Quinoa

Consumption of new foods and over-consumption of alternative starches. People new to the GFD often begin to consume foods never eaten as a child when humans develop tolerance to foods. As an adult on a GFD, some of these glutenalternatives (sesame, hemp, buckwheat, sorghum, millet, amaranth, quinoa, tapioca, teff) may cause the immune system to react against the new food as if it were a foreign antigen. Another common event is for a people to develop food-sensitivity due to over-consumption of a specific food. People new to the GFD may substitute another starch to compensate for the loss of wheat in the diet. Thus, the development of reactions to corn, rice, and/or potato is seen in some patients on a GFD.

People who are new to the GFD encounter new foods and/or over-consume old favorites to compensate for the lack of wheat in the diet. Gluten-free cookies, crackers, breads and cakes often contain copious amounts of rice, amaranth, sorghum and other substitutes. Some of these new-to-the-patient foods may illicit an adverse reaction. Other foods that are often introduced to the patient on the GFD are quinoa, buckwheat and hemp. Some People may turn to the “ancient” grains (Polish wheat, spelt, barley, rye), not knowing that these contain gluten. Another problem patients often face on the GFD is the over-consumption of another starch to make up for the loss of wheat. They turn to potato, rice or corn as a substitute. This can lead to the development of a new sensitivity or the enhancement of old sensitivities.