The Beyond Wheat Story

The story behind Beyond Wheat breads, like so many others, began with a need and caring. A friend was diagnosed with a moderate case of colitis and was unable to eat all but a few bland and over-cooked foods. More than anything else he wanted real comfort foods like sweets, but virtually anything would irritate his colitis condition. He was strong and dutifully stayed on his restricted diet yet was so frustrated and hungered for something - anything! - that tasted good but would also not cause his inflamed colon to bleed again.

As I watched his struggle I just wanted to help. I began looking at the few things he could eat, like rice, apple, and zucchini, and from that I discovered a way to recombine them into a bread that not only satisfied his sweet tooth but would not set back his healing time. It was challenging and took numerous tries to get the recipe just right.

Creating the right ingredient combinations for these special recipes was monumental. It meant eliminating or greatly reducing yeast, whole grains, most fruits and vegetables, milk and most dairy products, processed sugars and sweeteners, and highly saturated oils and fats. An additional challenge was how to incorporate nutritious and delicious organic ingredients into the recipes. The process was very time consuming at first, but worth every batch to see his wonderful smile as each piece slowly disappeared from his plate.

This experience had a tremendous impact on me. It showed me how food made with love and caring can really help. It also showed me how difficult and frustrating it is for so many people who have restrictive diets and are no longer able to enjoy their favorite foods.

Beyond Wheat was created so that everyone, including those with food restrictions, can find satisfying foods that are not only safe to eat but are abundantly nutritious and delicious too.

Jane Fleming, M.S.
Beyond Wheat Artisan Bakery
Monterey, California