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Allergies and intolerances

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Quinoa intolerance anyone?

5 replies

ILoveWhales · 05/09/2025 10:31

Has anyone else discovered?They have this intolerance or just me.

The first time I ate it, I was ok, just a little bit uncomfortable. The second time I ate it, my stomach was very uncomfortable.

Beyond that, I Ve never been able to eat so much as a spoonful of it, as I get the most awful stomach pain and gastric symptoms.

I spoke to my gp about it and apparently it's not unheard of.

GP told me it is caused by saponin, a natural bitter coating on the seeds that can irritate the digestive tract.

I'm finding it more difficult to find things that don't include it. They fill everything with quinoa instead of plain rice. For example i buy lunches out when I go to work.It's just easier for me. M and S salads range for lunches.It was almost impossible to find one that didn't have quinoa in it.

Leon has started a new salad range with falafel. The base on every single one of them is quinoa.

I was eating a wrap in Pret and it said on the ingredients list at the front - rice. I was eating it and didn't notice by the time I got to nearly the end that there was quinoa mixed into the rice. It was buried on the ingredient list at the back that it also contained Quinoa.

it doesn't really taste of anything so it's hard to notice. Is becoming so common it's in everything.

I found myself starting to tell restaurants that actually yes, I am intolerant to quinoa as they often include it in so many of the salads.

Has anyone else discovered they have this?

OP posts:
FloozingThePlot · 05/09/2025 18:56

Quinoa needs to be soaked and rinsed. Without that, yes I get stomach pain and digestive issues - I think it's pretty common. Obviously you can't control that with pre-prepared foods.

thornbury · 05/09/2025 18:57

I'm intolerant to amaranth, its so random! No Be Kind bars for me.

ILoveWhales · 05/09/2025 18:58

FloozingThePlot · 05/09/2025 18:56

Quinoa needs to be soaked and rinsed. Without that, yes I get stomach pain and digestive issues - I think it's pretty common. Obviously you can't control that with pre-prepared foods.

Wow, thank you.I've never eaten quinoa, and not got ill. That means that the quinoa in everything ive bought so far isn't properly soaked and rinsed.

OP posts:
FloozingThePlot · 05/09/2025 19:02

Some people tolerate it better than others and can get away without having to soak / rinse as allegedly it is pre-rinsed before being packaged. I am not one of those people 😀 Best to stick to preparing your own and giving it a good soak!

Lightuptheroom · 06/09/2025 10:14

I can't tolerate most seeds, unfortunately you just have to either take your own or steer clear of that type of salad

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