The Complete Protein – QUINOA

Quinoa, pronounced as keen-wah, is a species of goosefoot genus and is a pseudo-cereal. Its importance for the Inca Empire has given it the title of ‘Mother of all grains’. These are small, bean shaped, and a little bitter in taste. Quinoa is a complete protein and has been declared a ‘Super food’. It is of three types:

1. Red quinoa
2. White quinoa
3. Black quinoa

Quinoa has its importance because:

• Full of nutrition

  : 185 grams of quinoa contains – 8 grams protein, 5 gram fiber, magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, copper, iron, zinc, potassium, Vitamin B1, B2, B3 and B6, E and calcium. Year 2013 was regarded as ‘The International Year of Quinoa’ because of its high nutritional value.

• Quinoa contains Quercetin and Kaempferol

  : Two flavonoids, Quercetin and Kaempferol, are found in ample amount in quinoa. These two are anti-depressants, anti-cancerous, anti-viral and anti-inflammatory.

• High in fiber

  : Every 100 gram of uncooked fiber contains 10-15 grams of fiber which is much more than many other grains.

• Gluten Free

  : Quinoa is gluten-free and to go for quinoa instead of other gluten-free products like potato, rice and corn flour for instance, is not as good an option as this one.

• High protein and amino acids

  : Quinoa is rich in protein contents in comparison to most of the other foods and also contains necessary amino acids.

• Beneficial for metabolic health:

  Quinoa has a low sugar and triglyceride level in it. This leads to improved metabolic health.

• Anti inflammatory benefits

• Health benefits:

  Quinoa is a complete protein and helps fight Type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure, colon cancer, obesity etc.

Some facts about quinoa:

• It has a natural coating, called saponin, which makes it bitter in taste. So before cooking quinoa, rinse it well.
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa equals to 3 cups cooked quinoa.
• 1 cup quinoa takes 2 cups liquid.
• It should be stored in airtight containers.

Recipes where you can add quinoa:

• Quinoa vegetable salad

• Quinoa patty burger

• Quinoa and mushroom

So to keep your body healthy, a healthy intake of quinoa is a good option. Its rich contents have numerous benefits and this has been backed by various researchers. Most of the ‘quinoa being beneficial’ research have been conducted on rats and are beneficial to humans too. Thus, we can completely say that quinoa is a complete protein.

STAY HEALTHY!!

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