On Healthy Living

Not very different from brown rice regarding its cooking method (rinse it first, then cook it for ten to fifteen minutes in two measures of water for one measure of grain), quinoa is a usually unexpected source of proteins as well as of complex carbohydrates, that looks like a grain but also contains many nutrients similar to the ones in vegetables; while one might think at first glance that this food is to be classified among “cereals”, it’s actually the seed of a plant close to spinach, which may explain its particularities.

I found out that in many recipes, it can be a great replacement to pasta and other grains - whether in salads or with dishes. No need to even worry a lot about too-high caloric intake: a half-cup of dry quinoa holds around 318 calories, but you sure won’t need that much for one person in a meal. This “grain” is tremendously filling, increasing three to four times in volume after cooking; its delicate taste and almost “amusing” texture also make it easy to appreciate, or at the least, pretty interesting to try.

More about the benefits of quinoa can be found on this page. To quote an excerpt from the article:

Quinoa has excellent reserves of protein, and unlike other grains, is not missing the amino aicd lysine, so the protein is more complete (a trait it shares with other “non-true” grains such as buckwheat and amaranth). The World Health Organization has rated the quality of protein in quinoa at least equivalent to that in milk. Quinoa offers more iron than other grains and contains high levels of potassium and riboflavin, as well as other B vitamins: B6, niacin, and thiamin. It is also a good source of magnesium, zinc, copper, and manganese, and has some folate (folic acid).

While it’s better known in South America, from which it originates, quinoa shouldn’t be too hard to find nowadays, even if more available in specialized stores than in every supermarket. Whether within the frame of a diet or for more general healthy eating (not only is it rich in nutrients, it also holds a glycemix index of 35 only, for those who’re interested in keeping track of this), it sure is one healthy source of complex carbohydrates to add to the list, especially as per opposition to the usual, low-quality refined starches.

Yzabel wrote this on June 26th, 2005 and filed it under Healthy Cooking, Healthy Eating, Health Foods |