Quinoa the Amazing Gluten-Free Grain

Please specify the brands of quinoa that are safe. Some have high amounts of gluten.

Yes, couscous is not wheat or gluten free.

Just bought a box of Lundberg Organic Gluten-free brown rice couscous. Haven't tried it yet, but am looking forward to finding recipes for it.

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.

What medical qualifications do you have exactly? You used the internet to self-diagnose? Scary.

Quinoa is a seed not a grain

I've just been diagnosed with a corn intolerance and I'm also celiac. As I write this I'm in a restaurant staring at the menu. There is not one thing I can have. It's either gluten-free or corn. I cannot seem to avoid all.

Try making quinoa and rice. North American farmers have been unable to match the quality of the quinoa grown in the Andean countries although more and more of them are cultivating it these days. Quinoa can be found in many large grocery stores.

What ever causes you some discomfort, I would eliminate it from your diet regardless of its gluten free classification. Eating it is not worth your discomfort. If it does this one time, it's one time too many. Get rid of it.