A few years ago I discovered quinoa at a potluck party. The dish was made with tomatoes, basil, garlic and roasted eggplant. I loved it and began replicating it at home. It became one of my staple foods.Here it is a few years later and my kids won't eat it and I don't bother making it for myself. Until today.
What I really craved was a bowl of hot polenta with nuts, raisins, butter and maple syrup (a'la Guerilla Cafe) But I didn't have any polenta and it was pouring rain so there was no way I was going out. I DID have rice, bulgur and quinoa. I decided on the quinoa and cooked it up according to package direction, using apple juice instead of water and, at the end, mixing in walnuts, raisins, blueberries and butter. The chewy texture of the quinoa didn't satisfy the need for smooth hot porridge, but it tasted delicious and I ate a bowl.
Fast forward 2 hours and you see me in fetal position on the sofa. Moaning because my stomach felt like it was twisting itself in knots in an attempt to exit out my navel. The pain was excruciating. I won't go into the details of the illness, but it wasn't pretty. And it lasted all afternoon.
At some point I felt well enough to get online and google my symptoms. Suspecting the quinoa, I added that to search. Sure enough, I landed on a blog post called "Just Say No To .... Quinoa." Although the writer had different motives for consuming quinoa than I, she had the exact same experience - calling it a "quinoa hangover" and blaming it on saponin - the natural oily residual on the grain that needs to be WASHED OFF because it is bitter tasting and used to make DETERGENT.
I didn't wash my quinoa. My stomach hurt bad enough that I will not chance eating the grain again. EVER. Washed or not. There is no guarantee I can wash it well enough - each and every tiny grain. I don't want to take the chance. It's sad, cause I liked quinoa and it's very good for you (saponin not included). But, I stress again, for me, it's not worth the risk. Ouch.
Can't wait to get my hands on some polenta.
I had the same experience this week with a 13 bean soup I made. Apparently I should have soaked the beans overnight. Will never make it again!
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I just got stomach cramps and diarrhea from a nice innocent-looking quinoa vegetable soup. Very Disappointed!
ReplyDeleteI bought it pre washed and I still had a reaction to it
ReplyDeleteI know - I got prewashed too and it still hurt. I've just stopped eating it which is sad cause I loved it and it's really healthy.
DeleteI have exactly the same problem, no matter how well I wash quinoa. I stopped eating it last year, but on a trip to Sedona last month, I unknowingly ate a quinoa wrap served to me at a restaurant. The pain began about 30 minutes after eating. It didn't stop until hours afterward, even after I threw up. I think it's more of a genetic problem than a chemical one. I've had my genome mapped at 23andme.com, and I have an elevated risk for Celiac disease. I wonder if my reaction to quinoa is linked to that risk. My partner, who is not at risk for Celiac and is Native American, has never experienced this reaction to quinoa.
ReplyDeleteI have tried quinoa about 6 times and every time I have had terrible stomach ache and end up in a fetal position like the person above. I have always rinsed it but decided to try it once more today, but after washing, rubbing, rinsing and rinsing again just in case I hadn't been rinsing it enough. The pain today was even worse, so I'll never eat it again. Is it the oxalates or a Celiac problem? I've no idea, but boy is it painful!
ReplyDeleteYanika
Yup - I just completely avoid it and if it shows up on my plate (as it did at a restaurant last week) I say I'm very allergic and have them take it away. The Pain is excruciating.
DeleteI have a strange experience with Quinoa.
ReplyDeleteFirst time i tried Red Quinoa from Whole Foods market bulk section. Within a day, I had a severe eye infection which is the first time i ever experienced an eye infection. Never had an eye infection before trying Red Quinoa. I had this eye infection for at least a month, my eye doctor prescribed several antibiotic eye drops.
Every one claimed it was a healthy food, so I tried organic white Quinoa from costco. Rinsed it very well, A day or two later, again had an eye infection. Redness and swelling in one of the eyes.
Again several months later, at a friend's place, they had a wonderful quinoa (different brand). Within a day, both my eyes were infected.
Each time, the infection lasted at least couple of weeks.
Went away only after taking antibiotic eye drops for 4 times a day and several probiotic pills per day.
But i didn't have any stomach issues.
I am not going to touch this quinoa ever again.
Good to find out others have some intolerance to this grain.
EXACT SAME PROBLEM! Took two episodes for me to figure out it was the quinoa but I will never eat it again. I have a few pro-quinoa-bullies in my life however who refuse to believe that this is possible and want to feed it to me again (I will hurt anyone who sneaks this evil food onto my plate). Glad to see I am not alone.
DeleteYep, stomach cramps, fetal position, etc.. this is the second time it's happened, unfortunate as I liked it and it's good for you (or not)..
ReplyDeleteOmg I had it happen tonight!! I think it's the second time I just never put 2 and 2 together!! It hurts so bad! Anyone have a "natural remedy to ease the pain" or is time the only savior?? I will be giving this bag away and NEVER eating it again
ReplyDeleteUgh! So sorry. Only remedy I know is to let it pass. Hang in there. I'm still sad I can't eat it.
