Includes bibliographical references (pages 267-286) and index.

What's up with wheat -- Gut issues -- The cracker man's cult -- Slick dough -- Seeds of change -- White gold -- Survival of the shortest -- The whole truth -- Flour power -- Mastering the $158 loaf -- Ancient wisdom -- Taking a stand -- Brainy pasta -- New York noodles -- Sins of omission -- The sourdough solution.

"No topic in nutrition is more controversial than wheat. Mega-sellers Grain Brain and Wheat Belly suggest that wheat is the new asbestos, but author Stephen Yafa believes wheat has been wrongly demonized. He breaks down the botany of the wheat plant we've hijacked for our own use, the science of nutrition and digestion, the effects of mass production on our health, and questions about gluten and fiber -- all to point us towards a better, richer diet. Wheat may be the most important food in human history, from ancient times to the cereal box factories of General Mills. Yafa tours commercial factories where mass production trumps concern for nutrition, and reports on the new artisan grain revolution, with boutique bakeries and home made pasta makers' workshops. He believes there may a perfect, easily-obtained source of healthy wheat-based nutrition. Its name is sourdough. Stephen Yafa is the author of Cotton: The Biography. He lives in Mill Valley, California"--Provided by publisher.