Quinoa Flakes My Body Did Not Like Them!

[homemaker]

Made a meatloaf last night and added quinoa flakes and for the first time since going gluten-free I felt like

I had been glutened. I had heard in a Celiac Lecture that although

quinoa doe not have gluten, it is similar in molecular structure to wheat, and sometimes

your body will react like it has eaten wheat....

Have any of you had troubles with quinoa?

It is funny, I had it in pasta and I felt fine, but the flakes sent my lower end into a tailspin

[missy'smom]

I was definitely glutened by the Ancient Harvest quinoa flakes. When I contacted the manufacturer, they told me that if I wanted 0 chance of cross-contamination, I should stick with the whole grain quinoa because it is processed in a different facility, one that doesn't handle wheat, unlike the facility that the flakes are processed in, which does also process things with wheat. I'm very sensitive so shared lines, even if they are cleaned and the product tested and labled gluten-free, is not enough for me, my immune system can still detect under 5 parts per million..

[homemaker]

  missy said:

I was definitely glutened by the Ancient Harvest quinoa flakes. When I contacted the manufacturer, they told me that if I wanted 0 chance of cross-contamination, I should stick with the whole grain quinoa because it is processed in a different facility, one that doesn't handle wheat, unlike the facility that the flakes are processed in, which does also process things with wheat. I'm very sensitive so shared lines, even if they are cleaned and the product tested and labled gluten-free, is not enough for me, my immune system can still detect under 5 parts per million..

WOW That is what I put in the meatloaf! Ancient Harvest Quinoa Flakes! The effect was immediate! I had an immediate sense of fullness, bloating, nausea, indigestion...I felt sick all night!

I WAS GLUTENED......

Wow I am new at gluten free...and boy was that a wake up call!

[Gemini]

  homemaker said:

WOW That is what I put in the meatloaf! Ancient Harvest Quinoa Flakes! The effect was immediate! I had an immediate sense of fullness, bloating, nausea, indigestion...I felt sick all night!

I WAS GLUTENED......

Wow I am new at gluten free...and boy was that a wake up call!

I eat those quinoa flakes and use them in cooking and have had zero problems. I am as ultra sensitive as a Celiac can be and would have gotten sick if they contained any gluten or were CC'd. They are very high in fiber and many people have a problem with the fiber content if you are not used to eating much of that. It may not be a reaction from gluten at all. Sensitivity to fiber content will cause the same reaction as gluten.

[missy'smom]

  Gemini said:

I eat those quinoa flakes and use them in cooking and have had zero problems. I am as ultra sensitive as a Celiac can be and would have gotten sick if they contained any gluten or were CC'd. They are very high in fiber and many people have a problem with the fiber content if you are not used to eating much of that. It may not be a reaction from gluten at all. Sensitivity to fiber content will cause the same reaction as gluten.

I got neuro symptoms as well as GI symptoms. Clearly not from the fiber. I am familiar with that kind of problem and never assume that something has gluten because of GI symptoms only. There are many things that can cause that. A People may sometimes misinterpret their reactions. Also 2 sensitive individuals can still react differently or not react because we are individuals. That's why I contacted the company to get more information and that confirmed it for me. I know that many here eat them without problem. I can't. I know that it was that and nothing else. I had no problems with the Ancient Harvest whole grain quinoa. As the company stated, they are processed in a different facility. I have eaten things seemingly with no problem that others here have reported reactions to. However the longer I am gluten-free and the more natural my diet becomes, the more I notice problems with products that I didn't before. In the end, we all have to make our own decisions, based on how our bodies respond and the information we gather.

[Gemini]

  missy said:

I got neuro symptoms as well as GI symptoms. Clearly not from the fiber. I am familiar with that kind of problem and never assume that something has gluten because of GI symptoms only. There are many things that can cause that. A People may sometimes misinterpret their reactions. Also 2 sensitive individuals can still react differently or not react because we are individuals. That's why I contacted the company to get more information and that confirmed it for me. I know that many here eat them without problem. I can't. I know that it was that and nothing else. I had no problems with the Ancient Harvest whole grain quinoa. As the company stated, they are processed in a different facility. I have eaten things seemingly with no problem that others here have reported reactions to. However the longer I am gluten-free and the more natural my diet becomes, the more I notice problems with products that I didn't before. In the end, we all have to make our own decisions, based on how our bodies respond and the information we gather.

I was not attacking you personally...in fact, my response was not directed to you at all but the original poster. As a super sensitive Celiac, I wanted to point out that reactions are not all gluten based. Seeing as everyone likes to post to what degree their sensitivity is in relation to reactions, I posted mine. What you got from the company was their standard pat answer that every Celiac gets nowadays.....no food can be guaranteed to be 100% gluten-free if processed in any kind of facility. You probably have a better shot at it in a totally gluten-free facility but that doesn't mean shared lines are a source of CC or gluten. I use their flakes often enough that if there were a problem, I would be very sick again.

I, too, have had reactions after being gluten-free for awhile that I never had before. This can also be for a number of reasons, not gluten related. Mine were not gluten related but gave me the same type of reaction. So, I hate to see an available gluten-free product which is a great source of fiber, being talked about as potentially unsafe when it may not be a gluten problem at all. If I have a reaction to a particular product that is gluten-free, I give it a second chance and if that happens again, I don't eat it. However, I do not post that the problem is gluten related because it may not be. Sometimes you'll never know. Celiacs have sensitive GI tracts and

that is true of all Celiac/GS people so reacting to more than just gluten is a way of life.

[Dada2hapas]

It could be a difference between batches, where CC may have happened in one batch, but not another.

Nice to know the flakes are processed in a mixed facility. I think I'll use a hammer to flatten my whole grain quinoa before using the flakes, thanks!