with. Here's an article from the New Yorker that explains it in detail:

      http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/11/03/grain

      A snippet from the article: "The most obvious question is also the most difficult to answer: How could gluten, present in a staple food that has sustained humanity for thousands of years, have suddenly become so threatening? There are many theories but no clear, scientifically satisfying answers. Some researchers argue that wheat genes have become toxic. Davis has said that bread today is nothing like the bread found on tables just fifty years ago: “What’s changed is that wheat’s adverse effects on human health have been amplified many-fold. . . .The version of ‘wheat’ we consume today is a product of genetic research. . . . You and I cannot, to any degree, obtain the forms of wheat that were grown fifty years ago, let alone one hundred, one thousand, or ten thousand years ago. . . . We have to restrict other carbohydrates beyond wheat, but wheat still stands apart as the worst of the worst.’’ Perlmutter is less restrained: “As many as forty percent of us can’t properly process gluten, and the remaining sixty percent could be in harm’s way.”

      Although dietary patterns have changed dramatically in the past century, our genes have not. The human body has not evolved to consume a modern Western diet, with meals full of sugary substances and refined, high-calorie carbohydrates. Moreover, most of the wheat we eat today has been milled into white flour, which has plenty of gluten but few vitamins or nutrients, and can cause the sharp increases in blood sugar that often lead to diabetes and other chronic diseases."

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  5. I am a bread addict, but I can't eat too much of it, as it does upset my IBS. Interesting looking book...thanks!!

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  6. Sounds like a really good read♥

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  7. This sounds like a very interesting read actually. I am trying to learn more about food in general.

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  8. Sounds like an interesting read. I'm also not celeriac but my doctor suggested going GF for my allergies. The hardest think is no good bread! Every now and then I cheat to keep myself sane!

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