Quinoa..now feel ill..

[GraceW]

I made quinoa for the first time yesterday. The recipe I used did not inform me that quinoa was a 'dirty grain' and that it needed to be rinsed... so I did not.

Also, the box has a SELL BY DATE of 3 months ago... which I did not see when I used/consumed it (also, online sources say it should be fine.).

Nonetheless, I have had severe nausea and a headache since I ate it. Has anyone had this type of reaction? Is it due to not rinsing it? Or could it be that it was old? Allergy?

[nightnday99]

Yes!!! This happened to me too and nobody else could explain it. It has happened to me twice after eating quinoa. The first time it was dry, in a package and I didn't rinse it because the instructions did not say to rinse. I was violently ill, severe cramping and stomach burning, nausea, and diarrhea. (I rarely have stomach issues so I was shocked). The second time it was a frozen quinoa, kale, sweet potato dish that just needed to be heated with a cup of vegetable broth added (from TJ's). I only got mildly ill this time, but the stomach burning and nausea were there. Coincidentally, I had been researching fermented cod-liver oil and had just read about histamine intolerance. I have had allergic skin reactions to many things in the past year, including coconut oil. I could not figure out what was wrong with me. I looked up quinoa and coconut and many histamine intolerance sufferers cannot tolerate them either and have similar reactions! I know that I can tolerate Gluten, so it isn't Celiac. Reading more about histamine and quinoa is how I stumbled upon this page. Maybe you have the same thing going on?

[GraceW]

Thank you--I read a little so far, and that was really interesting. I also suffer from migraines (the first immense episode started after a special birthday dinner: with red wine, meat (I haven't had meat in years), and dark-chocolate)--so I am going to have to look into histamine intolerance. If you have any suggested sites, let me know.--Thanks!

[slgnunez]

I work with quinoa. Peruvian quinoa is cross contaminate with wheat: there is an average of 1 wheat kernel per lb of quinoa- this will trigger a gluten test of 15-20 PPM. This is still considered gluten free by the USDA standards. But for gluten sensitive people this will not do. Solution: buy Bolivian large-seed quinoa (Ancient Harvest, Eden, Alter Eco, and some others- make sure to check origin and size). Bolivian quinoa grown where no other crop growns- no potatoes beans, and much less any evil grain like wheat (which came from Europe with the Spanish). Next figure out if you are hyper sensitive to saponin. We test saponin content on our quinoa to be under 26 mg/100 g- beyond this the quinoa tastes bitter. Saponin is not necessarily bad: it increases the permeability of the gut- helping you absorb more of the nutrients in your food (some medicine capsules are coated with saponin to increase absorbancy). This said, saponin can taste bitter and can cause upset stomachs. Some are more sensitive than others too. If your quinoa is foaming in the pot it's a good sign of a badly washed quinoa. Again, top brands have better quinoa.

[ninrn]

Very interesting comments, signunez. Thanks.

[Blue3]

My husband used to get bad stomach pains and a headache whenever he ate quinoa. He never had this kind of reaction to any other food. He stopped eating it, obviously. Then, just over a year ago, he cut gluten, processed foods and sugars, as well as dairy (for the most part) out of his diet. After a few months of feeling great and losing weight, he tried quinoa again. Now he can eat it, no problems at all.

[nightnday99]

Interesting!

[chefathome]

I have celiac disease and know of several celiacs who cannot eat quinoa, though it is indeed gluten free. BUT it must be marked gluten free as sometimes it is grown next to wheat. Even so, a few friends react to quinoa the same way they react to gluten - they get incredibly ill. They are unsure precisely why but I do know that many react to other foods, including corn, as they would gluten. It is highly individual. Their bodies see these foods as gluten and react accordingly. I can handle quinoa but I do keep it refrigerated and only purchase certified gluten free quinoa.

[sisterfunkhaus]

Being 3 months out of date generally wouldn't make it unsafe to eat. Most quinoa sold in America does not need to be rinsed. It is pre-rinsed and all of the saponins are gone.I've yet to find any, even in bulk bins, that isn't pre-rinsed.

[Gio]

The thing is, I've read that quinoa should be stored in the fridge...
http://www.ehow.com/how_7692782_store...

[pdxgastro]

Over on Serious Eats, they started a food allergy thread and someone mentioned Quinoa. So maybe you had an allergic reaction?

[mrbigshotno.1]

I've wanted to try quinoa but haven't mainly because of cost, after all the carrying on here I don't think I'll bother.

[Dax]

Cost? It's like $2/lb at Whole Foods in the bulk bins. I've eaten quinoia about 15 times in the last year and have not had any issues except I think it's kind of boring.

