Does Quinoa Cause Gas? Avoid Stomach Pain From Quinoa

If you know you will be eating foods that cause you to feel bloated or gassy such as quinoa, prevent it.

Quinoa is a complete protein, high in fiber, and protein which can be one of the reasons to cause stomach pain after ingestion.

Although there are also health reasons such as an intolerance or allergic reaction to quinoa, normally if the pain does not subside, it can be a cause of a serious problem, we suggest you see a professional.

Quinoa actually helps with digestion due to it’s fiber contents, as it helps by retaining water in the intestine, not only that it helps to remove the cholesterol from our intestine.

It can also reduce the risk of diseases which target the digestive system in the human body.

Intolerance

A person can be intolerant to any type of food, and the most common forms are dairy, yest, wheat, alcohol and gluten intolerance.

Stomach pain is one of the most normal and expected symptoms of intolerance as your body has a hard time digesting the food itself, in this case the quinoa seed.

When you eat quinoa, your digestive system isn’t able to digest the proteins, sugars and even the carbohydrates in the seed in turn leading to inflammation of your abdomen which also may cause symptoms such as bloating, cramping, gas and even nausea.

Fiber

Quinoa has 12 grams of dietary fiber in 1 cup. The USDA recommends that for every 1,000 calories consumed a person should eat 14 grams of fiber, so the average adult eats between 15 through 40 grams of fiber per day.

One cup of quinoa which is about 170 grams is a considerable amount, although most people who include quinoa in their daily meals and diet eat at least two cups of quinoa per day which is more than enough.

Keep in mind that eating too much quinoa and specially If your body isn’t accustomed to the high amount of fiber being ingested it will most likely lead to bloating and stomach pain, so try to avoid eating so much quinoa until your stomach pain eases up.

Precautions

The seed has a natural protective covering named saponin that protects against insects and some other animals from eating it, but nothing that would cause any stomach pain whatsoever, although it is very important to wash them off before eaten, keep in mind that most quinoa products today are pre-washed so it is not mandatory to be rinsed before use.

We do suggest you to rinse them before use, as those who are quinoa intolerant or have celiac disease can have mild attacks as quinoa is processed in the same machines that ground grains that contain gluten and it might leave traces of gluten.