Spelt is a species of wheat, Triticum spelta, not a gluten-free alternative to it. It contains gluten, and the US National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases lists it among the wheat types that people with celiac disease must avoid. A review of ancient wheats reports that they, spelt included, tend to hold more protein and more gluten than modern bread wheat.
Spelt keeps its husk. Each grain stays wrapped in its husk, unlike bread wheat. Picked unripe and dried, the grains are sold in Germany and Austria as Grünkern, the “green grain.” Genetic work suggests European spelt arose when a tetraploid wheat crossed into free-threshing wheat, and that European and Asian spelt have different origins.
People who react to wheat often say spelt sits better. Two blinded trials of people with suspected wheat sensitivity found no difference in symptoms between spelt and wheat bread, and one pointed to a placebo effect for spelt and a nocebo effect for wheat. Spelt has few studies of its own, so many of the cards below test it next to einkorn, emmer or wheat.
Health benefits of spelt
The top findings from 10 studies, strongest evidence first
What the stars mean
- Strong. Several randomized trials, pooled in a meta-analysis, point the same way, or regulators (FDA or EFSA) have approved the claim.
- Moderate. Good randomized trials support it, but there are fewer of them, or their results vary.
- Limited. Small, short or single trials, or mixed results. Promising, but it needs confirmation.
Population and lab studies get no stars: they show a link or a mechanism, not proof.
How we rate evidence →- ★Gut symptoms similar to wheat breadIn two blinded trials of 20 people each with self-reported wheat sensitivity, spelt bread caused similar symptoms to wheat bread. A trial of 24 adults with suspected wheat sensitivity found the same.
- ★Medium effect on blood sugarIn 12 healthy people, wholemeal spelt bread scored a medium 63 on the glycemic index (how fast a food raises blood sugar). That was close to rye-wheat sourdough bread (62).
All 10 studies, strongest evidence first
People with self-reported wheat sensitivity had similar gut symptoms after spelt, bread wheat and emmer bread
Two randomized, double-blind crossover trials of 20 people each, with celiac disease and wheat allergy ruled out. Everyone ate 5 slices of yeast bread (study A) or sourdough bread (study B) made from each grain. Symptom scores on a 100 mm scale rose by a median of 4.9 mm after yeast spelt bread and 11.3 mm after sourdough spelt bread, against 10.4 and 10.5 mm for wheat; none of the differences counted as significant.
Adults who believed spelt was easier on them than wheat had the same symptoms after both breads
Single-blinded crossover trial in 24 adults with suspected non-celiac wheat sensitivity. They ate 300 g of spelt or wheat bread a day (traditional or current recipe) for 4 days each, with 3-day breaks. Symptoms ran higher than people expected after spelt and lower than expected after wheat, which the authors read as a placebo effect for spelt and a nocebo effect for wheat. Inflammation and gut barrier markers did not change.
Wholemeal spelt bread had a medium glycemic index of 63, close to rye-wheat sourdough bread (62)
Test of four German breads in 12 healthy people, using the international standard method. Only wholemeal rye bread with whole grains and seeds was low (55), and the soft pretzel was high (80). The insulin index of the spelt bread was 77, not different from the pretzel’s 102.
In diabetes-prone rats, a spelt diet gave a low acute blood sugar response compared with refined wheat
Animal study: 40 Zucker diabetic fatty rats ate whole grain emmer, einkorn, spelt or rye flour, or refined wheat flour, for 9 weeks. Spelt and rye gave a low acute glycemic response, and the refined wheat group had higher HDL and total cholesterol. The liver gene changes the authors report were in the emmer, einkorn and rye groups, not the spelt group.
In rats, spelt sourdough bread lowered the blood sugar rise after eating compared with refined wheat bread
Animal study that fed six groups of rats different breads, among them a spelt bread leavened with a sourdough starter and a plain refined wheat bread. The spelt, durum and one multigrain sourdough bread all gave lower blood glucose after the meal than the refined wheat bread. The longer effects on blood fats and minerals were reported for the multigrain breads.
