Does Anyone Have Bad Reactions To Quinoa?

[psawyer]

You don't need to soak it for hours. There is a naturally occurring coating of saponin, which needs to be rinsed off. Some quinoa you can buy is already free of the saponin and can be used out of the package. Bob's Red Mill is one of those. If you leave the saponin on, the stuff will have a bitter taste, and may cause a reaction. Saponin is a natural protection against insects and herbivores.

[mushroom]

Saponin is a natural protection against insects and herbivores.

Saponin must be the lectin content in quinoa which does me in. I don't think you can soak it off???? Well, maybe a little bit, like kidney beans, but it doesn't all come off for those who are extremely sensitive to it.

[gfquestion]

I am on a gluten-free diet for almost 5 months and still have problems with many foods, including grains in general. I have pain and bloating when I eat a bowl of grain which may feel almost as a reaction for gluten. I discovered I can eat only a small amount of grain (the safe ones of course) because of the high content of fiber. I decided to wait until my gut heals before. I just eat safe veggies and proteins (no spices etc) and I feel much better now.

Maybe you should wait with grains until your gut heals?

I get the same thing with grains, including corn. I just yesterday realized that my problem is with all starches though, including beans and rice. Is this the same for you? I am thinking I will need to limit my carb consumption to only monosaccharides--- the kind we can easily digest.

[rdunbar]

I phased quinoa out completely 3 months ago, and my guts felt better immediatly. I don't think it was causing symtoms other than hurting my tummy.I found out that is a gut irritant and can damage the villi of your intestine, although it does this in a very different manner than gluten which is autoimmune, not ideal when you are trying to heal up your gut.

It could be that you are also reacting to gluten cross contamination present in the corn in the pasta too. Corn on the cob fresh may be fine, but processed corn almost always is contaminated with gluten; they use the same machinery to harvest it , and it's intermingled in industrial storage and shipping, ect...

[psawyer]

Corn on the cob fresh may be fine, but processed corn almost always is contaminated with gluten; they use the same machinery to harvest it , and it's intermingled in industrial storage and shipping, ect...

Can you provide a source for this allegation, please. Oats and wheat are similar, and often have overlap, but corn? I've been on the gluten-free diet for more than ten years, and this is a new one to me.

[Marz]

It appears that Quinoa doesn't agree with me either I've always rinsed it well - scrubbed the seeds between my fingers and rinsed until clear, as well as rinsing after cooking. It was pure quinoa so no cc with wheat, and there were definitely no wheat-like particles amongst the quinoa seeds.

Was fine the first week of eating it, had a break of a week or two from eating it, and now every time I eat it I get severe runs the next day. It's almost identical to my chicken/egg intolerance, except much more severe. I can't see anything else I can blame it on, so unfortunately looks like I need to find a different cereal for breakfast... again...

The reaction was different to a glutening, so I don't think the reaction has anything to do with celiac, it's just an intolerance of some sort, maybe trace amounts of that saponin substance my body is reacting to. Oh well...

[Marilyn R]

I had a horrific reaction to quinoa purchased in bulk from a health food store a month after going gluten-free. I rinsed it well and steamed it in a rice steamer. Had it for dinner and made a salad with the leftovers for lunch the next day. I loved it but my body HATED it and beat me up severely for a week. (CC could have been a factor, but not with that severe of a reaction.) It will take a long, long time before I'm ready to try it again if it is an ingredient in something, and I'll probably never try it in it's whole form again. I've been fine with sesasme seed anything, so I don't think seed is the problem. And coconut has been fine, which is in the grass family. (Ok with lemongrass too.) I think it's a plant protein issue, but don't have anything to scientifically substantiate it, just wondering out loud, so to speak.

[mushroom]

I had a horrific reaction to quinoa purchased in bulk from a health food store a month after going gluten-free. I rinsed it well and steamed it in a rice steamer. Had it for dinner and made a salad with the leftovers for lunch the next day. I loved it but my body HATED it and beat me up severely for a week. (CC could have been a factor, but not with that severe of a reaction.) It will take a long, long time before I'm ready to try it again if it is an ingredient in something, and I'll probably never try it in it's whole form again. I've been fine with sesasme seed anything, so I don't think seed is the problem. And coconut has been fine, which is in the grass family. (Ok with lemongrass too.) I think it's a plant protein issue, but don't have anything to scientifically substantiate it, just wondering out loud, so to speak.

Quinoa is high in lectins, a plant protein (gliadin is a lectin).

[WheatChef]

Quinoa was one of the grains tested in that study that showed millet was frequently unsafe. None of the quinoa forms registered any gliadin. It's totally possible to have reactions to many other compounds besides gluten but quinoa does not have gluten. This is not to say that your particular source (especially anything out of a bulk bin!) is safe from cross contamination, it just means that quinoa by itself does not contain gliadin. It is so very far away from wheat on the taxonomical charts it might as well be an animal.

[mushroom]

Quinoa and millet both have a high lectin content (non gliadin) and can cause problems for folks sensitive to lectins.

[jester]

I haven't had my tests done yet, and this is probably going to sound ridiculous, but at this point I really hope I have celiac. The more I read (especially here) the more I see myself. Everything I read I'm jumping in my chair going YES! YES! That's me! Sad, isn't it?

