Around the time of industrialization in the United States, a new process for milling wheat changed the composition of flour. The steel roller mill made it easier to separate the component parts of wheat to produce fine white flour at a low cost. The problem with this is that the nutritious parts of the grain, the bran and the germ, are discarded. We are left with a filler devoid of much of its original nutrients.
In the 1950s and 1960s advancements in fertilizers and pesticides led to changes in the varieties of wheat that were planted. The varieties that were chosen were those that responded best to the chemicals to produce the highest yield at the cheapest cost. Varieties with a higher gluten content were found to be more desirable for baking breads. In the past 50 years, wheat has undergone radical changes that have rendered it almost unrecognizable. Modern wheat is less nutritious and higher in gluten than the varieties that have sustained people for thousands of years. Our bodies, while marvels of evolution, have not caught up and are not equipped to digest modern wheat easily causing bloating, cramping and inflammation.