yaodema
@yaodema

a lot, actually! yinglets are resistant to a wide range of common natural toxins, owing to their home swamps in canon being so full of toxic flora and fauna. they apparently adapt to new toxins of those types fairly rapidly, as well, and sequester what their bodies can't process, making them toxic to most things that'd try to eat them

this is partly the result of their immune systems, toxin-processing organs, and the "hell microbes" (as Val often put it) that are in their guts, which help to break down toxins in their food, as well as breaking down most things they eat. think of it like the microbiome we have in our own guts, but way more powerful, and as far as I can tell, present before their small intestines (since otherwise it's unlikely they'd be protected against toxins they eat, so easily)

it'd be easier to list what they can't eat. and that's... anything that contains glutens!


mynotaurus
@mynotaurus

devestating news for my baking career

i mean i got zhe good genes i can eat grains, but everyone else is gonna explode


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in reply to @yaodema's post:

they should be! the gluten (as in prolamin protein) amounts in those are very low compared to stuff like rice or wheat (less than 10% instead of the vast majority of protein in the seeds), so while they may not be able to fully digest it, it also shouldn't be able to make big clumps

this still denies them proper breads, though, as neither quinoa nor buckwheat alone are very good at making stuff like bread or noodles, sadly. (buckwheat noodles contain a lot of wheat wheat, typically)

yeah, not even all of the true grains have gluten that is good for making bread or pasta doughs, really only rye and the various wheat varieties (including spelt, emmer, einkorn etc) can do that

another related wondering: is it known how "sensitive" the yinglet gluten intolerance generally is?

in other words, assuming I am a normal grain-eating human, how thoroughly would I have to clean my kitchen to be able to make food a yinglet can safely eat?

you're expecting too much sensitivity, it's not like celiac disease. it really is a case of them physically needing the gluten to not form large clumps. a repeated thing Val brings up is how taking bread and getting it so wet that it falls apart into a soup would make it safe to eat.

basically, noodles, not safe; bread and tortillas, not safe; beer, safe. probably mildly thickened roux, too, but you can just use starches instead of flour to make thickened soups anyway...

in reply to @mynotaurus's post:

meanwhile I'm fine, since (most) Hyperion yinglets are built different, and can eat grains just fine, as long as they don't stop doing that for months on end. (yes, the big form still has yingy digestion, among a bunch of other yinglet traits. she got too used to it to let it go)