DeleteThanks for sharing this. I've been having the same experience, and I just ate some for breakfast today because I didn't make the connection, and I now have a headache, stomach ache, and I'm hoping it doesn't go down the same road as the other night. The other night I chalked it up to bananas because those cause me to have stomachaches from time to time.
ReplyDeleteShoot - Quinoa for breakfast.... I wonder if eating it with an empty stomach is better or worse digesting it. In any case, I really hope you don't get any sicker today!
DeleteI think it's worse. I just did it again (after washing the living shit out of pre-packaged, pre-washed stuff) and I still got reaction. fetal position tonight. yayyyy.
Deleteyup - I won't have it AT ALL anymore. I now consider it an allergy and say so when I'm out or going to someone's house. "Anything you can't eat?" "yes, I'm allergic to Quinoa. Thanks for asking."
DeleteHope you feel better really really soon.
Well,
ReplyDeleteI didn't wash the Quinoa - the instructions told me to simply add 1 part quinoa with 2 parts water, boil, simmer, season and enjoy - that's exactly what I did. It did taste bitter at first but I ate it. Next thing I know I'm watching Downfall - and I feel sick. At first I thought it was Dr. Goebbels and his wife (they were pretty sickening), but then I realised my mouth was filmy. I thought maybe acid reflux so I took some calcium and then an antiacid. That's about when I started... doing what early pregnant women do in the morning.
I re-read the package and the instructions to wash the quinoa were off to the left - under the barcode. That's not exactly the place I'd look for cooking instructions when most of the cooking instructions were right above the nutritional information. I'm going to write the packaging people about this.
I don't have any other pain besides the post heaving pain. I've tossed 3 times, the third mostly dry. Everything else feels fine though - no stomach pains, etc.
Still - tossing isn't fun - how long will it last?
ugh! so sorry! It shouldn't last more than 8 hours... maybe less since you're tossing it up. I had this problem even after washing quinoa so please be aware. I hope you feel better very very soon!
DeleteYes I bought keniwa grain at Whole Foods in the bulk section and thought I'd try it since I've had trouble with quinoa before and don't eat it. I just had some for lunch mixed with brown rice. Yikes! Same reaction - my stomach is killing me! Turns out they are related. I give up on any peruvian grain no matter how healthy. Yuck!
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of Keniwa - but I won't try it! Thanks for the tip.
DeleteI too had had quinoa a few times, loved it, made it myself a few times and then came that one day (night). My temperature sky-rocketed, it came out of both ends, and it was the first and only time in my life, I seriously thought i was going to die. a few months later, i tried just a little bit and again got ill. my boss told me that if you saw how they process it, you would see how dirty it really is. maybe it is the detergent, bacteria or protein, but whatever, never again. :-(
ReplyDeleteI'd been eating quinoa for years, sometimes soaked sometimes pre-washed. I love the stuff. A few weeks ago I made a coconut quinoa curry. I was delicious! Well, about 30 mins later abdominal pain like you couldn't believe and it all came out the bottom end over the next few hours. Only after it was all out of me did I feel like I could sleep. What a nightmare! I had no idea what caused it. I thought it was the curry spices since it was the first time I had curry. So, a few days ago I made my favorite 1/2 quinoa 1/2 steel cut oats porridge for breakfast. Lo and behold a little bit after I ate it I was doubled over in the bathroom. Same symptoms except worse pain and I was shaking from the pain. I spent the next 4 hrs in the bathroom. Now I know it's the quinoa. I'm so sad. I LOVE the taste and texture. I thought I was weird for maybe being allergic to it, so I cam to the internet. I'm shocked to find so many people having the same reaction as myself. This really should be brought to light because I seriously thought I was going to die. I was so scared, my heart was fluttering, I was too sick to leave the bathroom. My husband was concerned. Never again will I buy quinoa, eat it or feed it to my family.
ReplyDeleteYup - I enjoyed quinoa for years with no problem. Since the one incident I can't eat it at all without a major stomach ache (I tried ONCE). I miss it too. Really loved the texture and making it both savory and sweet. I'm sorry you had such a bad experience. I have to say - this is the most read and commented post in my blog so I'm really surprised there aren't more studies done on it. Let me know if you find a good grain substitute - I've tried millet, oats, and wheat bulger but nothing tastes quite the same.
DeleteYes - I have experienced the same when I've forgotten to wash quinoa, I did it by mistake twice. Once out of laziness and once because I mistook it for some other grain in an unmarked bottle in my pantry. The only remedy that works for me is a tea make from Cumin seeds and Ajwain Seeds. Ajwain seeds are found at an Indian grocery store or Penzey's spices. Let the seeds boil in water for a few minutes until the liquid is quite dark and then drink it. Some ginger in the tea may help too. Honey will make the taste sweeter. Hope it helps!
ReplyDeleteSecond time I tried Quinoa was last night and I had a big plate full and am still having problems hours later. I was told it was safe to eat if you were gluten intolerant, but apparently it's not. I also have chronic ulcers and had so much heartburn with the pain I had to go take some meds I've been off of almost 4 months.