Digested spelt gluten proteins were toxic to human gut cells in a dish, unlike those of einkorn and emmer
Lab study: gluten proteins (prolamins) from spelt, einkorn and emmer were digested with enzymes and added to human gut-lining and blood cell lines, with bread wheat as the positive control. Spelt raised nitric oxide and tissue transglutaminase in gut-lining cells at 1 mg/mL, signs of the processes behind celiac disease. The authors say tests on celiac intestinal tissue are still needed.
Spelt had the most different celiac disease-active peptides of five wheat species, about 193 on average
Mass spectrometry of eight varieties each of common wheat, spelt, durum wheat, emmer and einkorn found 494 peptides with celiac-active epitopes in all. Einkorn had the fewest types (63) but more of some of them. The authors say the whole set of peptides, not one count, decides how immune-active a wheat is.
The main gluten proteins of spelt matched those of bread wheat, so the authors concluded spelt is toxic to people with celiac disease
Lab analysis, in German, of the alpha-gliadins of two spelt varieties and one bread wheat variety. Their amino acid sequences, compared over the first 25 positions and then by digested peptides up to position 56, showed no significant difference. Feeding studies in celiac patients were ruled out for ethical reasons.
Blood serum from wheat-allergic children bound spelt proteins as it bound wheat proteins
Lab study: proteins from spelt, einkorn, emmer, durum and bread wheat cultivars were tested against pooled serum from six wheat-sensitized children aged 1 to 11. IgE bound many proteins in every grain. The authors conclude ancient grains are not generally safer for wheat allergy, though a few people sensitized only to one protein group might tolerate einkorn.
Spelt proteins switched on inflammatory genes in human immune cells, as modern wheat proteins did
Lab study: a human immune cell line and human immune cells were exposed to gliadin, glutenin and albumin/globulin fractions of ancient and modern cereals. Einkorn and spelt were among the strongest, and the response did not follow ancient versus modern. Cells from people with non-celiac gluten sensitivity reacted more to gliadin than cells from healthy people.
Who should be careful with spelt
Most people can eat spelt freely. Take a little care if one of these applies:
- Celiac disease or wheat allergy. Spelt is wheat and contains gluten, so it is not safe for celiac disease. The FDA’s gluten-free labeling rule counts any species of the genus Triticum as wheat. In a lab test, serum from wheat-allergic children bound spelt proteins as it bound wheat proteins, so ask your allergist before trying it.
- Irritable bowel syndrome or a touchy gut. Spelt is not automatically gentler than wheat. Monash University found that only spelt bread made by the traditional sourdough method can be low in FODMAPs, while bread made by modern methods and spelt flakes tested high.
How to choose, store and eat spelt
- Whole spelt bread: wholemeal spelt bread had a medium glycemic index of 63 in 12 healthy people, so it still raises blood sugar like most bread.
- Sourdough spelt bread: the long fermentation uses up FODMAPs, and traditional sourdough spelt bread is the form Monash found can be low FODMAP.
- Spelt pasta and flakes: Monash rated spelt pasta high FODMAP at 1 cup cooked but green at ½ cup, and spelt flakes tested high.
The nutrition numbers on this page are for the whole dry grain, where ¼ cup (44 g) gives 4.7 g of fiber. Keep spelt berries in an airtight container: the Whole Grains Council says they keep up to 6 months in a cool, dry pantry or a year in the freezer, and spelt flour 3 months in the pantry or 6 in the freezer.
Sources
- Celiac disease: eating, diet, and nutrition. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
- 21 CFR 101.91, gluten-free labeling of foods. US Food and Drug Administration.
- Spelt products and FODMAPs. Monash FODMAP blog. 2015.
- Sourdough processing and FODMAPs. Monash FODMAP blog. 2017.
- Storing whole grains. Whole Grains Council.
- Goletzke J, Atkinson FS, Ek KL, Bell K, Brand-Miller JC, Buyken AE. Glycaemic and insulin index of four common German breads. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2016.
- Sievers S, Rohrbach A, Beyer K. Wheat-induced food allergy in childhood: ancient grains seem no way out. Eur J Nutr. 2020.