[wasny]

Quinoa's boring like rice is boring, or pasta is boring. It all depends on how you cook and eat it. Although the allergy issues make it more interesting in a broader sense....

And, sadly, I haven't seen it for close to two bucks a pound for several years.

[tcamp]

I'd suspect correlation, not causation. That said, I've tried many times to love quinoa and just can't. Taste is not bad, I find that I don't like the look of it. My wierdness.

[paulj]

Are you bothered by those cute little 'worms' that uncoil from each seed? :)

[seamunky]

i can't get over the fact that they look like tiny latex condoms (still rolled up)

[GraceW]

I have no idea. I have problems digesting certain things--this just adds to the list.
So I won't be using the rest.

[kschrei]

I am currently researching potential causes for the awful abdominal pain that has kept me awake and miserable since dinner last night. I had a similar episode a few weeks ago right after dinner- although not as long-lasting, it was the same kind of stomach pain. The pain is not really a flu feeling- more like my stomach is being turned inside out and tied up into knots. At any rate, both times I ate quinoa at dinner. From what I can tell from other websites and forums, quinoa definitely affects some people with abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headaches- even itchy skin and sore throats! While many point to the saponin on the quinoa and suggest rinsing it to prevent symptoms, there were many "victims" who experienced side-effects even after rinsing. I won't be eating quinoa again, which is quite disappointing, but I'm not willing to risk going through this for a third time. Interestingly, it doesn't bother my husband, so he'll be finishing the leftovers. Oh well. Just know that you're not the only one! :)

[GraceW]

Your pain is so strikingly similar! It's odd because I grew up eating coucous every night mostly.. and it seems so similar.. but it definitely is not.

[ninrn]

No, couscous is basically pasta -- so, white flour, water and salt. Quinoa is a whole 'nother critter with a weird chemical make-up.

[littlemrslarge]

I know this is an old post, but the same thing happened to me. Quinoa's now on my list of "intolerant to" foods, along with mushrooms and a few other odds and ends. Bummer too, because it's such a hot ingredient right now - but I simply can't eat it without suffering!

[noodlepoodle]

I just made Bob's Red Mill quinoa last night and the bag said it was already rinsed and ready to cook. Made a salad out of it with dried apricots. I too don't think it was the oldness of the quinoa that bothered you, probably just what you had with it. Some times combinations don't agree with us.

[freia]

I cook alot of quinoa and have never rinsed it. I've never tasted a soapy taste so perhaps that is brand specific.
Quinoa is actually a seed, not a grain! You may be having a reaction if you are also sensitive to other seeds and/or nuts.
I don't believe a 3 month out of date "sell by" date means much at all. Just like rice, if stored properly it will be fine.
Hope you feel better!

[DonShirer]

The box I bought last week said it was pre-rinsed, so I didn't rinse it. No ill effects.

[jjlliiaa]

I get horrible headaches after eating quinoa. It doesn't seem to matter whether I use Bob's Red Mill or other organic brands - they all give me headaches. I can't eat gluten, so I hate to lose another grain. :(

[latindancer]

Quinoa is not a grain....

So you're fine if you can't eat gluten.

[melpy]

Is it a vegetable then? How does one classify it? Aren't rice and corn considered grains and they are gluten free. Are you sure it isn't a grain?

[freia]

I think you'll see below that I mentioned that it is a seed, not a grain. Grains are members of the grass family, and quinoa is a chenopod and is related to beets (of all things)...

[ninrn]

-- Quinoa is a grain in the way most people use that word in regular speech. You certainly couldn't classify it as a vegetable unless you're talking about the leaves. But it's not a true grain in the botanical sense, where grain always means a cereal grain -- the edible fruit of a number of plants in the enormous and diverse grass family.

Those grass plants (like rice, wheat, barley, corn) make many little fruit that are completely fused with their seed, and so does quinoa, so saying one is a fruit (or a grain) and the other a seed isn't quite right. Both can be seen as fruits and seeds of their respective plants (in fact, a nut is a fruit too, -- another case where the seed and fruit are fused so the fruit doesn't open to release a seed). Quinoa (and amaranth) just aren't from grass plants, that's all. And even though there are some differences in nutritional makeup, in general, as a food, quinoa is more like a grain than, say, sugar, which is in the same cereal family of grasses as "real grains".

[freia]

It is considered by many a "pseudo cereal" but strictly speaking, it is a seed, much like sunflower seeds are seeds, not grains, no matter what the colloquial referral term is. There is a botanical difference between a seed, a fruit, and a nut, too. But at the end of the day, quinoa is a seed not a grain.

