Wheat-Free Banana Bread

Gluten sensitivity and allergy are more and more common place these days. Many of us are gluten sensitive or wheat sensitive and don't even know it. Vague symtoms like bloating, indigestion, headache and fatigue may often times be overlooked or even diagnosed as something else. I myself am not allergic to gluten (Celiac Disease) but I am sensitive, particularly to wheat. I try to avoid it the best I can and often substitute wheat-free flours in my recipies.

Today, I made a Wheat-free Spelt Banana Bread using whole grain spelt flour. For those unfamiliar with spelt it is a wonderfully nutritious and ancient grain with a deep nutlike flavor. Spelt is a cousin to wheat that traces its heritage back long before many wheat hybrids. Many of its benefits come from the fact that it offers a broader spectrum of nutrients compared to many of its more inbred cousins in the wheat family. It can be used in many of the same ways as wheat including bread and pasta making. Spelt does not seem to cause sensitivities in many people who are intolerant of wheat. And even though spelt still contain some gluten, it seems that those allergic to gluten or sensitive to gluten seem to tolerate it well and without symptoms.