Jicama and Quinoa

[monkey]

Please advise! I just read that jicama is whole30 approved, but it is a legume. And quinoa, which is more related to beets and spinach is not approved. Can anyone clear this up for me? Thanks!

[Susan W]

I'll let a moderator or someone more into the technical/science reason for it than I am answer why, but yes, Jicama is allowed (green beans are legumes but surrounded with the huge green pod and tiny bean/seed) and no, Quinoa is not allowed. The way I separate what is allowed and what isn't is that you could not go out and harvest Quinoa and eat it without processing it. Right or wrong, that always seems to work for me.

[missmary]

Here's the quote from Mellisa on Jicama (from Mel's website):

The potential downsides of legumes are all found in the seed. The anti-nutrients, inflammatory compounds, phytoestrogens (in the case of soy) and carbohydrate density (in the case of many legumes) are all packed into the seed. When you eat jicama, you're eating the root, which has none of the same issues as the seed. (As an aside, you'd never, ever eat the seed of a jicama – it's actually quite toxic.) This is the same logic by which it's okay to eat bean sprouts (the grassy part that grows out of the seed), but not the beans themselves.

I don't have a reference for Quinoa handy, but I do know that while quinoa is a pseudo grain, it acts like a grain in your system so it's not allowed. It's worth noting that with quinoa you are eating a seed, where with spinach a leaf, and beets a root...not the same parts of the plants. I believe that makes the difference even if they are related biologically.

[Robin Strathdee]

What MissMary (and Melissa) said. :0)

[monkey]

Got it! Thanks everyone!

[DeannaDaniels]

I really think it's amazing and would like to commend Dallas and Melissa for their research in coming up with such a detailed and beneficial plan. To be able to find information such as this about so many different foods all in one place is truly invaluable.