Cooking quinoa is easy, but there is an important step you must follow, or you risk developing a sensitivity or allergy to quinoa.
Quinoa is a very nutritious grain, and an ideal food as part of a gluten-free diet. It is very popular with celiacs and those with a gluten allergy.
However, a small minority of people report becoming sick after eating quinoa, usually after consuming it for some time. This is a real shame, as quinoa is very tasty, extremely nutritious, and easy to cook. It is versatile, and can be used in many ways.
The most likely problem is saponin, which protects the plant from insect and fungal attack. This is a soapy substance which can be washed out of the quinoa pseudograin. It has a bitter taste, and possible minor toxic effects.
Because of the bitter taste and possible toxicity, it is important that you wash out most saponin before cooking the quinoa. It certainly is not a very dangerous substance, nor is it as bitter as fish bile, so you do not have to take the same care with washing your quinoa as you would with preparing a puffer fish or something.
Washing Quinoa
There are several ways to wash quinoa.
You can put it into a sieve, one with a fine enough mesh to trap even the smallest seeds. Then run it under the tap, shaking the sieve gently from side to side, until the water runs clear.
Or you can immerse the sieve in a bit bowl of water. Rub the seeds with your fingers to help shift the saponin. Repeat two or three times until the water is clear and no foam forms on the surface.
Or you can put the quinoa in a blender with some water, and pulse it a few times to agitate the mixture, but not actually chop up the seeds. Drain it through a sieve.
Cooking Quinoa
Put quinoa in a pot, with water in a 1:2 ratio (twice as much water). It takes approximately 12 minutes to cook. Allow a little longer (15 minutes or so) if cooking with other acidic ingredients.
A dash of salt brings out the flavor, although some people prefer to cook without salt and are used tot he reduced flavor.
{ 62 comments… read them below or add one }
nausea after eating quinoa
I have twice experienced severe nausea and vomiting after eating boiled quinoa – maybe the saponin – I had eaten it numerous times in the past year but the last two times I got severe nausea about 3 hours after eating it – my husband did not experience the illness. The first time I had cooked with applejuice to eat for breakfast and yesterday I cooked with 2 percent milk. Don’t know if I will be brave enough to try it again.
Give quinoa a rest for a while
I understand why you might not be brave enough to try it again.
Certainly you should give quinoa a rest for at least a month, before deciding if you want to try it again.
Good luck!
stomach issues after eating quinoa
i have been eating quinoa for about a year and love it. i have used it in salads and as a side dish with sauteed vegatables. recently i have cooked it plain for breakfast with different fruits. the last batch i cooked and ate for breakfast gave me severe stomach pain about 2 hours after eating it and lasted for several hours. i dont plan on giving up on it, since it is the “super grain of the future” i will try rinsing it as suggested above.
Quinoa
Quinoa makes me feel nausiated and sick to my stomach. I have tried it 4 or 5 times and it is off my list as a food to eat.
Mild allergy can only be related to quinoa
I have had an allergic reaction now on 2 occasions that seemed bizarre to me because I don’t usually have allergic reaction to foods. Several months ago I had some crunchmaster crackers from Sam’s and experienced a strange swelling (anaphylactic type response) around my mouth — it went away with benadryl. Yesterday I made quinoa veggie burgers for the family and had a more severe swelling again around my mouth along with back pain and also leg pain. I also experienced mild cramping in my intestinal area. Again, I took benadryl and the swelling subsided gradually. I rinse the grains always very well and cook according to directions. I’m guessing they did the same in the crackers. I have had quinoa years before without reaction although I do not eat it often. I’m saddened to now relate these reactions to quinoa and probably won’t risk a more severe reaction by continuing to try it being the second reaction was worse than the first. No one else in my family seems to have this same reaction….
I tried quinoa for the first time last night. This morning I woke up with hives all over my back, chest, neck and arms.
My daughter (who served it) forgot to wash it first.
Now I’m afraid to try it again. Bummer, I really liked it
I DID TOO! Which brought me here because I ate it for a week (off and on) and broke out in hives. I havent experienced anything severe, but YIKES!!! I did forget to wash the quinoa before cooking though. Yes, the itching is brutal!
Love quinoa
My family loves quinoa and we have never had any problems with it. Even our dog enjoys it with us from time to time!
Good news quinoa!
So glad to hear some good news about quinoa!
Most people are fine with it.
This post seems to attract a lot of comments from people who have had problems with quinoa, but of all the people that eat quinoa, only a tiny minority have problems.
