Episode 88

full
Published on:

3rd Nov 2025

88. What’s up with Wheat?

Ghia—What is up with wheat? Why does the Word of Wisdom specifically say wheat is for man when gluten is making everyone sick? Great questions. Let’s talk about it.

Links about the Tree of Life

Ancient Tradition Podcast https://theancienttradition.com/24-o-christmas-tree/

Eat meat sparingly Podcast https://www.plantwhys.com/podcasts/eat-meat-sparingly-a-word-of-wisdom-podcast/episodes/2149090340

Transcript
Speaker:

Hooray, GIA here.

2

:

I'm this week's host of the

Creative Spiritual Journey podcast

3

:

where Judy and I talk about those

things that bring us joy for me.

4

:

I find joy by connecting with

nature, connecting with Jesus

5

:

Christ and our heavenly parents.

6

:

Seasonal living, and all the bits of magic

and wonder I come across while navigating

7

:

this remarkable journey we call life.

8

:

Well, here I am ready to talk about

the fourth due of the word of wisdom.

9

:

If you have listened to my other

episodes about the word of wisdom,

10

:

you will know that I

believe there are four dos.

11

:

Dos as in things we want to put into

our bodies instead of things we don't.

12

:

If you are interested in the

other dos, please go back to

13

:

episode 65, 73, 77 and 82.

14

:

So are you excited for the fourth?

15

:

Do I am?

16

:

This one is my favorite.

17

:

The fourth do of the word

of wisdom is to eat grain.

18

:

Grain has nourished people

for thousands of years.

19

:

Tying us to the ancient traditions

and the land itself, it reflects

20

:

our deep connection to the earth,

reminding us that nature sustains

21

:

and supports every part of our lives.

22

:

And it is my assertion in this podcast

that as we connect to this magnificent

23

:

earth, we are also connecting to Jesus

Christ and our heavenly parents, which is

24

:

one of the most beautiful parts of life.

25

:

Which brings me to the

question, what's up with wheat?

26

:

Before I go any further, I need to give

you my standard disclaimer as I share

27

:

my thoughts about the word of wisdom.

28

:

Please know that I am in no way

trying to tell you how to eat or

29

:

to interpret scripture for you.

30

:

The things I am going to talk about

here are for me and for what I

31

:

have chosen to apply in my life.

32

:

And I reserve the right to change my

mind tomorrow if I learn something new.

33

:

I am only sharing these things

in case they help someone

34

:

with their own food journey.

35

:

Okay?

36

:

So listen with an open mind, take

what you want and forget the rest.

37

:

So let me start by reading directly from

the word of wisdom, which can be found in

38

:

section 89 of the doctrine in covenants.

39

:

Verse 14 says, all grain is ordained

for the use of man and of beast.

40

:

To be the staff of life, and then it

goes on in verse 17 to specifically

41

:

say quote, wheat is for man.

42

:

Okay.

43

:

I want to talk about these

two verses separately.

44

:

First, we have grains.

45

:

Grains can be wheat, rice, corn, barley,

oat rye, millet, amrith, quinoa, and more.

46

:

These grains are referred

to as the staff of life.

47

:

The word staff can symbolize several

things, such as support as in a

48

:

walking stick or something to lean on.

49

:

So when one interpretation, the

staff of life could mean an item

50

:

that people rely on to sustain

life as in a foundational food.

51

:

but I think it's super interesting to

note that a staff also has an ancient

52

:

symbolic reference to the tree of life.

53

:

A staff is made of wood.

54

:

Wood from a certain tree.

55

:

If you think of a wizard staff,

you know it has magical powers.

56

:

The idea is that this tradition of a

staff having magical powers stems from

57

:

the ancient belief that the wood of

a staff came from the tree of life.

58

:

But that's not where the connection

between grains and the tree of life ends.

59

:

The fruit of grapes, olives, and even

grains themselves have all been used.

60

:

Anciently to symbolize the

fruit of the tree of life.

61

:

Which means that eating grains

symbolically represents that wonderful

62

:

white fruit that Lehigh ate in his dream,

the fruit that was most desirable above

63

:

all things, the fruit that represented

receiving and partaking of God's love.