[ninrn]

Yep, I said quinoa is not botanically speaking a cereal grain. But making the distinction that one is a seed while the other is not isn't quite accurate. While many people refer to quinoa as a seed, it is also the fruit of its plant -- a fused seed/fruit, -- like grains and like nuts. Grains, quinoa and nuts are all, botanically speaking, fruit. They are all fruits in which there is no fleshy part that separates to let the seed part out.

[paulj]

Curiously when I search on 'quinoa' and 'headaches' I get an entry that claims it is beneficial
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?db...
"If you are prone to migraines, try adding quinoa to your diet. Quinoa is a good source of magnesium, a mineral that helps relax blood vessels, preventing the constriction and rebound dilation characteristic of migraines."

This source uses "grain", in quotes, in recognition that while not botanically a grain, culinarily it is.

I do take the health claims on WHFoods with a grain of salt.

[freia]

Sea salt? Or rock salt? LOL
Me too -- WHFood claims often include a heavy dose of marketing.

[ninrn]

Nothing bad can come of not rinsing quinoa unless it's contaminated by something other than its own dust, and quinoa remains viable (i.e. sproutable) for years, so being past the sell-by date shouldn't be a problem for anything except flavor. But quinoa does have a weird chemical makeup and is hard for some people to digest. For years, I used to eat it as my principal grain, but when my health slipped, I found it harder and harder to digest until finally it gave me a stomach and head ache every time I ate it. My doctor suggested that in my compromised state I wasn't producing the same digestive enzymes I used to. Maybe yours is an enzyme/digestion/food sensitivity issue, too.

[mpjmph]

As others have said, the coating that needs to be rinsed has an unmistakable soap flavor. If your dish didn't taste like soap, chances are the quinoa you used was pre-rinsed. If it didn't smell rancid and there wasn't visible mold, I wouldn't worry about the sell by date. Quinoa is a staple food, and the sell by date is not the same as an expiration date. Finally, in my experience stomach illness is rarely related to the food we think it is. You could have a virus, or could have eaten something the meal or day before the quinoa that just happened to catch up with you when you ate the quinoa. I supposed it's possible you are intolerant to quinoa, just as some people with gluten intolerance get headaches and digestive distress. It's also possible that something else in the dish disagreed with you.

I wouldn't write quinoa off based on this one experience - try in again with a different recipe (and making sure it's rinsed). If you get sick again, it isn't proof of a quinoa intolerance, but it would be enough for me to avoid it in the future.

[janniecooks]

What brand of Quinoa was it? Bob's Red Mill Quinoa needs rinsing to remove the saponins, while Ancient Harvest Quinoa comes pre-rinsed. I have used Ancient Harvest many times without rinsing and have had no problems.

I doubt that the "age" of the quinoa was the cause of your ailments; could have been a reaction to the saponins on the quinoa, or something else you ate, or as another poster mentioned, a mere coincidence.

[Dax]

I use the white (brown?) quinoa from Whole Foods bulk bins and I have rinsed and not rinsed and did not get a soapy taste (saponins - new word for me) at all. I guess they are pre-rinsed then? Does anyone know if this is the case or do different WFs carry different varieties of quinoa.

[thatwhileifound]

Different WFs will sell different ones based on regional availability of commodities. For example, I know that the red and white ones available here in BC are triple washed and guaranteed up to something ridiculous like 99.3% purity. The black ones are only single washed and come with no purity statement. Or at least, that's how it was 2 years ago. 4 years ago, the white was only single washed.

[Njchicaa]

Quinoa is coated in a soap-like substance. Not rinsing it away certainly could cause stomach upset but I would have thought that you'd have tasted the saponins and found the flavor to be unpleasant.

[GraceW]

It was mixed in with a sauce and lots of spices--so I did not taste anything odd--but since I have never had quinoa before, unfortunately, I doubt I would know it was 'odd-tasting.'

[mels]

There would be no mistaking the soap taste, even with spices and sauce. It is POTENT (and awful tasting) if the quinoa wasn't rinsed. I doubt the quinoa itself caused the issues. I would look to the other ingredients in your sauce, other things you ate that day (as food poisoning doesn't necessarily hit instantaneously), or chalk it up to mere coincidence.

[nightnday99]

The first Quinoa that made me sick was Bob's Red Mill I think, it was past the expiration date as well, I didn't rinse it... I cooked it with organic chicken broth and flavored with salt and olive oil that I used every day. The second quinoa, was already prepared and frozen and tasted great from Trader Joe's and I cooked with organic vegetable broth and I felt sick again.

[Passadumkeg]

Coincidence. We ate quinoa, fo years, in many poor conditions living in Bolivia. Never got sick.