Nice to hear from the happy segment!
I have tried quinoa twice. On both occasions I developed severe resperitory infection the next day. Not 100% positive it is due to quinoa, but have an overwhelming suspicion since both instances were very similar.
My mom ate quinoa. Had to admit her to the hospital. Thirty thousand dollars later they could not find her problem. They determined that she had a miny stroke, but now I know that it was the quinoa. Makes me wonder about the medical care when they could not figure out that it was an allergic reaction.
My daughter has been diagnosed with quite a few allergies. Quinoa is something she likes and we’ve purchased by the box in a health food store. There were no directions that stated it should be washed prior to cooking. Is there other ways to purchase this, or does it only come in “box form”?
You can buy quinoa in bulk. Stores that sell it in bulk may sell you a 10 or 20 pound bag at a discount.
I too have also eaten quinoa many times in the past and felt fine afterwards but the last two times I have become severly nauseous afterward and vomited. I dont think I will take the chance again. Can rinsing really make that much difference? why is that not said on the cooking instructions?
I suspect that once you become sensitive to quinoa, rinsing will not on its own reverse the problem.
You may lose the sensitivity if you cut it out of your diet for a few months (try a year since the symptoms are nasty) – then if you are brave enough to try it, rinse the quinoa before eating it.
No one will blame you if you never want to try it again!
The reason the cooking instructions don’t mention rinsing the quinoa is because on the front of the box it has a note that it has been washed already (I’m assuming the Ancient Harvest brand, as it is the most common). Even so, I rinse my quinoa again before cooking – and I still wind up sick with stomach and back pain. I’m sad about it because I LOVE quinoa. But it’s really not worth having to lie in bed for a couple hours every time I eat it, so….
I was wondering if anyone as experienced dizziness after eating quinoa.
I used to be able to eat quinoa, and loved it. The last two times (a month apart) I became violently ill, the 1st time after two bowls: vomiting for several hours during the night, crawling to and from the bathroom. The 2nd time at work, ate a quinoa and kale dish bought at a local grocery store. About an hour later, severe stomach cramping followed by vomiting and when finished, I struggled to drive myself home. I read that it is the Saponin compound that causes this reaction in some. Sadly, I will not be partaking of this little seed again.
I used to eat quinoa quite often, and then about a year ago I had my first allergic reaction. I wasn’t sure if it was the quinoa or something else, so I just steered clear of the two possible culprits. I tried quinoa again last night and I had severe upper abdominal pain and back pain again for about 5-6 hours. My husband ate it and had no problems whatsoever.
I would like to know just HOW rare it is for people to develop an allergy or sensitivity to quinoa, and if there is anything people with quinoa allergies have in common.
The only place I’ve heard of problems with Quinoa is on this website. This is probably because if you search for anything related to quinoa and sick or alleriges, you will find this article, so it is about the only place for people to share their problems with quinoa.
This is the first link that shows up when doing a search on quinoa and allergies, but it is not the “only” place I have found people complaining of adverse reactions. While quinoa may be a great food for most people, it is painfully obvious to me that it is not great for all people. Some of us clearly have a sensitivity to it, and I don’t really think it is right to discount our experiences with it. I would guess that as the popularity of quinoa grows, more people will discover they have a sensitivity to it, even if it is a minority of people. I would never tell someone who hadn’t tried quinoa to never try it because as you stated, it can be a great addition to most people’s diets…just not everyone.
Agreed. I just wouldn’t want someone to assume that quinoa is dangerous because a majority of comments are about adverse reactions.
I have not thrown up since I was 18. I am now 39 and have thrown up twice in the past month. the only thing in common between these two occasions was that I had eaten quinoa approx 3 hours before getting sick. I have eaten quinoa in the past without problems. I was under the assumption that quinoa is such a benign type of food….it doesn’t have gluten…so it seemed odd to think it could be a reaction to it. Now after reading the above entries I do think this is what it is. I’m curious to know for sure but hesitant to go through it again!
I made a tasty chicken and walnut quinoa salad and was fine after eating the first serving. The next day I had some more and felt extremely nauseated for hours afterward. Two hours after eating the final serving I got violently ill. I think my body was not able to digest this, judging from what came back up. (Sorry for the gross factor). I have no other food allergies and 4 hours later I felt much better. I did rinse the quinoa, as I had read to do that. Glad I could find some information out there that other people unfortunately have suffered through this. I will not be eating it again, which is a shame as it is a great source of fiber and protein, but simply not worth getting sick over.
