Quinoa the Amazing Gluten-Free Grain

Very interesting article and I will certainly try some quinoa. Just one thing, Ms Cafferty suggests using it instead of rice or couscous, but I thought couscous contains gluten. Am I mistaken?

Great information on a grain I've heard of but hesitated to use simply because I'm not familiar with it.

There are at least a few people (including myself) who react strongly to Quinoa - it makes me horribly ill. Just lucky in my intolerances, I guess - it's showing up in a lot of packaged gluten-free food now, hopefully it will continue to be well-marked in ingredients.

There are at least a few people (including myself) who react strongly to Quinoa - it makes me horribly ill. Just lucky in my intolerances, I guess - it's showing up in a lot of packaged gluten-free food now, hopefully it will continue to be well-marked in ingredients.

Thank you for your comment. I too cannot digest Quinoa. I just tried it for the 3rd time and within 3 hours had extreme nausea, sweating and diarrhea. I did not rinse the quinoa before cooking it and wonder if that would have made any difference. I am leery to try it again to find out.

Thank you for your comment. I too cannot digest Quinoa. I just tried it for the 3rd time and within 3 hours had extreme nausea, sweating and diarrhea. I did not rinse the quinoa before cooking it and wonder if that would have made any difference. I am leery to try it again to find out.

Please note that Quinoa is gluten-free unless it is cross contaminated in the field or processing plant. Quinoa grown in South America is almost never cross-contaminated.

One caveat is that most Quinoa products are a combination of quinoa and CORN. Chances are, if you have a gluten allergy, you may very likely have a corn allergy. I had a similarly bad reaction to eating Quinoa pasta because it had corn in it (I didn't read the package carefully enough). So far, I haven't found any quinoa without corn.

Great information on a grain I've heard of but hesitated to use simply because I'm not familiar with it.

It's delicious, I've just started going Gluten-free as my mom has celiac sprue. Try preparing the quinoa as box directed, but replace the water with equal parts water and milk. Then add a few handfuls of your favorites: walnuts, dried cranberries, frozen blueberries or strawberries, pecans, bananas, etc. then add 2 tsp vanilla extract and 2 tsp. cinnamon and a dash or two of nutmeg if you'd like. You can add flaxseed or anything else you'd like to make it more nutrient-rich, if that's even possible! I love this nutty cinnamon treat for breakfast. I make the whole box and freeze the remainder, then reheat in a saucepan with a little milk for the next time.

I have been using the Quinoa for a while now and I find it very versatile. I use it for breakfast, boiled in skimmed milk a teaspoon of honey and a choice of fruit sprinkled on top...or for dinner I boil in salted water a few sprigs of mint, a handful of fresh peas and to finish a little butter placed on top.

Very interesting article and I will certainly try some quinoa. Just one thing, Ms Cafferty suggests using it instead of rice or couscous, but I thought couscous contains gluten. Am I mistaken?

Yes, couscous is not wheat or gluten free.

I also have a problem digesting quinoa. This morning I had intestinal pain and found in my bowel movement a whole intact undigested grain. One might be because I didn't wash the quinoa. Two is that you should boil it for as long as possible till the tails are wiggling out. I probably didn't cook some of it well enough. Also I would recommend three times the water in case it boils down too quick.

Try cooking quinoa in a rice cooker instead (still a ratio 2:1). The grains cook much better and softer that way without having to watch it closely.

I also have a problem digesting quinoa. This morning I had intestinal pain and found in my bowel movement a whole intact undigested grain. One might be because I didn't wash the quinoa. Two is that you should boil it for as long as possible till the tails are wiggling out. I probably didn't cook some of it well enough. Also I would recommend three times the water in case it boils down too quick.

I broke out with another round of rash and other than absolutely gluten-free food, quinoa was all I had eaten. This is what I found online and I will NEVER eat Quinoa again!

Ever hear of saponins? If not think of the word soap and you'll be headed in the right direction since saponins are molecules that make a soap-like foaming reaction when shaken in a water-based solution. While they are said not to attach themselves to carriers as the gluten proteins do, saponins can poke holes in the cell membranes of the microvilli (this is all in your gut mind you). This, of course, is profoundly irritating. In short quinoa might as well be a grain and in some ways it might as well have gluten too. At least if it did people who probably should not be eating it now, would not be eating it.

So to answer the question, "is quinoa gluten-free?", Yes. But don't eat it.

What do you eat besides quinoa, wheat and all these other problematic grains? We've talked a bit here before about how white rice is a fairly reasonable option for most people. Since white rice has had the bran removed it is primarily a starch and the potentially irritating anti-nutrients in the bran are eliminated. If you are trying to lose weight it may not be the first thing you should turn to depending on your situation and particular health status but it is probably the best option out there in terms of grains and grain-like products.

Beyond that the best way to avoid the problems faced by celiac sufferers is to make your diet primarily one of meats, fruits, vegetables and some tubers like sweet potatoes. This will have the dual benefit of eliminating gluten and similar lectins from your diet as well as clearing out the processed food content so your body can thrive on whole, clean foods that help spark all the right hormonal signals for health and vitality.