OSA, GERD, and Quinoa

NightHawkeye · Post by **NightHawkeye** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 7:53 am

A week ago I happened to mention Quinoa, a grain which I usually eat for breadfast. Sadly, I neglected to mention the reason Quinoa became an important part of my diet. Since this might benefit someone else here, I'll relate more.

After being put on Protonix a year ago for GERD, I started paying close attention to foods which caused acid/gastric distress for me. At that time I'd already modified my eating habits so that I ate fair-sized meals for breakfast and lunch, and rarely ate much in the evenings. I suspected that staying on Protonix long-term was probably not a good idea. (The Protonix data sheet is clear that the drug is intended to be taken for periods of six-months or less.)

In paying close attention to the foods I was eating, I realized that of the breakfast foods I ate, Quinoa was the only one which never left me with some degree of distress after eating. It wasn't so much a conscious decision to choose Quinoa over other breakfast cereals. It was more that Quinoa won out over the others in terms of how I felt later in the day.

As for Protonix, I won't say that I liked taking Protonix, but it helped my acid stomach problem while I was taking it, and also helped me understand that I had more of an acid problem than I'd previously realized or paid any attention to. The relative lack of acid/gastric distress while on Protonix enabled me to more clearly distinguish between foods which caused distress and those which didn't. Rather than renewing my prescription after about six months, I decided to test whether I'd be able to control things without Protonix, and I'm happy to report that I have been. The transition off of Protonix wasn't a problem at all. Sure, I occasionally still have times of acid distress but I also had occasional acid distress while taking Protonix. I attribute Quinoa as a key component in helping to control acid/gastric distress for me.

So that's my Quinoa story. Just my experience, of course. Because OSA and GERD are so closely related, I wanted to relate that experience with the hope that it might benefit others.

Regards,
Bill (who has no vested interest in Quinoa other than as a satisfied consumer)

Alisha · Post by **Alisha** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 10:35 am

Thanks, Bill, for the additional info on Quinoa. It reminded me to call my health food store.

They only have the plain Quinoa by Arrow Head Mills, but are ordering the Ancient Harvest Quinoa Flakes and Inca Red for me. It will be a week or two before I receive, but I will let you know what I think after I get to try it.

BTW what fruit(s) do you think causes less gastric distress? I love the sweet Ruby Red grapefruit, but they probably are acidic...right?

Any other food tips you can throw our way will be appreciated!

Regards,

Alisha

NightHawkeye · Post by **NightHawkeye** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 12:14 pm

Alisha wrote:BTW what fruit(s) do you think causes less gastric distress? I love the sweet Ruby Red grapefruit, but they probably are acidic...right?

I'm the wrong person to ask about grapefruit. (I read somewhere once that some of us are overly sensitive to bitterness, and attribute that to why I've never been fond of grapefruit.) Oranges are certainly acidic though, sometimes painfully so. I don't seem to have much trouble with Mandarin Oranges though.

Kiwi seems to be the very best fruit for me, but I've never researched why that would be. Even nights when I have some indigestion, eating a kiwi settles things down. Pineapple also works well for me, although I've read that it tends to be acidic. I suppose the benefit I get from pineapple has to do with the enzyme bromelain which pineapple contains in abundance. Bromelain is both a digestive enzyme and a natural anti-inflammatory.

I've become a bit of a Kiwi connoisseur over the past few years. Kiwi found in most grocery stores is pretty awful. The best source I've found for Kiwi is Sam's Club, amazingly enough, but you have to buy 4 pounds of it there. (Never been a problem for me to consume that much though over a period of a few weeks - I just keep it refrigerated until devoured.)

As for pineapple, I prefer Dole Gold which has more of the traditional pineapple taste. Del Monte Gold, on the other hand, has been bred so that it's extremely sweet (which accounts for why it's the most common variety found). Dole settles much better on my stomach, but is much harder to find sometimes. I also find Tropicana available sometimes here and I buy it when I can't find Dole.

I get strawberries whenever I can find decent ones, but mostly these days they seem to be covered with bad spots (some sort of fungus or mold). Bananas are good, but green ones are definitely acidic. I like apples too, but they're a little on the sweet side. The larger Asian apple/pears, usually called either Asian Apples or Asian Pears and almost always packed in styrofoam netting, are really good too, and usually not hard to find.

Hope this helps.

