Seeds of Change - Gluten Free Quinoa

There are many ancient grains that you might start opening your eyes to once you become gluten free. Things like: Quinoa, Teff, Millet, and Flax become new territories that were there all along, but were not considered a necessity. The reality is these ancient grains pack powerful nutritious punches and are much needed in a gluten free diet for a balance of nutrition.

One of these ancient grains is quinoa. Quinoa is exciting because its protein content is very high (12%–18%). Unlike wheat or rice, quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete protein source among plant foods.It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest. Because of all these characteristics, quinoa is being considered a possible crop in NASA's Controlled Ecological Life Support System for long-duration manned spaceflights


When my daughter got her diagnosis and I had to shop in health food stores, it became clear to me that this whole world of other options needed to be explored. But how does one go from Uncle Ben's instant rice to eating quinoa? And more importantly, how do you get your young family members to try it when they are expensive in comparison to just rice?

We first tried mixing quinoa into a brown rice pilaf - She wouldn't eat it, but then she isn't a big brown rice fan. While at the Gluten Free Expo in Asheville, we got a sample of Seeds Of Change's Cuzco Whole Grains Quinoa Blend mix.

I am usually not very fond of any mixes, but this product changed my mind about that at dinner last night. I made it as a side dish to a pork roast and only doctored it up slightly by adding a little Gluten Free Tamari sauce on top after cooking. Our daughter ate her serving without any complaint. And if that isn't enough, Seeds of Change is certified organic and a very environmentally responsible company which just adds to my attraction to it.

You can purchase it at Harris Teeter, Food Lion, Bi-Lo, & Earthfare locally. The company will send you a list of their gluten free products available if you request it.