Saturday, March 12, 2011

Quinoa

I made this Curried Pineapple Quinoa Salad tonight and I have enough left for several breakfasts this week. Quinoa is the perfect way to start the day. Some say it's the perfect food. (See article below)



Is Quinoa The Perfect Food?

by Jim Plummer

Functional Fitness Facts


Quinoa is a nutritional powerhouse that has many health benefits, but exactly what is quinoa?

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) has been grown for thousands of years in the Andes mountains in South America. It was a very important part of the Incan diet and it is still sometimes referred to as "the gold of the Incas." It is often thought of as a grain, but it is actually the seed of a leafy green plant called Chenopodium (also known as goosefoot), which is related to Swiss chard and spinach.

Quinoa has a structure similar to wheat or rice. Like grains, it can be eaten whole or ground into floor to make bread, cereal, or pasta. But unlike a lot of grains, it is not stripped of it's bran and germ when it is processed as a food source.

Here are the many health benefits of quinoa:

Contains all nine essential amino acids. There are 20 amino acids that the body needs to form protein, but it can only manufacture 11 of these. The other nine, which are called essential amino acids, must come from food. Quinoa and soy are the only plant-based foods that contains all nine essential amino acids.

Digests slowly. Quinoa is a complex carbohydrate that digests slowly and will not cause blood sugar levels and insulin levels to spike. It's also an excellent source of energy.

Is high in fiber. One cup of cooked quinoa contains five grams of fiber. Fiber helps keep your colon and arteries clean and healthy.

Induces satiety. The protein and fiber in quinoa induce satiety, which is a feeling of fullness and satisfaction.

Is high in vitamins and minerals. Quinoa is higher in calcium, B vitamins, vitamin E, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, iron, copper, manganese, and zinc than most grains.

Contains phytonutrients. Quinoa contains phytonutrients (also known as phytochemicals), which are chemical compounds that help reduce the risk of heart disease and some forms of cancer.

Acts as a prebiotic. Quinoa acts as a prebiotic that feeds the microflora (good bacteria) in your intestines.

Is gluten free. Quinoa is gluten free and safe for those with gluten intolerance.

Quinoa is increasing in popularity, but you still won't find it in many grocery stores. Look for it in more progressive grocery stores and in health food stores. You can also buy it online.





Jim Plummer is a longtime health and fitness enthusiast. His website, http://www.functional-fitness-facts.com, contains information and advice that will help you get fit and healthy. Visit his website and pick up your free fat loss report.


Originally published on SearchWarp.com for Jim Plummer Thursday, January 01, 2009

Article Source: Is Quinoa The Perfect Food?




7 comments:

  1. And you should mention how easy it is to cook! I rinse it and put it in the rice cooker, and it only takes as long as white rice to cook!

    And it has the most pleasing texture in the mouth too. I always knew it would be good for me, but thought it would also be kind of high maintenance to prepare or to combine with "regular" foods. Now it is my #1 fav and now at Lent possibly the only grain I'm going to eat.

    As a side note, have you seen "FatHead"? It is a documentary (available for instant download at Netflix) response to "SuperSize Me" and while I knew I needed to change my diet for at least the past year, I was not quite sure what might be wrong, and that documentary gave me the rudimentary dietary science that I needed to know where to begin. : ) You might like it.

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  2. Pasta made with quinoa is tasty, too. Those or the tinkyada rice noodle brand are the best. I've always been disappointed with the de bolles brand of rice noodle. They turn to mush no matter how you cook them.

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  3. Can you please share the Quinoa recipe here? It looks delicious. Thanks.

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  4. Paula,
    Click the link (the name of this recipe) in the first sentence of this blog post to find the recipe.
    ~Kari

    P.S. It was good!

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  5. Kari, you might be interested in some of the recipes/links being shared today at this blog:
    http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2011/03/15/recipe-connection-two-grain-free-pancake-options-banana-and-almond-apple/#more-10304

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  6. OK I need to know....did Bean and Java eat this?

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  7. Java and Bean only tasted it. They didn't like all the stuff in it. They liked it better when I made it plain (kind of like rice) last time.

    Quinoa pasta tastes just like regular pasta so we're using that whenever we can now. Start small. :-)
    ~Kari

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