History of spelt
Spelt is old. People have grown it since about 5000 BCE, and the earliest remains come from northern Iraq and the Transcaucasus. Later Neolithic remains turn up in Denmark, Germany and Poland, dated 2500 to 1700 BCE. A genetic study of 58 wheat samples suggests European spelt arose when a tetraploid wheat was crossed into free-threshing hexaploid wheat, which would make it a separate story from Asian spelt.
From the Bronze Age to the Middle Ages it was a staple in parts of Europe. In southern Germany and Switzerland it was a major wheat in the Iron Age, and by 500 BCE it was widespread in southern Britain. It became a major European crop in the 9th century CE, possibly because it stores well and its husk suits cold climates.
Old texts are easy to misread. The English word “spelt” has often been used for other hulled wheats, and the Roman grain far, often translated as spelt, was really emmer. The Italian word farro can mean emmer, spelt or einkorn, so a bag labeled farro may not hold spelt at all.
Spelt reached the United States in the 1890s. In the 20th century bread wheat replaced it almost everywhere, and the organic farming movement revived it toward the end of the century, since spelt needs less fertilizer. In Germany and Austria spelt loaves and rolls, Dinkelbrot, are sold in ordinary bakeries, and as of 2022 most US spelt was grown in Ohio.
Sources
- Spelt. Wikipedia.
- Blatter RH, Jacomet S, Schlumbaum A. About the origin of European spelt (Triticum spelta L.): allelic differentiation of the HMW glutenin B1-1 and A1-2 subunit genes. Theor Appl Genet. 2004.
- Brouns F, Geisslitz S, Guzman C, et al. Do ancient wheats contain less gluten than modern bread wheat, in favour of better health? Nutr Bull. 2022.
Frequently asked questions about spelt
Is spelt good for you?
It is a whole grain with real nutrition, but few studies test its health effects. Dry spelt has 14.6 g of protein and 10.7 g of fiber per 100 g, and it supplies 130% of the daily value for manganese. None of the 10 studies here reaches strong evidence, and spelt contains gluten, so it is not an option for celiac disease.
Is spelt gluten-free?
No. Spelt is a species of wheat, and the US NIDDK lists it among the grains people with celiac disease must avoid. Mass spectrometry found about 193 different celiac-active peptides in spelt, the most of five wheat species, and cell tests found its gluten proteins toxic to gut cells.
Is spelt healthier than wheat?
No study here shows that it is. A review found ancient wheats such as spelt hold more protein and gluten than modern bread wheat, and another review says the human trials are too few to say they lower disease risk. Wholemeal spelt bread had a glycemic index of 63, which is medium.
Is spelt easier to digest than wheat?
Not in blinded trials. In 20 people with wheat sensitivity, symptoms rose by a median of 4.9 mm after yeast spelt bread and 10.4 mm after wheat bread, a difference that was not significant. A second trial of 24 adults found the same tolerance and pointed to a placebo effect for spelt.
Is spelt low FODMAP?
Only some spelt foods are. Monash University found that traditional sourdough spelt bread can be low FODMAP, while bread made by modern methods and spelt flakes tested high. Spelt pasta was high at 1 cup cooked and green at ½ cup.
Does spelt raise blood sugar?
Yes, like most bread, but moderately. Wholemeal spelt bread had a glycemic index of 63 in 12 healthy people, against 55 for wholemeal rye bread with whole grains and 80 for a soft pretzel. In rats, spelt diets gave a low acute blood sugar response, but that does not show the same in people.
Is spelt high in protein?
Fairly high for a grain. Dry spelt has 14.6 g of protein per 100 g, and ¼ cup (44 g) has 6.3 g. Its protein is not complete on its own, because lysine is the limiting amino acid.
Can you eat spelt with a wheat allergy?
It is not a safe swap. Serum from six wheat-sensitized children bound spelt proteins as it bound wheat proteins, so spelt is not generally less allergenic. This was a lab test, so ask your allergist before trying spelt.