I too have found that every time I eat quinoa I get nausea. I think it is worse when it is combined with meat- possibly too much protein?
My reaction was also after eating meat. It was so severe. Everytime I ate meat after that, I would be nauseous and vomiting. Mine was more extreme than most. I have been doing a vegan diet for 1 month to get rid of that sick feeling. No more quinoa for me. I just starting to feel “normal” again.
I was so grateful to find this site with others who suffered from quinoa allergies too. I have been in the hospital twice in the last week. I was fine with eating the occasional quinoa before but this last bout I ate it 5 days in a row. I had such violent stomach reactions and pain, it felt like labor only it was higher up in my stomach. I was also vomiting so much. I hardly ever get sick and certainly not stomach and vomiting. The hospital checked me out for all major issues and just ruled it to be gastro stuff. For days after, I was still quizzy stomach and the odd throw up. I went back to the hospital as I had severe pains again, they even did ultra sound CT scan but found nothing. They thought it may be a stomach virus. No one else in my family had gotten sick, I was the only one that ate quinoa. I am very sure that it was the quinoa, since talking to people, several of my friends said they were extremely gassy and uncomfortable after eating it as well. I won’t be trying it anymore. I did wash mine as well. When they say the saponin has minor toxic effect, it certainly was for me.
I used to eat quinoa with no problem until a couple months back. I get severe stomach cramps. I feel like is somebody were drilling a hole through my stomach. I tried rinsing with water, but it didn’t work. I thinking about not eating it ever again. The pain just isn’t worth it.
I had severe stomach pain for weeks and could not understand what was causing it. At one point the pain was so bad. I experienced nausea throughout the day and dizziness. The pain was so bad, I was shaking. I took ultrasounds, did blood tests, and gave urine samples.
Finally, i realized after buying a quinoa salad at my local Metro grocery store, that the mind blowing came back. I was rocking in my bed and my boyfriend didn’t know what to do. Finally, I took some Tylenol to help with the pain and finally…I fell asleep.
I had been eating quinoa straight for a year…but now… I just don’t feel it’s worth the pain.
Has anyone heard of quinoa causing a urine sample test for drugs/benzodiazepines to be positive or slightly positive?
I think I must have had an allergic reaction to quinoa-we had it for dinner last night. I vomited and had diarrhea from 9 p.m. to early this morning—I took Immodium for diarrhea around 1 a.m. and then 2 other doses—at 5 a.m. my hands started itching like from shellfish allergy in the past, and then I itched gradually all over, and had welts everywhere, and got hoarse. We went to the ER, and I told them I had cous-cous–did not realize it was quinoa. They thought it was that or the Immodium. I am thinking it was more the quinoa. On steroids now for 5 days.
You’re better off without the immodium. If your body wants it out, let it out as quickly as possible!
You may be allergic to quinoa, or you may have got the flu, or some other type of food poisoning …
Unlike most people here I had never tried quinoa until tonight. I have been following a wheat-free diet because of a slight sensitivity, so I thought I’d give quinoa a shot. I finished dinner 4 hours ago, went to bed 3 hours ago, and was awakened by a nasty stomach ache half an hour ago. I have IBS, so I just assumed it was too much citrus or something, but that doesn’t involve being violently sick and wheezing! I must have an allergy
too bad we just bought two 1-pound bags of the stuff!
I recently bought Quinoa flake form to eat for breakfast.
Each time I’ve eaten it I became nauseas cramps and shaking a few hours after digestion, I then realised it was Quinoa!
I enjoy quinoa with my breakfast, almost daily for the last month. I am glad to say I’ve hat no problemes with it. But I am well aware of saponin toxicity, and beeing a rather allergic person, I wash my quinoa very throughly. I wash it at nigh, leave it on water over night, and then I wash it again in the morning just before cooking it.
It’s nice to hear a positive comment about quinoa!
I’ve been eating quinoa for about 2 months and the problem I am experiencing is feeling that I am about to break out in cold sores along my lower lip. I am also using almond milk and wonder if it might be the problem. Are either one of them particularly acidic?
I am in horrifying pain after eating quinoa for breakfast.
It feels like someone just stabbed me with a long, sharp knife
right throw the stomach. It seems, there is no escape from this
horrid, hair-raising physical suffering.
Never again I’ll come even near this evil weed.