64

:

Isn't that cool?

65

:

We can see grain as the tree of life.

66

:

Who knew?

67

:

It gives you something new to

contemplate the next time you take

68

:

the sacrament bread, doesn't it?

69

:

If you are interested in learning

more about these Tree of Life

70

:

symbols, I will include two

source links in the show notes.

71

:

Now, let's leave the symbolic and get

back to our literal eating of grains.

72

:

There is a book I really like called

Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon.

73

:

She explains that despite tremendous

advances in modern medicine, one

74

:

person in three dies of cancer, one

in three suffers from allergies.

75

:

One in 10 will have ulcers and one in

five will suffer from mental illness, and

76

:

she doesn't even mention heart disease.

77

:

It's the premise of her book

that if we were to return to

78

:

our traditional food practices.

79

:

We as a culture would be much healthier.

80

:

Now, you could just write

this off as another food fad.

81

:

There are so many out

there these days, right?

82

:

But the more I study food,

the more I like this idea.

83

:

Why?

84

:

For two reasons.

85

:

Number one, because the closer I eat to

the earth, meaning whole foods in their

86

:

natural form, right out of the ground.

87

:

The way our ancestors would've eaten them.

88

:

The more connected I feel to the earth

and the more whole I feel as a person

89

:

and the better and more healthy I

eat, the more clear my mind is and the

90

:

more in tune I feel with the spirit.

91

:

I think sometimes we believe the

word of wisdom is simply a physical

92

:

doctrine, but I believe it is

just as important for our spirit.

93

:

The number two reason I like the idea of

eating traditionally is because our modern

94

:

factory foods have only been with us for

the last a hundred years or so, and we

95

:

are all aware that factory foods are not

what our great grandparents used to eat.

96

:

Whereas traditional food

preparations have been passed

97

:

down over multiple generations,

meaning they are tried and true.

98

:

As an example of this, connecting

to the earth I wanna talk

99

:

for a moment about acorns.

100

:

Acorns aren't a grain.

101

:

They are a seed, but this is a

good illustration of my point.

102

:

Acorns were a staple in the diet

of Native Americans in California.

103

:

Why?

104

:

Because there are lots of oak trees

bearing lots of acorns and acorns were

105

:

easy to gather and store, and they are

rich in fats, carbohydrates, and proteins.

106

:

There was only one problem.

107

:

They're also full of tannins.

108

:

Tannins are bitter and

toxic in large amounts.

109

:

So imagine you're a hunter gatherer

and you find acorns for the first time.

110

:

This is very exciting because

there are tons of them.

111

:

You break open a few of the

shells, but when you taste the

112

:

seed inside, it's really bitter.

113

:

A flavor, you know, from experience

isn't good to ingest, but there

114

:

are so many acorns, you just

can't resist picking up more.

115

:

And do you become determined

to figure out how to eat them?

116

:

What might you try?

117

:

Maybe you could wash

them, which you do still.

118

:

They are bitter but not quite as bad.

119

:

You continue rinsing them and water

and rinsing them again, and after

120

:

time they start to taste pretty good.

121

:

Then you let them dry, which

makes them hard to eat.

122

:

So you find a rock and

grind them into a powder

123

:

which you add to water

and cook over the fire.

124

:

And voila, you have discovered acorn mush.

125

:

It took a lot of work and effort, but you

figured out how to make acorns edible.

126

:

I know this sounds fanciful.

127

:

But something like this really did happen.

128

:

Someone figured out how to eat acorns.

129

:

Do you think finding food this way

would connect you to the earth?

130

:

I do, but I also know that this kind of

connection isn't practical these days.

131

:

Still, I believe the connection

exists if we turn to ancient food

132

:

preparations, which brings me back

to the book, nourishing Traditions.

133

:

Sally Fallon discovered through

her studies that traditional

134

:

grain preparations always included

at least one of three things,

135

:

soaking, sprouting, or fermenting.

136

:

Let me repeat that.

137

:

Traditional grain preparations

always included, soaking,

138

:

sprouting, or fermenting.

