# Does anyone use Quinoa in meals?



## shelli563 (Nov 14, 2006)

I occassionally make doggie stew in which basic ingredients are ground turkey, brown rice & assorted veggies. I would like to use Quinoa instead of the rice. Has anyone else fed their dogs Quinoa? Any problems? Would I use same amounts of Quinoa as I do brown rice? It is one of the best grains for us humans...so I'm wondering if it is just as good for dogs?

Thanks again for the advice!


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## IsisUnselke (Mar 30, 2008)

I have not cooked Quinoa, but I do know that some of the higher end foods have it in them. Natura's Karma (which is an organic feed) has Quinoa and Breeder's choice Pinnacle also uses it.

From Wikipedia:

Quinoa was of great nutritional importance in pre-Columbian Andean civilizations, being secondary only to the potato, and followed in third place by maize. In contemporary times this crop has come to be highly appreciated for its nutritional value, as its protein content is very high (12%–18%), making it a healthy choice for vegetarians and vegans. Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete protein source.[5] 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 as a possible crop in NASA's Controlled Ecological Life Support System for long-duration manned spaceflights.

Still not meat, but if you wanted to use it in place of another grain source in your doggie stew, I think it would be good for them.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

I used it accidentally in Rafi's food once. He did GREAT on it! I know a couple other people also use it in their homecooked diets.


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## balakai (Feb 9, 2005)

The Honest Kitchen's newest canine formula includes it. I've fed it to my dogs and they've done well.

~Kristin


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## Rika_Tula (Nov 9, 2006)

Yes, I feed our three quinoa instead of rice when I can. Not always because the box only lasts for a couple of meals. I'd really like to find it in bulk, like how rice comes...but honestly I haven't really done much research, yet. And, we eat it ourselves, although it usually goes to the dogs first, LOL.

No problems here - all three seem to do very well with it...even our male Golden who typically has a sensitive digestive system.

I use the same amount of quinoa as I would use feeding rice.


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## LJsMom (Jan 6, 2008)

LJ turned her nose up at it. I've read lots of good things about it though.

I'm wondering if a store like Whole Foods Market would have a larger box?


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## WiscTiger (Sep 25, 2002)

I did some google searching. It looks like a very good substitue for rice or potato, but looking at different sites the thing that would concern me is availability. Several sites I checked sell bulk but it is currently out of stock. 

Here is one that sells bulk http://quinoabulk.com/ but doesn't have the 50# available. The do have 4 - 26oz packages.

Val


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## Rika_Tula (Nov 9, 2006)

Well, look at that! ...unbelievable, quinoa bulk - amazing! Thanks for Googling.









I'm going to see if the brand that I get around here carries it in larger quantities through other purchasing venues and retailers.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

I can get quinoa in bulk at the co-op and at a few of the health food stores. The problem is that is costs 3 times as much as millet and twice as much as brown rice! I was able to get organic millet in bulk yesterday for 79cents a pound so that's what went into today's (2 week) batch of food.


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## Rika_Tula (Nov 9, 2006)

> Originally Posted By: BowWowMeowI can get quinoa in bulk at the co-op and at a few of the health food stores.


You know what? ...maybe I'm just not paying very good attention. I loathe grocery shopping, so I get in and out as fast as I can, lol. We have a great co-op about 30 min from us, I should check that out. And, we also have a Fresh Market which is like Whole Foods that I can check. You guys/gals have created a fire under my butt!


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