Regards,
Bill

deebatt · Post by **deebatt** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 2:18 pm

Bill,
I'm glad to see your post about quinoa. I've been feeding it to my parrots for years...i cook more for them and they eat healthier than i do

I've been wanting to try adding quinoa to my diet also (ya ya those new years resolutions, i know) but i'd like to know some better ways to serve it up. Any recipies or tips that you could pass along would be greatly appreciated! Right now i'm o.k with Kashi's 7 grain hot cereal, i can tolerate that (taste wise) but im a little leary of the quinoa, thats why im looking for some cooking and recipie advice

NightHawkeye · Post by **NightHawkeye** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 2:45 pm

deebatt wrote:I'm glad to see your post about quinoa. I've been feeding it to my parrots for years...i cook more for them and they eat healthier than i do

That's interesting. I thought millet was the grain of preference for birds. And, sunflower seeds for parrots, of course. What my grandfather's parrot really preferred though was buttered toast and orange slices for breakfast. I think he only lived to be a little over 60 though. Maybe he'd have lived longer if he'd been eating quinoa instead.

I don't have any recipes I use, but recipes come inside every box of Ancient Harvest quinoa. The recipe books all suggest that Quinoa can be substituted for rice just about anywhere. I'm imagining Chicken Fried Quinoa now in place of Chicken Fried Rice. Hmm . . ., might be interesting, especially using the Inca Red variety of Quinoa.

I cook quinoa about like rice. It takes between 15 and 20 minutes for the quinoa to absorb all the water, except quinoa flakes will cook in just a few minutes. Sorry to say, that's about the extent of my knowledge on how to cook quinoa.

Regards,
Bill

birdshell · Post by **birdshell** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 5:09 pm

Quinoa (keen-wah for those new to it) is a very ancient whole grain. I believe it contains a fair amount of protein, if I remember correctly. (I actually haven't cooked it for some time.) It looks rather different than other grains, as when cooked, there is a black circle on each grain.

I'm wondering if you have used the whole grain version with better success than the flakes? I didn't realize that there was such a substance as the quicker-cooking quinoa flakes.

Medical research has long shown that whole grains (and a lack of any processed grains, including flour made from ANY grain) have had a beneficial effect on weight loss. This is thought to be from the slower digestion of the whole grain causing less of a spike in blood sugar and stimulating the production of insulin, which then causes a craving for more food.

Interestingly, this was a recommendation of the relatively new book, "You: On A Diet: The Owner's Manual for Waist Management" by Mehmet Oz, MD and Michael Roizen, MD. It was featured on a 20/20 segment last night. Drs. Oz and Roizen have been on the Oprah show, explaining many medical facts and phenomena. IMHO, they are performing a service in bringing forth the results of quality research in an understandable, friendly format.

Being very sensitive to simple carbohydrates myself, I have found that steel-cut oatmeal is OK; instant or quick cooking is not. The "regular" oatmeal (such as Quaker Oats) is in between. This is why I'm wondering if you have had a similar experience in response to your stomach acid, Nighthawkeye, with the quinoa flakes vs. the whole quinoa.

And, as for recipes, a Google search produced about 736,000 entries when I typed in, "quinoa recipes." Maybe a few of those links will contain something. Many quinoa packages also include a seasoning packet, at least if bought in a regular grocery store.

Thanks for reminding me of this grain. I'd half forgotten about it!

Snoredog · Post by **Snoredog** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 5:57 pm

next time you are at your health food store, pick up some Licorice Root (but not the sweetened candy-rarely made from the root).

Licorice Root contains active substances that attack the bacteria that cause ulcers.

Pink Grapefruit should be avoided along with other citrus, way too acidic.

NightHawkeye · Post by **NightHawkeye** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 7:47 pm

Snoredog wrote:Licorice Root contains active substances that attack the bacteria that cause ulcers.

I didn't know that Snoredog, but I do drink Licorice Root tea regularly and it seems to minimize the acid effects.

I've also read though that it's known to the state of California to contain carcinogens. Oh well . . .

NightHawkeye · Post by **NightHawkeye** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 8:10 pm

birdshell wrote:I'm wondering if you have used the whole grain version with better success than the flakes? I didn't realize that there was such a substance as the quicker-cooking quinoa flakes.

To be honest, birdshell, I don't recall much difference between the flakes and regular quinoa, other than cooking time. I'm not saying there isn't some difference, just that I didn't notice any. Of course, I've kinda developed a preference now for the "Inca Red" quinoa.

birdshell wrote:Many quinoa packages also include a seasoning packet, at least if bought in a regular grocery store.