139

:

Grain can be eaten without doing

these things, but people learn from

140

:

experience just like our hunter

gatherers, that they felt better if

141

:

the grain was processed correctly.

142

:

Does that make sense?

143

:

I hope so.

144

:

Here's another example.

145

:

In Scandinavian countries, porridge as

in cooked grain was kept in a special

146

:

drawer until it was ready to be eaten.

147

:

Crazy as that sounds to us.

148

:

It makes perfect sense.

149

:

They didn't have refrigerators, so

where else were they going to put it?

150

:

And leaving it in a drawer gave it

plenty of time to soak and ferment,

151

:

which made the nutrients more

bioavailable and made it easier

152

:

on the stomach to digest, win-win.

153

:

So remember this, traditional

grain preparations include

154

:

soaking, sprouting, or fermenting.

155

:

We'll come back to this in a minute.

156

:

Now, let's talk

specifically about verse 17.

157

:

This is where the word of

wisdom says wheat is for man.

158

:

Does that set off alarm

bells in your head?

159

:

These days, so many people are

trying to cut wheat from their

160

:

diets because according to experts,

the protein found in wheat called

161

:

gluten is making everyone sick.

162

:

And of course, I'm talking

about gluten intolerance here,

163

:

not celiac disease, right?

164

:

Celiac is completely different.

165

:

So if gluten is making us sick, then

why would Joseph Smith give us a

166

:

revelation saying wheat is for man.

167

:

It seems crazy.

168

:

Maybe he just didn't know

what he was talking about.

169

:

Right?

170

:

I mean, this revelation is really old.

171

:

It was probably just for the pioneers.

172

:

It couldn't be talking about us.

173

:

I mean, we have too much scientific

evidence that gluten is harmful, don't we?

174

:

Besides, I know lots of people

who have cut gluten from their

175

:

diets and felt so much better.

176

:

Wheat just can't be good for us.

177

:

All these thoughts went through my head

when I started studying the word of

178

:

wisdom, but I asked myself if I believe

Joseph Smith was a prophet, which I do.

179

:

Then obviously I am missing something

important because the word of wisdom

180

:

and modern food trends do not align.

181

:

today.

182

:

I want to share with you a little

of what I learned about wheat.

183

:

First of all, yes, the average person

will feel better if they cut wheat

184

:

products from their diet, and they

should, but I don't believe they

185

:

feel better because they cut gluten.

186

:

I believe it's because they cut ready

to eat ultra processed wheat products,

187

:

mass produced in food processing plants.

188

:

Here is an interesting

way to explain this.

189

:

There are many cases where people

with gluten intolerances have

190

:

traveled to Europe and felt

good eating the bread there.

191

:

This isn't because the wheat is different.

192

:

This is because a lot of European bakeries

are using traditional baking methods.

193

:

All this to say, I don't believe it's

the gluten that is making us sick.

194

:

It's the way the wheat is being processed.

195

:

I know there are experts that will

deny this is the case, but for me and

196

:

my experience, I find this to be true.

197

:

Now let me add that if you have a

gluten sensitivity, going to Europe or

198

:

eating homemade sourdough bread doesn't

mean you will automatically feel fine.

199

:

If there has been extensive damage

done to your gut by poorly processed

200

:

wheat, it may take time to heal before

you can eat any types of grain again.

201

:

Now, I have to tell you honestly

that this whole gluten-free trend

202

:

makes me really sad because as I

have studied this subject, I have

203

:

come to believe that gluten is

actually an amazing gift from God.

204

:

I mean, the whole fact that wheat

has a protein in it that can blow

205

:

up like a balloon when filled with

fermentation gases is amazing.

206

:

Other grains can't do this, in fact,

food scientists have spent countless

207

:

hours trying to come up with gluten-free

bread that's as good as wheat

208

:

bread, but it's really hard to do.

209

:

If you are interested in learning

more about the wonders of Gluten,

210

:

look up the Netflix series produced

by food writer Michael Pollan.

211

:

It's called Cooked.

212

:

The episode titled Air Will Teach You All

about Gluten and I highly recommend it.

213

:

Now, there is one more thing I want

to say about why I believe wheat

214

:

products are making people sick.

