Quinoa

[Felidae]

Hey, I wash rice, veggies, and meat before I cook them! LOL It's just another wash before cooking item I guess.

[Mango04]

Hey, I wash rice, veggies, and meat before I cook them! LOL It's just another wash before cooking item I guess.

LOL. Yeah I guess I need to go buy a better strainer so I can wash quinoa without losing half of it down the drain.

Anyone ever try the red inca quinoa? It's different...kinda good though.

[Rachel--24]

Rachel, I'm cool with what you said. I just didn't want anybody to think there was anything about whole quinoa what was not natural or organic.

OK..cool.

LOL. Yeah I guess I need to go buy a better strainer so I can wash quinoa without losing half of it down the drain.

LOL....would it even be considered a strainer with holes that small?

Anyone ever try the red inca quinoa? It's different...kinda good though.

I saw that red quinoa at whole foods the other day. I was curious about it but left it on the shelf....I wondered if it somehow had more flavor.

[tarnalberry]

OK..cool.

LOL....would it even be considered a strainer with holes that small?

I saw that red quinoa at whole foods the other day. I was curious about it but left it on the shelf....I wondered if it somehow had more flavor.

I think the red quinoa tastes better, personally.

[glutenfreebaker]

I really dont care for quinoa (tried it a long time ago pre-gluten-free) but thought I'd give it another chance. I ate it for breakfast last Thursday and have been REALLY messed up ever since. I have every symptom of a glutening but I know it wasnt contaminated. My doctor told me to avoid both quinoa and amaranth because even though they are gluten-free they are too similar structurally to gluten and therefore some people react....same with soy protein isolate (whatever that is). I didnt really believe him since 9 out of 10 websites say they are safe...sooo I went ahead and ate quinoa. Now I am still sick.

I asked my doctor about this and he said this is why he told me not to eat it....because some people DO react to it. He said while some of his patients do fine with it...others have gluten reactions from it. I'm confused about this. I knew even the purest of oats could cause trouble for some but quinoa???

Did anyone else have a gluten reaction from quinoa?

P.S. I'm not at all sad about giving up quinoa...cuz its gross....but just wanna know if it could cause that reaction.

I think it's time for a new doctor. It being structurally similar has NOTHING!! to do with having a reaction or not. The reason celiacs react to wheat is because it contains wheat gluten not because of some stuctural similarity. I also think you should find out exactly how much your doctor knows about celiac disease. This sounds eerily similar to the common belief held by many medical professionals that spelt is a "wheat alternative" and is wheat free meaning that it's safe for celiacs.

if you are reacting to quinoa you may be allergic to it.

If you react to soy protein isolate you're probably allergic to soy.

I know it seems obvious but this idea is so far fetched it flys in the face of any logical thought.

[Rachel--24]

It being structurally similar has NOTHING!! to do with having a reaction or not. The reason celiacs react to wheat is because it contains wheat gluten not because of some stuctural similarity. I also think you should find out exactly how much your doctor knows about celiac disease. This sounds eerily similar to the common belief held by many medical professionals that spelt is a "wheat alternative" and is wheat free meaning that it's safe for celiacs.

Hmmm...I disagree. I think its been proven that some Celiacs react to oats. Even pure oats with no detectable gluten. Oats are naturally free of gluten so any gluten would have to come from contamination. Soooo...if some Celiacs get the same type of damage from oats as they do from gluten. How is that possible? Its obviously not just an allergy if its damaging villi so I think many will agree that sometimes the immune system reacts to food that are structurally similar to gluten. Its called molecular mimicry....there are some on this site that know more about this than I do but I believe this topic is discussed in the book Dangerous Grains.

Ummm no, my doctor does not think it is safe for Celics to eat spelt. I would run the other direction if ANY doctor told me such a thing. As a matter of fact after researching Celiac and Gluten Intolerance extensively the past 6 months I would have to say my doctor is VERY knowledgeable about the disease (he has it himself as do his children). Thanks for the advice but I think I'll keep him considering every other doctor I've seen knew next to nothing about Celiac. Who could know better about this disease than someone who has it themselves?

I think we all know that there hasnt been nearly enough research done on Celiac. Look at the Oats issue alone...noone really can say for sure if they are safe or not (and I'm talking about pure oats) so because a highly respected Doctor from the Celiac Disease Center says that its OK for us to eat oats does that mean it is? Check out the oats thread. Open Original Shared Link

My doctor seems to take the "better safe than sorry" route. He excludes not only the obvious grains (including oats) but also amaranth, quinoa and teff because based on his experience many of his patients are reacting to these grains and the goal is to not be sick...well for me it is anyways. I've also had numerous allergy and intolerance tests but show no reaction to ANY foods or grains.

I'm assuming you've never read the book Dangerous Grains???

[jerseyangel]

Rachel--for what it's worth, I think your Dr. is right on the money. The "mimicry" theory is behind why many people with gluten intolerance react to casein. I know that I react to all grains--some more than others, and some in different ways than others. If anything, I believe it's the other way around--doctors like the one you found are rare in that they actually research and understand the way food and other things like chemicals, etc. affect the body--they continue to be educated and are willing to keep an open mind when it comes to listening and learning. Sadly, many Doctors, no matter how well meaning they may be, are not. My hope is that I am lucky enough to find such a person in my area that I can talk to about my ongoing symptoms.

[Rachel--24]

Jersey,

I hope you find a doctor that can sort everything out for you. Did you ever hear anything back from the clinic? If not I found a link to locate doctors similar to mine...(I think). Don't know if they are all as knowledgeable as he is re: gluten intolerance but its worth a try. They should offer a free consultation (I had one) so you could probably get a good idea if they know what they're doing. Anyways pm me if you're interested.

The casein is another point where its believed the structure of the protein is very similar to gluten so it can and does cause gluten-type reactions in some people.

Some doctors are very behind in the times and dont follow the newest research so yeah...its sad. Thats why I'm glad for this forum.

[michelleL]

I react terribly to quinoa, millet and amaranth. I cannot tolerate any of them. I did a little research to see what exactly is their gluten-free status, and I found a website that does state there is no definitive answer. It's most likely to be gluten-free, but not really completely proven to be. I stay away from them, which can be frustrating because other food companies think they are 100% gluten-free and use them in their products, such as Whole Foods' gluten-free bakery. They bake breads with millet, amaranth and buckwheat, I think, and although I bought the rice/tapioca scones and the plain rice bread, I reacted to them. I think they may have been cross-contaminated in their bakery with the millet and the buckwheat and amaranth. I also cannot seem to tolerate the rice flour from Bob's Mill (I think that's the name - sorry). Even though they claim it's manufactured in a gluten-free environment, or as close to it, they also process millet and amaranth, etc. which I think gets cross-contaminated as well....

I buy Grandma Ferndon's brand of rice flours. I love her stuff. She has celiac and is hyper sensitive and does not manufacture anything with millet, amaranth, quinoa or any of the other questionable stuff. It's kind of expensive, but at least I have a piece of mind knowing it is a safe bet.

[Rachel--24]

I react terribly to quinoa, millet and amaranth. I cannot tolerate any of them. I did a little research to see what exactly is their gluten-free status, and I found a website that does state there is no definitive answer. It's most likely to be gluten-free, but not really completely proven to be.

Thanks for posting Michelle. I was feeling like I was the only one reacting. I know I've reacted to quinoa and millet but not too sure about amaranth. I'm just going to avoid all the grains for now cuz I'm sick of getting sick.

I remember someone else posting about a gluten reaction from quinoa but dont remember who...for the most part it seems like the majority are ok with them.