# Quinoa causing stomach upset?



## sea island mama (Dec 17, 2001)

I just bought some quinoa for the first time the other day as I have been told I'm sensitive to rice and I'm also trying to find other foods the kids will eat because they don't like rice much.

So, Monday night, right after I finished eating & really enjoying the quinoa, I started feeling really awful in my stomach. I wondered if it was something I ate, but it was so fast & I was thinking the kids had eaten everything I had (but they hadn't eaten the quinoa - tried a taste & didn't like it).

I just felt really bad for a while, then it faded a bit & started coming & going like cramps, so I wondered if it was a bladder infection or the flu that's been going around. A couple of hours later I got the runs for a while, went to bed & felt ok when I woke up. Still a bit of the feeling lingering & I wasn't hungry, but otherwise not bad.

So today I thought I'd give it another try. made a yummy stir-fry, everyone else had rice & I heated up some leftover quinoa. What do you know? It happened again! Not quite as bad this time, but I still feel pretty gross & getting the runs again.

I just realized that this is similar to the feeling I get when I eat avocado, only with that I don't get the runs. Has anyone ever heard of this? I would have thought a grain would be pretty innocuous.

I don't think I'll be eating it any more!!


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## Juniper (Apr 20, 2004)

Did you rinse it REALLY well before you cooked it? It's got some natural repellant stuff (such a technical term-he he) on it that you must wash off or it can cause indigestion. It really is more nutritious than rice. Hope you are feeling better.

HTH!

Jennifer


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## sea island mama (Dec 17, 2001)

Yes, I did a search on how to cook it & "Aunt Nettie" said to rinse the livin' daylights out of it or it would be bitter. Didn't say anything about indigestion, but I did rinse it pretty well before I cooked it.


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## Plummeting (Dec 2, 2004)

My DD is sensitive to quinoa. I have no idea how, as I never ate it while pregnant and rarely ate it afterwards, but she definitely is. It gives her reflux and diarrhea.


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## hu*singing*mom (Aug 3, 2004)

Before my son was born (ds is already 7!) I loved quinoa; we would make a little pilaf kind of dish with onion and garlic. It was fine. After he was born I suddenly became very sensitive to it; I noticed like you that every time I ate it I would get intense stomache cramping... (wierd huh). I still can't eat it.


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## BowenTherapist (Apr 25, 2002)

acording to nurishing tradions it is one of the grains that is really important to soak first because some bad stuff in it. soaking means soaking in an acidic (usually whey or yogurt added to the soaking water) water solution for about 7 hrs then cooking


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## Ruthla (Jun 2, 2004)

If you're sensitive to rice, it's understandable that you could be sensitive to other grains as well.


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## sea island mama (Dec 17, 2001)

Thanks for your responses - it's good to know I'm not alone & a complete freak







! I don't think I'll take a chance & try it again (even after soaking) for a very long time!

The muscle response testing I had done suggested I have sensitivities to wheat, rice, oats & buckwheat for the grains. None of those upset my stomach & quinoa didn't show up as a problem







. They didn't test for avocado, so I don't know about that.

Anyway, thanks again








!


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## snailmama (Apr 13, 2002)

can i ask what brand it was?
I found several pieces of glass in a bag 2 weeks ago...
my guests had glass in their quinoa!
they probably thought i was trying to kill them......


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## Annabel (Jul 15, 2003)

I had glass in my last lot of quinoa too.
Isn't quinoa a seed not a grain?


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## sea island mama (Dec 17, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *snailmama*
can i ask what brand it was?
I found several pieces of glass in a bag 2 weeks ago...
my guests had glass in their quinoa!
they probably thought i was trying to kill them......

OMG, that's scary







! Did you see it or bite into it??

The stuff I got was organic bulk from the grocery store, so I don't know what brand it was.


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## cjr (Dec 2, 2003)

It is a seed and it should be soaked overnight. Kind of like beans. If you soak and cook beans then you don't get the gastric distress caused by unsoaking or improperly cooking them. Weird though. Glass! That's really not good. Did you contact the company?


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