215

:

If you have ever baked your own sourdough

bread, you know that you only need three

216

:

ingredients, wheat, water, and salt.

217

:

That's it.

218

:

Three ingredients.

219

:

The average loaf of store-bought bread has

a whole paragraph for the ingredient list.

220

:

I used to think most of these

ingredients were preservatives until

221

:

I read the fascinating book called

Grain of Truth by Steven Yaffa.

222

:

He explains that some of the ingredients

in bread are there to meet FDA standards,

223

:

but that's not the only reason.

224

:

Let's think about this for a minute.

225

:

What happens when you mix flour and water?

226

:

You get pastd.

227

:

Sticky gooey paste.

228

:

And what would happen if you tried to

run that paste through factory machinery?

229

:

You get my point?

230

:

It would be a sticky mess.

231

:

So how have factories gotten around

this by a term called conditioning?

232

:

Conditioning The dough means adding

chemical ingredients that, in the words

233

:

of Steven Yaffa, are the biochemical

equivalent to silicone lubricating oil.

234

:

Yep.

235

:

Factory processed bread is

full of conditioning chemicals.

236

:

To be honest, I think we are actually

pretty lucky that our processed bread

237

:

doesn't make us sicker than it does.

238

:

And why don't factories use

traditional bread making practices?

239

:

The answer is simple.

240

:

The average loaf of sourdough bread

takes 12 hours to produce factories,

241

:

can make a loaf of bread from

grinding the flour all the way to the

242

:

shipping dock in a mere four hours.

243

:

Time is money.

244

:

Traditional bread making

just isn't economical.

245

:

Now, if you're wondering where you're

going to find bread processed in

246

:

the traditional way, do not despair.

247

:

Simply being aware of this

information is a start.

248

:

Learning to make your own bread

is a great option, but I know that

249

:

isn't realistic for a lot of people.

250

:

So I have two other suggestions.

251

:

Number one, find a real bakery

in your area and support them.

252

:

And don't be surprised when a

loaf costs 10 to $12 because now

253

:

you know that it takes hours to

process a good loaf of bread.

254

:

Just pay for it and be happy.

255

:

You don't have to bake it yourself.

256

:

The second option is to find

someone baking bread at home and

257

:

trade them for something you like

to make or a skill that you have.

258

:

The good old barter system is an

excellent way to get your bread.

259

:

My goal here is to take

back our daily bread.

260

:

It's the staff of life and

worthy of our time and energy.

261

:

Judy, and I know your time is precious

and that you have many choices.

262

:

We love that you have chosen to

walk with us for a few minutes as

263

:

we navigate this journey of life.

264

:

If you like this podcast, will you

take the time right now to share it

265

:

with a friend, share it on social

media, or leave us a five star rating?

266

:

and if you listen on Apple Podcast,

will you leave us a five star review?

267

:

We still only have about five reviews,

and we could seriously use some more.

268

:

If you aren't sure how to leave

a review, find a grandchild or a

269

:

neighbor and ask for help, Judy

and I would be so appreciative.

270

:

Now, let me end by saying if bread

wasn't important, Jesus Christ wouldn't

271

:

call himself the bread of life.

272

:

Namaste.

Next Episode All Episodes Previous Episode

Listen for free

Show artwork for Creative Spiritual Journey

About the Podcast

Creative Spiritual Journey
one small, deliberate step at a time
We are all on a journey—a journey home to our heavenly parents. Any experienced traveler knows there are days you laugh and days you cry.

We aren’t here to tell you how to live—we are here to share how we live—how we survive, thrive, and even find joy!

The journey gets messy with rainstorms and sleepless flights but the hard times—the miserable times—those make the best stories.

And the vistas, the sunsets, the little birds outside the window—those are the reminders that God is in the details, he is aware of us, he has trod the path before.

The Creative Spiritual Journey Podcast is hosted by Judy and Ghia Cooley—two sisters in their wisdom years—who love the savior and are dedicated to making this journey one small, deliberate step at a time.

Join us!

About your host

Profile picture for Ghia Cooley

Ghia Cooley