<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
 
Today, Fran Gillespie <[log in to unmask]> asked:
 
>Anyone else frustrated with the mystery of grains like AMARANTH, QUINOA
>and WILD RICE? Is it that difficult for a molecular biologist to determine
>if these grains contain gluten molecules?
 
I share your frustration, and I wish the problem was that simple.  From reading
Don Kasarda's posts, and others, it appears that even for wheat, scientists do
not yet know for sure all the fractions (pieces) of the wheat protein which are
toxic to Celiacs.  "Gluten" is not an individual molecule that one can identify,
and then test for in questionable foods.  Gluten is the common term given to a
whole series of protein fractions which have been identified as toxic to
Celiacs.
 
Even oats, which is a far more common grain than those you mention, still is
the subject of controversy after decades of discussion in the Celiac community.
 
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.
 
The listowners have collected a number of posts about exotic grains (and
about oats) into a file which can be downloaded.  Send an email to
[log in to unmask] with the body GET CELIAC GRAINS.  Several very
useful posts from Don Kasarda are included in this file.  Dr.  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.
 
Bill Elkus
Los Angeles