<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
 
>I would appreciate a synopsis of the responses you got regarding quinoa.
>Thanks- Jack. Willits, CA
 
Thanks Jack for your response.  Yes, I have received the Celiac Grains
file.  It was very useful!  I didn't bother to post the quinoa response
to the list because there didn't seem to be much interest.  But I will
now.
 
Responses regarding quinoa were mixed.  A couple wrote back to say that
quinoa is fine and is a welcome addition to the gf diet.  A couple said
that since it has never been scientifically proven to be gf it is best
to avoid it.  Given that some people seem well able to tolerate (and
appreciate!) quinoa, the following advice sent to the list-serv by
Bill Elkus on May 10th ("Grain Identification") seems relevant:
 
"The best one can do at this time is to (a) look at the "geneology" of each
grain, to see how closely related it is to those known to be toxic to Celiacs,
(b) try to be sure that you are not getting grains which have been contaminated
with wheat, etc, and (c) check your own reactions and those of other celiacs.
 
The problem with "c" is that the absence of a reaction does not guarantee that
a food is not harmful to a Celiac, and the presence of a reaction does not
always imply that it is due to a Celiac response -- it could be due to an
allergy or other food intolerance.
 
... Dr. (Don) Kasarda feels that AMARANTH, QUINOA and WILD RICE (along with
TEFF, JOBS TEARS, and certain other exotic grains) are so distantly related
to wheat that they are no more likely to be toxic than any other food."
 
Thank YOU for your reference to yet another web site (there is so much
info out there!) on gluten-free grains!
 <http://www.demon.co.uk/webguides/nutrition/diets/glutenfree/index.html>
"This written by an Englishman who was diagnosed some time ago. He also has a
cook book for sale. Take a look at his site, particularly the sub-site on
flours for baking. " (Jack Wade).
 
BTW, the pronunciation of quinoa is either 'KEENwa' or 'keen-o-wa'.
 
Shashi