ReplyDeleteI tried quinoa a few years ago after going gluten free. I had a large bowl of it for breakfast, and within thirty minutes of finishing it I felt a little dizzy and had a headache. Soon after that I was experiencing bad stomach cramps and had blood in my bm(sorry to be graphic, but I want to warn people). I'll never eat quinoa again.
ReplyDeleteI have had the grains cooked and was fine. Twice I used the flour and each time had a really severe dose of vomiting and runny stomach. Both times it took more than a day to recover
ReplyDeleteYears ago I tried quinoa and didn't like the taste. Recently had a sample at the local and it was delicious. For some reason, I didn't buy any that day. Later I bought some in bulk at a different local. Made a bunch,husband out of town.Froze some.Horrible pain all three servings.At least I have that figured out now, no more quinoa!
ReplyDeleteI had a very strange reaction to quinoa and I won't go near it now. A couple years ago I tried quinoa twice (when it just started gaining popularity, and there wasn't much negative information about it online). The first time, after I finished eating I had what I thought was a bad panic attack (I was really stressed at the time, so I attributed it to that). I felt like I was going to faint, felt really cold, suddenly very tired, and just all over out of control. It lasted about an hour. The second time I tried quinoa was one afternoon as a quick snack while I was preparing to host a party for a football bowl game at my house. A few hours later, while my friends were at my house, I noticed that my hands were GREEN. I showed a few people, who agreed with me that they looked weird. Within a couple more hours they turned even greener and I again started feeling faint and panicky. Ended up leaving my own party early to spend the evening of January 1st in the ER (nothing like meeting your deductible on the first day of the year!)/ The only conclusion the hospital could come up with was that I had an allergic reaction to the quinoa. It was the only thing different I had eaten that day. I have severe environmental allergies that can cross-react with foods, and apparently quinoa is one type of food I have to stay away from.
ReplyDeleteI have been having digestive problems for about 6 weeks and have not been able to figure out what went wrong with my "healthy" diet. Last night I ate quinoa for the first time in that six weeks and am experiencing severe cramping and bloating in my gut. It has been persisting for about 3 hours now with no relief. Now I recall that just before the onset of my digestive problems I had been eating quinoa for breakfast. No more quinoa for me! Thank you all for sharing your information .
ReplyDeleteI am so surprised to read all these comments about reactions to this "superfood" =( seems it is a lot more common than expected too.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering if anyone can suggest any remedies (home or pharmaceutical) to ease the painful stomach cramps? My partner was vomiting/dry heaving every 15-20 minutes for several hrs after consuming a big bowl of quinoa and veges.It has been 24 hours after the vomiting episodes have ceased but he is still having intense stomach cramps. Any suggestions would be helpful and much appreciated!
Your best bet would be to either
DeleteA) Take a lacative
b) Take something to make you throw up
c) Take something to flush your system, there are several products like this that can be bought over the counter, there are a few teas and plants that do this depending on where you live.
Why because the faster it gets out your system the quicker you feel better.
I have had all the same problems as mentioned by most people here. I also have the same problem with Spinach!
ReplyDeleteBoth contain OXALIC ACID, quinoa less so
I've narrowed it down to this although not totally certain.
Love both so may try digestive enzymes... But Leary of the risk!!!
Send me good wishes:-)
I have had stomachaches from eating quinoa - I always had a feeling it was the saponins but even though I always washed it I still get the stomach pain. This last time I tried it and had the same issue, but I also happened to have some kombucha tea on hand, and this helped me immediately. I really appreciate everyone sharing their experience; it has helped me accept that perhaps I just can't eat quinoa. At least we live in a time with many choices available. Good health, all!
ReplyDeleteFucking Quinoa. I ate it and it said it was supposedly pre-washed but that ir recommends that you wash it anyways so I did. Then I let it sit in water for about 30 minutes and drained it. Then I added extra water when cooking so in the event that I didn't wash it well enough any excess toxins or pesticidies (this was before I even knew it could be mildly toxic) would come off because having 2 farmer parents I know you should soak all these types of food for that amount of time to get the chemicals off in warm water.
ReplyDeleteI ate a small amount like a teaspoon size and started to feel dizzy but I never thoughit was the quinoa, just attributed to a bad day. Next morning, wake up feel fine, say now it is time to try some quinoa and guess what try about a teaspoon amount while I getting ready to heat it up and instantly with in 5 minutes feel dizzy, an hour later feel nauseated, and like I am not even in my own body, a little bit of an inchy throat about an hour later and my breathing starts to feellike I amminutes away from a panic attack. Strangely no stomach pain, but the previous day of eating quinoa lots of chest pain and pain in the lower left abdomen. I will never eat Quinoa again, this is pure evil.
I have a Peruvian friend and I've never seen him eat Quinoa when he brings lunch (if it was so good I am sure I would see him eat it over several years) this is probably some trick that Peruvians are pulling on us and laughing at us dumb Westerners paying $9 a pound for shit that is making us vomit, have allergic reactions, unable to breath and feeling like passing out.
Either that or the only logical explanation is that Quinoa is like milk where if your ancestorsnever ate it then you will have high propensity to have an adverse reaction.
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