WHEAT FREE FOLKS ARE AHEAD OF THE LOW CARB TREND

Search for Wheat Alternatives Leads to High-Protein Grains

DENVER, CO: People on wheat-free diets discovered the benefits of alternative high-protein grains such as quinoa and amaranth long before the low-carb trend started.

“When their diagnosis forces them to give up their daily bread, morning cereal, or anything made with wheat,” says Carol Fenster, Ph.D., publisher of six books including Wheat-Free Recipes & Menus (www.carolfenster.com) “they turn to other, often healthier, grains instead.”

For example, amaranth––a super-grain grown by the Aztecs centuries ago––can be purchased as flour, cereal, or ready-made products such as crackers. It boasts a protein content that exceeds ordinary wheat, says Fenster, whose recurring sinus infections forced her to give up wheat decades ago.

“Quinoa, (pronounced KEENwah) another ancient super-grain that is also extremely high in protein, was grown by the Incas in Peru and is now eaten by many people on wheat-free diets,” says Fenster. Quinoa can be purchased as pasta, breakfast cereal, or as flour that can be made into breads, muffins, cookies––or anything that is ordinarily baked with wheat flour, she adds.

Fenster, who develops wheat-free products for manufacturers, creatively turns whole grain quinoa into a Middle-Eastern tabbouleh or a couscous-type dish or boils the grains into a simple but hearty, high-protein breakfast cereal. She turns amaranth cereals into granola-type bars and hearty muffins.

“Both amaranth and quinoa occupy a prominent place in my pantry,” says Fenster, who uses a wide variety of flours in her test kitchen. “I value them not only because they are two of the most nutritious grains on earth, but also for the unique flavor they bring to my diet and their high fiber content, especially in their whole grain state.”

About 10-15% of Americans can’t eat wheat due to gluten, a protein that is toxic for people with allergies or an autoimmune condition known as celiac disease. Once these people are diagnosed in a physician’s office or through at-home, “pin-prick” blood tests such as those from York Nutritional Laboratories, www.yorkallergyusa.com, a whole new set of choices opens up, says Fenster. And, she adds, these choices include high-protein grains such as quinoa and amaranth that we might never have considered before.

Information for food allergies, celiac disease, autism, and other special diet conditions