I was looking up quinoa because I had it for the first time last night - felt crummy but I'd felt crummy all day. Then today I had a big bowl of leftover quinoa for lunch and within half an hour I had to lie down. I felt so horrible, weak, unfocused, like I had a bowling ball in my stomach and was going to vomit. I had to just lie in bed for an hour before I felt okay to get back up.

I've never had such an obvious reaction to anything before, and I'm hoping maybe it wasn't actually FROM the quinoa because I really, REALLY liked it, but it looks that way, doesn't it?

[Marilyn R]

Quinoa was one of the grains tested in that study that showed millet was frequently unsafe. None of the quinoa forms registered any gliadin. It's totally possible to have reactions to many other compounds besides gluten but quinoa does not have gluten. This is not to say that your particular source (especially anything out of a bulk bin!) is safe from cross contamination, it just means that quinoa by itself does not contain gliadin. It is so very far away from wheat on the taxonomical charts it might as well be an animal.

Wheatcheaf, I appreciate your input, but know that my reaction from quinoa was not CC. The reaction was severe. I think the protein is a problem, and appreciate the positive responses from others.

[Marilyn R]

Oops, meant to add this. Good luck Jester! If indeed your problem is with gluten, life will be so much better once you know what ails you...YAY! Life will be a little more complicated, but still SO much better.

[eatingganesh]

Thank you Mari and RunnerMom for your replies. Yes, this reaction was worse than any glutening I have had. RunnerMom I will not be quick to try Amaranth, if that is the case. I have not tried chia flour yet, but I will remember it for later. I think I'm going to stick to mostly steamed veggies and safe meats for now. I guess I need to let my stomach heal more.

And thank you for posting the thread. I love quinoa and ate a whole bunch last night, didn't get any cramps or pain, but was alarmed to awake with diarrhea and see the quinoa floating about undigested.

I have always had pretty severe grass allergies, though... so I guess I'm not surprised, but darn - one more thing to avoid.

[astrologer50]

I tried chia seeds, just a teaspoon and washed it down with juiced carrots and got pain in my stomach which lasted for ages. I know they are a superfood and love to use. How do you desensitise your body. Has anyone else had a reaction to white chia seeds??

I have had CRAZY bad reactions to quinoa! Worse than gluten: I get immediate stabbing pain in my stomache, sweaty with chills, 'D', etc. It's weird because I could eat it at first then all of a sudden, one day I had a violent reaction to it. I bought amaranth as a replacement and the same thing happened! After that I read online that both are in a similar class of grasses (I think -someone correct me if I am wrong b/c I looked a couple years ago). Anyway, I stay away from both now, which is a bummer b/c they are a nutritious alternative to wheat and lower glycemic index than rice flours. Now I have found Chia flour and Chia seeds and I use this instead. It's super healthy, higher in Omega 3s than flax seed, more digestable, high in fiber...all the stuff WE need. Check it out.

[kwylee]

As my system has become much more discerning over the past 2+ years of strict adherence to this way of eating, I have found that I cannot tolerate quinoa, among other non gluten/non dairy/non soy foods I used to eat with no problem before. I've come to realize it's just the way I am now. C'est la vie!

[1desperateladysaved]

I haven't had my tests done yet, and this is probably going to sound ridiculous, but at this point I really hope I have celiac. The more I read (especially here) the more I see myself. Everything I read I'm jumping in my chair going YES! YES! That's me! Sad, isn't it?

I was looking up quinoa because I had it for the first time last night - felt crummy but I'd felt crummy all day. Then today I had a big bowl of leftover quinoa for lunch and within half an hour I had to lie down. I felt so horrible, weak, unfocused, like I had a bowling ball in my stomach and was going to vomit. I had to just lie in bed for an hour before I felt okay to get back up.

I've never had such an obvious reaction to anything before, and I'm hoping maybe it wasn't actually FROM the quinoa because I really, REALLY liked it, but it looks that way, doesn't it?

You are not happy to have a gluten problem, but to know at last about the problem you do have! It can be helped and it is real!

[shadowicewolf]

I don't eat straight quinoa. I normally eat it in my pasta that is mixed with corn. I normally have that once a week or so and sometimes if i eat to much i get that feeling but its probably because i over ate.

[Celiac Mindwarp]

I tried quinoa twice, and I might just as well have tipped it straight down the toilet, given how quickly it went through me. Shame, I loved the taste and texture.

Corn does sound the other possible culprit (or both, you gotta love celiac). I am just starting to admit I am going to have to eliminate it.

Happy healing x

[Pegleg84]

FYI: I started another thread (linked to this one) on this topic here:

Some new relevant info coming out there, I hope.

Something to do with lectin (which is also in milk, grains, nightshades, etc)

Would be good to have a comprehensive thread/guide to the quinoa challenged.

[Starving Amy]

Late to the party but quinoa messes me up. Gluten is still up for debate, though I am pretty sure. Quinoa shuts my intestines down causing joint pains and back pains, though. I want to shrink down in size and beat quinoa's butt. I was reading the outer "husk" or whatever, the outer covering will perforate intentional walls the same way gluten does. I have no idea why it's as popular as it is. My reaction to quinoa is almost worse than gluten.