Quinoa with Oats
A very healthy alternative for pasta or rice, besides chickpeas is a whole grain called, QUINOA (“keen”-“wa”). It is well known for its great profile of amino acids and is a complete protein! And yes, you guessed it, is also a great source of FIBRE! Making this substitution is especially beneficial for vegetarians, helping them to reach their daily protein requirements without having to think about complementary proteins.
Quinoa is found in the organic section at the grocery store or at any bulk or health food store. It has the same cooking instructions as rice or cous- cous, it does look a little different but please don’t let it scare you! Quinoa is bland alone but is perfect in place of rice, pasta or cous cous in any meal.
Quinoa is a superior food, it is so versatile and can be used to substitute for so many carbohydrate choices. Quinoa is a fantastic wheat-and gluten-free choice, probably the least allergenic of all the grains. Try this recipe that I found in Tosca Reno’s “The Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook”.
Quinoa with Oats: Pg: 89
1 cup quinoa, soaked for 2 hours
1cup steel-cut oats
¼ tsp sea salt
3 cups water
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
¼ cup raisins
Preparation:
In a medium saucepan with a lid, place soaked quinoa, steel-cut oats, sea salt and water. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce heat. Cover and let simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in other ingredients and let sit for several minutes. Serve hot.
* Try this with unsweetened applesauce
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Hello Gillian,
Is quinoa the texture of porridge? Maybe I will give it a try. Thanks for the new recipe idea!
Hello Jess!
Nice to hear from you! It all depends on the recipe you use, quinoa is very versatile. You can use it (as a flour) in muffins or just cook it up and have it with a stir fry. I have so many good things to say about quinoa I could go on forever.
thanks,
Gillian
Hi Gillian,
Thanks to your suggestion,we now have quinoa instead of rice or pasta at dinner. It is easy to cook and with a few healthy additions can be made into a very tasty side dish. Even your Dad enjoys it! Looking forward to your next entry….
Mom
Hi Gillian
Great blog!
Wanted to add a note about fibre: you don’t realize how important fibre is until you are a somewhat restricted with the type of food you can eat! I have all these celiac symptoms(still trying to figure out what it is) and find that I feel better when I don’t consume gluten containing foods. However then I have a fibre issue. I am seeing a naturapath & she sugested taking 1TBS of fresh ground flaxseed every day. This is helping.
I do have aquestion for you: It looks like I am having problems absorbing some important nutrients..like calcium and vitamine D, iron and iodine. Do you have any suggestions?
Have a great day!
Maria
Hi Gillian
I loved this post!
I heard about quinoa in Peru and it’s become a staple in my vegetarian diet!
One tip I got from a cook in Peru was not to add the salt until after cooking so that the grains don’t burst.
I’ll definitely try this one out!
Adria
Hi Gillian
Thanks for introducing quinoa to me! I have a mental complex when it comes to eating porridge but I’m willing to try new things so will give the quinoa a go thanks for your suggestion!
Hello Mom!
I’m happy to hear that it was a smooth transition from rice ! I know you have a tough crowd to please with dad. Keep reading, they get better
Gillian
Hello Maria!
I am doing well thank-you! I hope all is well with you!
I’m so sorry it took me so long to respond to you comment. I have been in the middle of midterms and I wanted to research Celiac disease a little bit before I responded to make certain I gave you the best information possible.
I just finished learning about Celiac Disease in my clinical nutrition class, so you’ve come at a good time. It is common for there to be as long as 15 years between the onset of symptoms and diagnosis, so I guess this is something that your going to need patience with.
As far as flax seed goes, I always put two rounded teaspoons on my cereal every morning. It helps you reach your daily recommended values for both fibre and essential fatty acids (good for just about everything especially your heart).
I’m sure that you have looked into the limitations associated with a gluten-free diet but I found some gluten free options that will help you get more fibre in your diet. Also, from my understanding, the reason why you are having difficulties absorbing nutrients is because there is damage to your mucosa (more specifically the villi) of the small intestine, where most nutrients are absorbed. I like to think of the villi as a plant that needs watering, they fall flat when damaged but are able to pop back up if given some TLC. If you follow a very strict diet, the mucosa can restructure itself within 2-3 months, but full villi recovery can take several months to years.
If you do indeed have celiac disease than it is essential that you steer clear of the prolamin fraction of wheat, barley and rye (commonly thought to just be wheat). Every time you eat something containing prolamins, you are right back to square one, in terms of damaging the villi.
On diagnosis it is recommended that you start on a low-residue (fibre), low-fat, lactose-free and gluten-free diet (wow). With time fibre, fat and lactose can be added back into the diet as tolerated BUT gluten is a lifelong restriction. I’m uncertain of how severe your symptoms are or how restricted your diet is, but these are just the guidelines.
Are you having trouble with lactose? If so this maybe due to the flattening of the villi, lactase (enzyme responsible for digesting lactose) is secreted in the villi and if they are damaged then you will have troubles with lactose! All related!
Iron deficiency anemia is common in 40 -80 % of celiac patients. This is something that should be tended to before it gets anymore serious. I read that in severe, untreated cases, malabsorption of fat, calcium, magnesium, fat soluatble vitamins (A,D E, K). folate, iron and vitamin B 12 can occur. If your current diet doesn’t support this I would suggest supplementing.
Good news is that once you have “healed” your mucosa and villi by adhereing to a gluten-free diet all of the deficiency that I mentioned above can usually be resolved, all of them can be obtained from a well balanced diet.
Be sure to have you vitamin D and calcium monitored closely because this may cause bone density issues in the future.
DID YOU KNOW ??
-Even toothpaste can have traces of wheat! Wow!
-if you collect all you receipts from purchasing gluten-free products you are eligible for tax breaks.
I’m going to give you a short list of foods to that are recommended:
Higher fibre choices:
-quinoa, all legumes ( I write about both of these in my blog), wild rice or brown rice.
Also recommended (and still mostly high in fibre):
Corn, nuts, seeds, potato ( bread even), soy products. Amaranth, millet, finger millet, Indian rice grass, arrowroot, buckwheat, flax, tapioca.
I’d like to have some more information before I tell you to go ahead and go fibre crazy. I would hate to tell you to eat too much if you are still in the early stages, because that would only lessen what nutrients get absorbed. I really hope this helps!
Let me know if you have any further questions, I love problem solving!
Gillian
Hello Lisa!
Thank you so much for reading and commenting on my blog, its very rewarding to hear that you are going to give it a go! Keep reading!!!
Thanks again
Gillian
Hello Adria
Glad to hear that you are also a quinoa fan ! It really truly is a superfood. I agree with the salt pointer, you don’t want to oversalt!!
Thanks for commenting
Gillian
Hi Gillian,
This post really makes me want to try quinoa!
Do you have a favourite recipe? Is it better savoury or sweet?