Nutritionally considered a "supergrain", quinoa (most commonly pronounced "KEEN-wah") is technically not a grain, but the seed of a distant relative to spinach.
An important food for over 6000 years in the Andes mountains of Peru, quinoa is known as the "mother of all grains". It is an excellent source of high quality protein containing both the amino acids lysine (absent in most grains) and methionine (absent in beans) ... so it is an attractive choice to anyone looking for "complete" protein in their diets.
Although fairly non-descript, the taste grows on you ... as does the fact that it is also a good source of fibre, phosphorus, iron, magnesium and B vitamins.
If we are to approach anything remotely close to a "balanced" diet, then variety must be a key strategy ... and this is one option definitely worth considering. Organic quinoa is readily available and it's gluten-free and easy to digest.
To make it even more interesting, I usually prepare it in combination with brown basmati rice and wild rice, something that is truly delicious!
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6 comments:
Am very keen to know more about nutrition. Can you recommed any further reading?
Dear anonymous ... I'd recommend "Food For Fitness" by Anita Bean.
For solid factual information without opinion, try "Nutrition for Dummies" (Denby, Baic and Rinzler).
Paul Chek's book "Eat, Move and Be Healthy" is another example of this author's class and unparalleled expertise.
You'll find all three on my site at www.healthfitnessessentials.com (Shop>Books)
Enjoy!
Once you have your feet wet, you may also be interested in Patrick Holford's work. He is a prolific author who is certainly well respected too.
Good luck!
Good post, great information.
glad to know it's easily available as it's delicious and well with adding to the food store.
Thank you
Quinoa is excellent with stir fries. I recently blog about Nutritious Super Grains along with some recipes, quinoa included :)
Not too many know about quinoa–glad to see it on your blog! I love quinoa and recommend it in my fat-loss, gain health diet book for women! Here is the recipe (quick, fit and healthy)
Diva Quinoa Quench
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 oz. almonds, chopped
1 oz. raisins
1/2 cup low-fat organic milk
Preparation: Cook quinoa as directed on package in a saucepan or rice cooker. Combine cooked quinoa, almonds, and raisins in a bowl and top with milk.
Makes 1 Serving
Nutritional Value: 374 calories; 14 g protein; 52 g carbs; 12.5 g fat; 6.5 g fiber; 60 mg sodium
Notes: To make this recipe vegetarian, use soy or rice milk.
Thanks!
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