Quinoa Is It Really Bad?

Queequeg

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I have been eating quite a bit of Quinoa to add some variety to my starches though I mostly eat potatoes and white rice. Based on my research it seems that it is estrogen and has high levels of saponins though I haven't found anywhere that RP has stated that quinoa is good or bad.. What are your thoughts? Should I dump the quinoa?
 

squanch

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Because quinoa is not dehulled or polished (like white rice for example) the seedcoat will form those little curly worms when cooked. Those seem to be completely indigestible, irritate the intestine and will show up in your poop.
It might be alright if you can somehow remove the seedcoat, but I don't think anyone sells something like dehulled quinoa or white quinoa flour.
 
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Queequeg

Queequeg

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@raypeatclips - I think it is mostly wishful thinking since I really like quinoa but if the estrogen level is low enough it might still make sense every once in a while to lower my arsenic load from rice. Most of the saponins can be washed off though its a little labor intensive. I was also surprised that I couldn't find an RP inspired definitive answer.

@squanch apparently there is a lot of research into doing just that
 
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tara

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I was also surprised that I couldn't find an RP inspired definitive answer.
I think Peat has made some more generic comments suggesting that seeds are not ideal food.
But if you really like it, and you can't tell that it's doing you harm, it might not be a big deal to have a bit now and then. Depends how strong your system is.
Possibly sprouting it a bit would improve digestibility.
 

Makrosky

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During your own research you have come across that quinoa is estrogenic? How come you are still eating it?
What do you understand for "estrogenic" ?
There are lots of supposed "estrogenic" foods/herbs that in reality "ocuppy estrogen receptors" with a lower activation than other endogenous/exogenous estrogenic stuff so the final balance ends up being ANTIESTROGENIC. Remember context, my friend.
 

Makrosky

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I have been eating quite a bit of Quinoa to add some variety to my starches though I mostly eat potatoes and white rice. Based on my research it seems that it is estrogen and has high levels of saponins though I haven't found anywhere that RP has stated that quinoa is good or bad.. What are your thoughts? Should I dump the quinoa?
Quinoa is expensive, why don't you try oatmeal ? It's quite gentle on the stomach, at least for me. And provide lots of carbs.
 
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Queequeg

Queequeg

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@tara Yes I remember RP saying that seeds aren't that great. I don't notice any negative effects from eating quinoa so maybe once a week wouldn't be that bad. Soaking/sprouting would probably help as well as cooking them like spaghetti (extra water).

@Makrosky totally agree. The problem is I cant seem to find any quantitative info on its estrogen content/impact to let me know how bad it is. I will look into adding Oatmeal to the stack.
 
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Ray's comments on grains relate to being allergenic, and high phosphorus levels.

He has said that people can to a degree thrive on it, even though it's very imperfect.

Cooking is one strategy for improving grains, but probably not the best one to use exclusively. Soaking and sprouting transforms the storage form of starch and storage form or protein into more human-friendly metabolizable stuff. And grinding and soaking and fermenting, in the case of wheat for instance, releases enzymes that can transform the flour and make it much less toxic and more digestible.
 
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Queequeg

Queequeg

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I found a pubmed article that gives a very detailed breakdown of the major secondary nutrients in Quinoa; . Innovations in Health Value and Functional Food Development of Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.)

The article seems so one sided that I'm sure there is some Quinoa industry funding going on. Of particular interest, it states that the "seeds contain phytosterol levels up to 118 mg/100 g quinoa seed.. β-sitosterol (63.7 mg/100 g), campesterol (15.6 mg/100 g), and stigmasterol (3.2 mg/100 g), and these levels were higher than those found in barley, rye, millet, and maize."

It goes on to say how wonderful phytosterols are at lowering cholesterol and inflammation but somehow fails to mention the proven estrogenic effects of B-sistosterol. see “The Phyto-Estrogen B-Sitosterol Alters the Reproductive Endocrine Status of Goldfish,” MacLatchy et al, Toxicology & Applied Pharmocology 1995 134:305-312.

I also found this interesting article whose title really says it all "A Short Note On Quinoa. Is Your Estrogen Level Higher Than Your Wife’s?" .. and actually has some quasi-clinical human trial data to back it up.

@Makrosky that bowl of oatmeal is sounding better and better.
 
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Queequeg

Queequeg

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Ecdysteroid supplementation in men: "no difference"

Not a good study. Not controlled and too short, only 8 weeks and they were only concerned with "body composition." There's evidence of Quinoa fueling a population like the Inca's 3k years ago. Doesn't seem like a toxic product. It seems like a perfectly suitable carbohydrate and micronutrient source for variety. All of the people who are fat and sick today didn't get that way by eating a bowl of steamed Quinoa every night.
 

Drareg

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The inca and quinoa link was exaggerated by marketing machines,the Incas were more fond of cocaine and coffee.

The incas were not a civilisation IMO ,they ritually sacrificed humans of all ages,probably the quinoa!
 

Drareg

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Great! Man boobs plus calcified arteries. I'm glad I gave up the quinoa

Does the quinoa still appear in your stool even after well cooked? If so this isn't a good sign for digestability.
It's always good to trust taste instinct rather force yourself to say a bitter grain tastes good because it's the in thing,for example a potato and some salt is appetising,when I had quinoa in the past it was terrible plain or just with salt.
 
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The inca and quinoa link was exaggerated by marketing machines,the Incas were more fond of cocaine and coffee.

The incas were not a civilisation IMO ,they ritually sacrificed humans of all ages,probably the quinoa!

Everything is marketed at some point. That's our modern world. Someones growing your food and you're buying it. If you don't have your own farm then you buy food that was grown by someone else. A little marketing is fine to encourage more people to try other foods.

Everyone was barbaric back then, including the British, so it's not a good argument. One thing that everyone had in common is that they were all lean and didn't suffer heart disease and cancer like today.

Does the quinoa still appear in your stool even after well cooked? If so this isn't a good sign for digestability.

I don't know anyone who eats undercooked starch. It's hard to mess it up.

It has about equal nutrition to white rice.

It's a pointless food anyway.

Even though white rice doesn't have many micronutrients, it has the most important macronutrient; sugar.

You need sugar for the sake of sugar itself.

The Chinese figured out a long time ago that the seeds of oryza sativa (rice) provide a constant supply of much needed glucose, as did all of the other starch eating cultures.
 

Agent207

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Because quinoa is not dehulled or polished (like white rice for example) the seedcoat will form those little curly worms when cooked. Those seem to be completely indigestible, irritate the intestine and will show up in your poop.
It might be alright if you can somehow remove the seedcoat, but I don't think anyone sells something like dehulled quinoa or white quinoa flour.

What do you think about sorghum?
 

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