Buckwheat, quinoa and nausea? Advice please!

svts123
svts123 Posts: 23 Member
edited December 2015 in Food and Nutrition
Last time I had quinoa, I didn't know about rinsing it, and the next day I felt generally nauseous and off my food, and also pretty bloated. Last night I had some buckwheat tortellini pasta which was delicious, but today I feel the same!

I live in France and while my French is proficient, I'm not especially knowledgeable when it comes to reading ingredients, so I didn't read the packaging at the time and now I've thrown it out. Is there a common ingredient in quinoa/buckwheat? Has anyone else had a similar reaction to these foods?

Any help, anecdotal or otherwise, is much appreciated!

Replies

  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    Quinoa and buckwheat are not grains or grasses and they do not have a common ingredient as quinoa is related to beets and spinach while buckwheat is related to rhubarb.
    Because you ate both, it is hard to know which one bothers you . If you eat them again, eat only one and see how you feel afterwards.
  • socioseguro
    socioseguro Posts: 1,679 Member
    I eat quinoa 3 times a week, without any negative impact
    In the USA, the quinoa has been cleaned and rinsed already before packaging.
    In other countries, it has to be cleaned from other "extraneous" material that may be included like other seeds. It has to be rinsed properly otherwise it will not cook completely and it will be un eatable.
  • svts123
    svts123 Posts: 23 Member
    Thank you everyone!
    RodaRose wrote: »
    Because you ate both, it is hard to know which one bothers you . If you eat them again, eat only one and see how you feel afterwards.

    I don't think I was very clear - sorry - I didn't eat them at the same time, I just noticed the icky feeling I felt after eating quinoa a few weeks ago (which I had attributed at the time to exactly what socioseguro said, it not being 'clean') was the same as when I ate buckwheat the other night.

    I wasn't sure if the issues were separate or not... I guess I will have to keep experimenting and find out! :)

  • kaylasaurus
    kaylasaurus Posts: 45 Member
    Qunioa naturally contains a chemical coating (saponins) In nature it is meant to ward off bugs from eating the seeds. It can cause some GI issues and is generally unpleasant to eat. Normally this bitter tasting coating is removed before the quinoa is sold, however some brands may require rinsing before use. I make sure and rinse my quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and will soak the seeds for an hour before cooking to ensure that any saponins on the outside are removed. I am not sure about the buckwheat, but these are fairly high fiber grains so if your system is not used to it that may cause discomfort.

Categories