This article was originally published on November 26, 2013.

There is plenty of disparaging information available about grains in general and wheat specifically. Some of the best arguments against grains one can find are from Mark Sisson. Of course, these are usually calls for complete cessation of grain consumption. It certainly seems that an all-out war against grain is going on. Much of the information is compelling and well-researched.

I find it hard to beat that drum loudly here when “a land of wheat, barley” is part of the description of The Promised Land. Proverbs 11:26 promises blessings on the one who sells grain. Reconciling my personal results with these and many other references is something I felt the need to do.

There are some who feel that wheat is bad for you not because it is a grain but because of what we’ve done to it. Wheat itself has been bred and modified to bring farmers the most money possible through high yields, and for properties that appeal to bakers. It’s never been modified for nutrition. Then there is the processing of the wheat into flour. It is ground, separated, bleached, enriched, and maybe recombined to make “whole wheat” in some cases. This is a far cry from the when the disciples picked some heads of wheat, rubbed them in their hands, and ate them.

I’ve therefore taken it upon myself to test this. I purchased some organic wheat and used the Vitamix to grind it into flour. It only takes about a minute per cup to get fairly fine flour. I started to consume a bit of this. Last week I had a little Irish Brown Bread made from this freshly ground wheat. Then one morning I had biscuits and gravy. The taste was fine in both bread and biscuits though the fluffiness found in highly processed wheat was lacking. I plan to change little else and see what happens with my health.

I will carry this experiment on through the holidays and put the results out after the new year.