I’m on a gluten free diet at the moment due to getting gas/bloating/abdominal pains after eating wheat products, so I thought quinoa would be a good addition to my diet. It went well for a couple of weeks. I was making quinoa & vege salads & also using the quinoa flakes in my porridge in the morning. But then one day I started getting sharp stabbing pains after eating it but wasn’t sure what was causing it. I tried it again the next day the pain was even worse! I wasn’t totally convinced it was just the quinoa causing the issue so I tried it again on another day & this time the pain lasted for about 3hrs so now I’m convinced I’m not going to eat this grain for quite awhile! It’s a shame as its reported to have such good health benefits. I wonder if any research is being done about what’s causing these reactions in people?
I ate quinoa and it was brutal on my stomach. The instructions said you must wash thoroughly but I didn’t because did not have fine enough strainer and didn’t yet know about the natural pesticide. I bought a fresh box fearing that the other box was just a bad batch. Determined I washed it extremely thoroughly this time. My whole Saturday was ruined being in so much stomach pain. I give up on quinoa. I would eat it if I could.
Has anyone had a bad reaction to quinoa and then find you’re ABLE to eat it without pain after a break?
I really like the stuff and used to eat it often, almost daily, but recently I get terrible stomach pains after eating. I’m scared to try again.
I’ve found I’m also sensitive to avocado, with no other food allergies. Related?
Under ripe avocados have natural latex in them…I’m allergic to latex and if I eat an under ripe avocado (or banana, kiwi, papaya etc.) my mouth hurts a lot… Do you think maybe it was under ripe?
I am also sensitive to both quinoa and avocado.. get bad stomach pain from both. a bit worse from quinoa though. I can eat a few slices of avocado without the pain. I used to being able to eat both products without problems.. but after suddenly becoming allergic to fish (same stomach pain), these allergies occured too.
Interesting to read that I am not alone. I have been thinking about if there is some similarity between those two products… tried to google a bit but found nothing so far.
Those with reaction to quinoa that didn’t react to it before – have you considered the quinoa batch could have been contaminated somehow?
Just something that came to mind when reading so many comments of people being fine before, but now being sick. Perhaps it came from the same source or manufacturer?
Btw. I also react to quinoa. But not nearly as bad as others here. The brand I use is pre-washed Bob’s Red Mill Organic Quinoa.
That is the brand I have always bought and ended up reacting to afters yrs of no sensitivity to it. I have never rinsed so Im wondering if that would make a difference. And it was halfway through the same bag that I reacted.
S.
I recently found out I have a gluten intolerance so I bought a bag of tru roots organic quinoa from costco. It says its pre washed on the package but it also says rinse before cooking. The first 2 times I made it I rinsed it (had to look up a youtube video on how to go about doing that) and I had no problems after eating it. This last time I didn’t want to go through the hassle so I didn’t rinse. About an hour after eating I had some stomach pains, not horrible but definitely noticeable. I googled what is the reason to wash quinoa and found this site. It seems like a lot of people have issues with it. I definitely don’t want to eat anything that is going to give me any more stomach issues as I have been having horrid issues for years now and just found out about the gluten intolerance. I will try it again though after washing and see if I have a reaction.
I hope rinsing quinoa does the trick for you.
Sadly I too have no positive news about Quinoa. I love it’s taste and texture, and started eating it because I am on a candida-diet (avoiding regular grains and rice).
However ever time I eat it, around 3-4 hrs later I get some stomach discomfort…and in the morning I wake up with cramps, lots of gas and have to make a run for the toilet.
Happened to me again today…third time I eat it. I’ve thoroughly washed it until the water became clear. Even washed with 40 degree water to help dissolve the sapponins.
This stuff is not as benine as it”s depicted I’m afraid…
I LOVE quinoa. I loved it so much I gave myself a food intolerance….. severe bloating and gas and toilet runs almost immediately after eating it. But I was eating quinoa nearly every day (it was my main “grain” of choice) and like anything, excessive repeated consumption can cause a food intolerance.
Quinoa and I had to break up…. for a time … but with proper preparation and slow re-introduction, I have been able to ween myself slowly back onto quinoa again! Yay!
I had been eating Quinoa for 3 days straight and I eventually figured out that it was making me sick. I would have nausea, vomiting and bloating. I have eaten it in the past. I really loved the stuff, but I cannot eat it…..
