Bloating is such a common complaint, even the rich and famous don’t escape! Many of the symptoms of bloating are caused by food allergies or intolerances and in a lot of cases wheat is a key culprit.

For many, myself included who struggle with wheat – spelt is the knight in shining armour. Don’t be under any disillusions, it is still a cousin of wheat and does contain gluten (the protein found in some grains). The key difference is how the grain is grown and milled. So for many who struggle with wheat there are none of the symptoms with spelt.

Spelt also offers a broader spectrum of nutrients and it is an excellent source of vitamin B2, manganese, and a good source of niacin, thiamine, and copper. This combination of nutrients provided by spelt may make it a particularly helpful food for people struggling with headaches, heart disease and diabetes.

Spelt is now widely available and is even found in most of the main supermarkets. It can be used as a substitute to most flours in baking or cooking however there is no self raising version so a baking powder will need to be added if required.

The whole wheat is wonderful and performs really well in baking whilst providing fibre and supporting blood sugar levels within the body.
Below is my super simple recipe for a delicious fruit crumble which is a real treat whilst being nutritious containing berries, apples and spelt flour and seeds, give it a try at your next summer barbi or with your Sunday roast.

Spelt fruit crumble – serves 6
Fruit of your choice (packet of frozen berries & 3-4 cooking apples or 2 packets of blueberries and 3-4 pears)
225g of Spelt flour
50g of ground seeds
75-110g sugar
75g butter

Mix flour, seeds, sugar in a bowl.
Crumble in the butter until it looks like breadcrumbs. Put pre cooked fruit into an oven proof bowl and put crumble mixture on top. Cook in preheated oven for 30-40 mins or until golden on top.

Et voila, a gorgeous fruit crumble full of spelt goodness…Enjoy!