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Is it normal/common for undigested quinoa to show up in the stool? I'm not new to quinoa but have never noticed it in the toilet before. Then again, I never paid as much attention to that as I do now. I mean it looked like I didn't digest ANY of it, and I only had a little scoop of it with my roasted acorn squash. No D, gas, bloating, etc., but either I just don't digest it well (and maybe never have but can't say for sure), or there's too much insoluble fiber in it for me to be eating it right now. Any thoughts? I'm just concerned about any irritation undigested grains could be causing, and I'm starting to wonder if I should cut out grains entirely other than white rice while I continue to heal.
*Edited to add that I rinsed the quinoa beforehand and cooked it well past the suggested cooking time.
Thanks,
Fiona
Quinoa digestion
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Hi Fiona,
Not to worry, that's normal. The pericarp (shell) on corn kernels, pieces of tomato skins, quinoa grains, whole flaxseeds, fruit seeds, etc., typically go through the digestive tract intact, simply because the human digestive system is incapable of digesting them. That's why corn, quinoa, flaxseeds, etc., need to be at least cracked (and preferably ground), or well chewed, before consumption. Otherwise, they provide no nutritional value, because we can't digest the pericarp on most grains and seeds.
Tex
Not to worry, that's normal. The pericarp (shell) on corn kernels, pieces of tomato skins, quinoa grains, whole flaxseeds, fruit seeds, etc., typically go through the digestive tract intact, simply because the human digestive system is incapable of digesting them. That's why corn, quinoa, flaxseeds, etc., need to be at least cracked (and preferably ground), or well chewed, before consumption. Otherwise, they provide no nutritional value, because we can't digest the pericarp on most grains and seeds.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Thanks, Tex. I wondered if it was just a similar situation to whole corn. So does this mean the quinoa isn't irritating my gut? I ask because you mention it's the same issue with fruit seeds, and I've been avoiding my beloved strawberries, raspberries and blackberries because I thought the seeds were an irritant to an inflamed digestive system. And, regardless of any irritation, if I'm not digesting the quinoa I eat (maybe because I'm not chewing it well enough), would it follow that I'm deriving no nutritional value from it and therefore shouldn't bother eating it?
Lori,
If you're chewing it well, then you may just be seeing the hulls in the toilet, but you may be digesting the rest. That's what happens with corn if we chew it. The pericarp still shows up, but we're able to utilize the starch, once the grain is split apart.
The fiber in the quinoa hulls might be providing some intestinal irritation, but as long as you're not having D or otherwise reacting, that may not be a problem. The seeds in berries probably wouldn't be any more irritating than the hulls on the berries. Fiber is a dosage-dependent issue, so whether or not berries might be a problem may depend on how much additional fiber you ingest on any particular day.
Tex
If you're chewing it well, then you may just be seeing the hulls in the toilet, but you may be digesting the rest. That's what happens with corn if we chew it. The pericarp still shows up, but we're able to utilize the starch, once the grain is split apart.
The fiber in the quinoa hulls might be providing some intestinal irritation, but as long as you're not having D or otherwise reacting, that may not be a problem. The seeds in berries probably wouldn't be any more irritating than the hulls on the berries. Fiber is a dosage-dependent issue, so whether or not berries might be a problem may depend on how much additional fiber you ingest on any particular day.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.