Carolyn Bergh, an avid hiker and outdoors enthusiast, found in her early 30s that painful joints and other symptoms resembling arthritis were affecting the quality of her life.

Taking medication for the condition afforded no relief, and after a few years of feeling steadily worse, she decided to look to her diet instead. Although healthy eating had always been a way of life, some research highlighted the fact that many of the foods she ate were considered key allergy sources.

Common foods like wheat, eggs, rice and milk were cut out and within a few weeks the joint pain had been reduced to the point of being hardly noticeable, and her energy levels had soared.

Her meals started including primarily fresh fruit and raw vegetables, nuts, and wheat and rice alternatives (like quinoa, rye and kamut).

These grains have ancient origins, and are gaining popularity. Kamut is also known as Egyptian wheat, and is nutritionally superior to wheat and tolerated by people who have a bad reaction to wheat. As it does contain gluten, people with celiac disease (gluten intolerance) should avoid it.

Quinoa is an ancient Incan crop, and has a unique flavour and high protein content. It is not a true grain, and is more closely related to vegetables like beets and spinach, and is rich in vitamins and provides a complete protein that contains eight amino acids.

Other grain substitutes are amaranth and spelt. Amaranth is native to South America, and is also high in protein and contains eight amino acids. It is a hardy grain, drought-resistant and requires significantly less pesticides and fertilizers, and is normally grown without irrigation.

Spelt, like kamut, was found in the ancient Egyptian tombs and also contains eight amino acids and is high in complex carbohydrates, and easy to digest.

As more people become aware of grain alternatives, their availability will rise with demand, and they will be used instead of polished grain (where so many of the health benefits are lost).