Quinoa has seen a surge in popularity. Once you could only find it in a health food store, while now, it’s available in pretty much every supermarket. It’s one of the few foods that contains all nine essential amino acids, and is suitable for vegans, vegetarians, and others. It’s high in protein, fiber, iron and zinc, and it’s low in fat. With all these benefits, is quinoa low FODMAP?
Varieties
There’s several varieties of quinoa, and quinoa products.
White Quinoa
White quinoa is probably the most common. It’s the variety that you’re more likely to find on the shelves of your local supermarket. A cup of cooked white quinoa is a serve, and it is low FODMAP. FODMAP Friendly quantifies a serve as 95 grams, or half a cup.
Red Quinoa
Red quinoa is not as easily found as white quinoa is, but some supermarkets do stock this variety as well. The Monash University tested red quinoa and found that a single serve of a cup of cooked red quinoa is low FODMAP. FODMAP Friendly also agreed that a serve of 95 grams is low FODMAP.
Black Quinoa
Black quinoa is another variety. It’s also low FODMAP in a serve of a cup of cooked quinoa, as per the Monash University guidelines, or a 95 gram serving as per the FODMAP Friendly guidelines.
Quinoa Pasta
Quinoa pasta can be made from white, red or black quinoa. The Monash University tested a full serve and a half serve of quinoa pasta. A full serve is a cup of cooked pasta, and a half serve is half a cup of cooked pasta. Both serving sizes are low FODMAP.
Quinoa Flakes
Quinoa flakes are simply quinoa that has been rolled, similar to rolled oats. You can use it to make a breakfast oatmeal. A serve is a cup of uncooked flakes, and it is low FODMAP.
Quinoa Flour
Quinoa flour can be used as an alternative to regular flour. It’s low FODMAP in serves of 2/3 of a cup. It’s gluten free, and products made from quinoa flour also tend to be low in FODMAPs, although of course this depends on the other ingredients, and the serving size of the end product.
Quinoa Milk
Quinoa milk is a lactose free milk alternative. It’s low FODMAP in a full serve of 250ml, and in a half serve of 125ml. You can buy it or you can make it easily at home.
Homemade Quinoa Milk
This recipe is super easy to make. You can use it as a base for milkshakes, by adding flavor powder to the milk. You do need to be careful about what kind of powder you use as not all of them will be low FODMAP.
Ingredients
1 cup of cooked quinoa
3 cups of water
Method
- Add the cooked quinoa, and the water to a blender.
- Blend.
- Once the mix is blended, you can strain it with a strainer, or a cheesecloth.
- Serve.
