Speaking on alternatives to grains, NOHA Past President Marjorie Hurt Jones, RN, said that those newly diagnosed with food allergies feel confused, overwhelmed, and depressed; to them the diagnosis is usually nothing but bad news. Yet there are many more grain alternatives now than ten years ago: buckwheat, quinoa, amaranth, and now teff, a seldom used member of the grain family. 

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. . . there are many more grain alternatives now than ten years ago: buckwheat, quinoa, amaranth, and now teff, a seldom used member of the grain family. 

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The first three are far removed biologically from all the grains. Nutritionally, all these alternatives are comparable to whole wheat. For protein, carbohydrates, and calories, they are similar to wheat. Amaranth and quinoa are higher in fat than wheat. Buckwheat is low in fiber; teff and wheat are high. In calcium, amaranth and teff are higher than wheat; in iron, amaranth is highest, making it good for anemia. Amaranth is very low in thiamine; amaranth and quinoa are high in riboflavin. For niacin, buckwheat is the highest.