I noticed this at Target for the first time a couple of weeks ago. I wouldn't expect much from the seasonings, but who knows. It might be OK.

birdshell wrote:Thanks for reminding me of this grain. I'd half forgotten about it!

My pleasure.

Regards,
Bill

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 8:33 pm

All the fruits you've mentioned as working well for you (except pineapple) are low glycemic load items.

Kiwis and strawberries are almost like eating spinach in terms of their relatively small effect on blood sugar. I guess that has something to do with not having much sugar in relation to their fiber content.

Apples and asian pears are also fairly low glycemic load items.

I've noticed less problems with GERD since switching a low glycemic load diet, which has been helping control my appetite and lose weight. You might consider checking out other low glycemic load foods and meals.

(The best source of glycemic load information know of is the Nutrition Data website. All types of berries that I've checked so far are low glycemic load.)

I never liked kiwis until I went to a low glycemic load diet. Now even the poor quality and not very ripe ones taste great to me. Perhaps I'll get pickier as time goes by.

Gracie

Julie · Post by **Julie** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 8:38 pm

Hi, I think it's possible that you have a gluten intolerance (if not allergy) and that's why quinoa (and possibly any other grains that are NOT wheat (based) will allow you to eat them. You should check with your MD about this, because if you do have a gluten problem, there are many foods which you can eat, but others you shouldn't be touching - but just may not yet be aware of as causing irritation. It's fairly common and easy to find out about and deal with.

NightHawkeye · Post by **NightHawkeye** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 8:40 am

Julie wrote:Hi, I think it's possible that you have a gluten intolerance (if not allergy) and that's why quinoa (and possibly any other grains that are NOT wheat (based) will allow you to eat them.

I had a biopsy check for coeliac disease fifteen years or so ago which was negative. Of course, I later found out that the test is only valid if you've been consuming gluten containing products in some quantity and for some period of time prior to the test. (sigh . . ., if only the gastroenterologist had known, or bothered to inquire) Still, I've discovered that most grains don't set well with me. For a few years I ate some spelt and oats instead of wheat. Neither really set well with me either though, and then I found out that both also have gluten. (Duh!)

I had a similar experience with glucose tolerance testing and getting a negative result. So, I'm not diabetic, but I can tell that my body doesn't process sugar well. The new term for this is insulin resistance and, like GERD, seems to be associated with apnea. So I try to minimize my consumption of sweets, despite having a sweet tooth, and I feel better as a result.

If having a definitive diagnosis for any of this would help, then I'd be all for it. I have yet to personally encounter a physician who is terribly interested in dietary matters though.

Regards,
Bill

DreamStalker · Post by **DreamStalker** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 12:11 pm

Thanks Bill for the great food/nutrition info. I found the Inca Red at Whole Foods store just yesterday ... hope to try out it today or tomorrow.

Karen - I just finished reading Dr. Oz's book about a month ago ... although he wrote it in a corny style (I suppose it still does appeal to a wide audience), I feel it is one of the best books on the subject with lots of great info on how our bodies utilize food and how food affects the state of our body.

- roberto

Rachael · Post by **Rachael** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 12:41 pm

I thought for years that I hated quinoa, but it was because the first time I cooked it I hadn't rinsed it. Quinoa is coated with a bitter substance that keeps critters from eating it, so make sure to rinse it really well before you cook it or you might think you hate it.

Now I eat quinoa a lot, and I love how fast it is.

I ate no gluten containing foods for a week and I am startled at how much better I feel. Fewer headaches, less fatique. Though I also started CPAP, so maybe it's just the sleep.

NightHawkeye · Post by **NightHawkeye** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 2:52 pm

Rachael wrote:Quinoa is coated with a bitter substance that keeps critters from eating it, so make sure to rinse it really well before you cook it or you might think you hate it.

Interesting. I've never encountered that problem. I've never even thought of quinoa as being bitter, just bland, like most grains. A search of the internet showed that among folks who have encountered the bitterness, it seems to vary from batch to batch or between producers.

Maybe I never realized bitterness was an issue because I started eating quinoa in the form of flakes, which would already have had the outer coating removed. I only started eating regular quinoa when I couldn't get the flakes locally any longer.

Rachael wrote:I ate no gluten containing foods for a week and I am startled at how much better I feel. Fewer headaches, less fatique. Though I also started CPAP, so maybe it's just the sleep.

Congratulations, Rachael. Sounds like you're off to a great start with CPAP.

Regards,
Bill

OSA, GERD, and Quinoa

OSA, GERD, and Quinoa

Make sure to rinse

Re: Make sure to rinse