I’ve eaten quinoa in the past with no problems. I got in from the bulk section at Whole Foods. I got some at Costco a couple months ago (Organic Nature’s Earthly Choice, grown in Bolivia) and, despite washing it thoroughly, I’ve gotten stomach aches each time I’ve eaten it. I’m wondering if the stomach problems are more related to where the quinoa is grown or, possibly, what types of chemicals may have come into contact with it. Just a thought.
I have exactly the same question every time someone posts that they can not eat quinoa (which happens often between this article and another).
My question to you is: if you go back to eating quinoa from the sources you have previously used, do you still have stomach problems?
Yup, I have had ALL the symtpoms everyone’s described. It started with the red but now I can no longer eat white as well. Total bummer as it is sooo healthy and always helped me lose weight!
I had some left in the house so I cooked it for my boyfriend and sure enough, as I stand over the stove stirring it (and the other dishes i was making), I felt the KNAWING sensation in the pit of my stomach! It was from breathing in the saponins!! As soon as it was finished cooking my stomach went back to normal. Apparently I am just getting more and more sensitive to it.
Hello, I’m really interested to find this site. I had an anaphylaxic reaction in Sept and had two trips to hospital, all sorts of drugs and quite a long recovery time – four days later my tongue was still slightly swollen. I went through everything I had eaten / drunken / taken with a toothcomb and the docs said it couldn’t be quinoa and that it must be a pain killer I had taken that morning. I am now avoiding all pain killers apart from paracetamol and have antihistemine, steroids and an epi pen to help in case of further attacks. I also wear a medi alert bracelet. Feeling more confident again
I tried quoina last week and had an instant reaction which luckily came under control very quickly without another hospital trip. I’m now sure that its the quinoa and reading this has been very interesting. I think I’ll go back to the docs and look into the pain killers in more depth as I don’t want to wear a bracelet if I don’t have to. Thank you everyone for your posts and experiences. Anne-Louise
I ate a cold quinoa salad at a recent tourist attraction. The quinoa had just begun to sprout and had an interesting but not unpleasant taste. Later that night, I was nauseated, had diarhhea and broke out in hives on my face, back, arms. The hives were incredibly itchy. When my airway started to close and asthma developed, I headed for the emergency room. I do not think I will eat quinoa again.
My girlfriend and I both love quinoa and we both become ill after eating it. I guess we will try to take a break from it as well, but how rare can this be if 2 out of 2 people in my house have a negative reaction to it?
We tried quinoa last night and while I don’t have nausea, etc., my foot is swollen and very itchy, which is one of the reactions I get from gluten and other allergens. Kind of an early warning symptom. I am pitching the quinoa and sticking to rice and potatoes.
I have ate quinoa several times in the past with no problems. Last night I ate a large helping of it at dinner and a couple hours later had severe abdominal cramping, bloating, pain, nausea, etc…. I didn’t think it was the quinoa, so I had it again tonight. Same problem couple hours after I ate it. No one else in my family had an adverse reaction. I didn’t spend much time rinsing so maybe that was the problem. I will not be eating quinoa for some time.
Every time I eat quinoa I get horrible headaches – really debilitating. And I don’t usually have headaches at all. I always purchase organic quinoa (and everything else), and rinse it. I have read articles indicating quinoa is contaminated with wheat in the farming/harvesting process. I’m going to stay away from it in future.
4 days ago I woke up with itching around my back, neck, ears, forehead en arms. Little red bumps are appearing now. When I’m sweating it stings. I think that quinoa is the cause. I ate this for the first time 5 days ago and the next day and the next day (and I ate a lot, because I loved it so much). After reading this, I’m not going to eat it anymoren, see what happens. If the itching goes away I will try quinoa again in a month. I didnt rinse it very well by the way, next tiime I will!!!
I’ve only just started using quinoa but haven’t used the grains yet, only the flour, and have made a wonderful cake with a mix of almond meal and quinoa flour. It set beautifully, rose quite nicely and didn’t flop in the middle as do almond meal cakes most of the time for me when cool. My quinoa cake retained its shape after cooling. Pity I didn’t note the quantity of each ingredient. I just added/mised until I had the right consistency. Fortunately I didn’t have any adverse reactions, so I intend introducing quinoa gradually into my diet, because I’m rather bored with soya flour muffins/breads/pancakes and almond meal as well (except for almond meal bread with chopped pecans and honey, raisins and yoghurt – yum). I shall have to take note of the quantities I use in my next attempt at baking with quinoa flour.
Hi Kate,
Glad to hear about your success with quinoa! Do please share the perfected recipe if you are so inclined!