This is a great post by Kelly from The Spunky Coconut. Quinoa has been the darling of the gluten-free community for at least the past few years. It’s a seed (making it not only gluten-free but grain-free as well) but it can be used in so many recipes that typically call for rice or pasta and it turns out just as good and in many cases, better. It turns out a lot of folks following a paleo diet (popular gluten/grain-free diet) are avoiding quinoa as well as all other grains. As Kelly states in her article (be sure to click through and read the entire article), “This confusion is probably based on concerns with “saponin” (see below)”.
While I’m an advocate of the paleo diet myself, I don’t think that everyone should abandon quinoa just yet. The paleo diet can be seemingly restrictive in nature (it’s really not once you get used to it) but it’s usually something that people have to grow into — usually (like myself) as a result of being gluten-free already. I haven’t had any quinoa myself in quite a while, but for those new to the gluten-free diet and looking for a good grain substitute, quinoa is a great choice.
I’d love to hear more about what you think of quinoa and some interesting ways that you’ve used it.
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“Quinoa gets major attention in health food circles. Some foodies hail it as a “super food,” while others assert it is a threat to gastrointestinal health. Quinoa is often misidentified as a grain, but I wanted to learn if there is anything besides this confusion that concerns those on a gluten-free or grain-free diet.
Quinoa is Not a Grain
A “grain” is the word commonly applied to the botanical term “caryopses.” All cereal grains (such as wheat, oats, barley, rye, rice, etc.) are members of the grass family and produce caryopsis/grain. The “pericarp” (the external wall) is fused to a single “carpel” (the structure that encloses the “ovule”).
Quinoa is not part of the grass family. It is a flowering plant in the “chenopod” family. Other members include beets, chard, and spinach. The quinoa seed is not fused to its pericarp. Based on these two criteria, quinoa can not be called a grain.
Confusingly, the agricultural term “grain” is based only on the appearance of a food product. As a result, packaging, articles, advertising, etc. may refer to “quinoa grain.” The term “pseudocereal” is also applied to quinoa, because the plant’s appearance and use is similar to that of true grains. Botanically speaking quinoa is a grain-free food…”
