Quinoa is one of the world’s most popular health foods. It’s a truly fascinating food, and worth taking a closer look at its different features and what it can provide for you. It’s been known in health circles for quite some time now, but has only received attention from the mainstream in recent years. Here are the top reasons/health benefits why you should incorporate this wonder seed in your diet:
HIGH FIBRE
Quinoa contains almost twice as much fibre as most other grains. Fibre is most widely known to relieve constipation. It also helps to prevent heart disease by reducing high blood pressure and diabetes. Fibre lowers cholesterol and glucose levels, may lower your risk of developing haemorrhoids and may help you to lose weight.
MAGNESIUM
You can get one third of your RDA of magnesium from just one full serving of Quinoa. That’s pretty impressive since many foods only contain a trace amount of it, or none at all. It helps prevent things like osteoporosis and heart disease, while helping to balance blood pressure and helping with diabetes.
GLUTEN-FREE
When you’ve gone gluten free either for medical reasons or for dietary ones, you’ll quickly find out that while there may be more GF options than there were a decade ago, there is still a lot of room for more products. In the meantime you can stay gluten-free by using Quinoa. It’s not a grain, it’s a seed, and it doesn’t contain any wheat or gluten in it!
MANGANESE
Quinoa has a high content of manganese. Manganese is an antioxidant, which helps to prevent damage of mitochondria during energy production as well as to protect red blood cells and other cells from injury by free radicals.
LOWERS CHOLESTEROL
It’s the fiber once again that provides the benefits here, this time helping to lower your cholesterol. If you are looking out for diet that can help reduce your cholesterol, you ought to incorporate quinoa in your meals. Quinoa makes it easy since it’s can be used in a myriad of ways, and you won’t feel like you’re eating a special diet of any sort, or missing out on the foods you love.
VITAMINS, MINERALS AND ANTI-OXIDANTS
Quinoa contains more vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants than any other grain. In fact, you’ll get an impressive list of vitamin B6, thiamine, niacin, potassium, and riboflavin, plus minerals like copper, zinc, magnesium, and foliate, as well as the antioxidants phytonutrients quercetin and kaempferol, which lend anti-inflammatory and disease-fighting prowess to each bowl consumed.
PROTEIN
Quinoa is a rich source of complete protein, particularly for a grain. The secret is lysine, a rare amino acid not found in many other grains, which make the protein levels in quinoa comparable to those in milk.
IRON
Quinoa contains good amount of iron. Iron helps keep our red blood cells healthy and is the basis of haemoglobin formation. Iron carries oxygen from one cell to another and supplies oxygen to our muscles to aid in their contraction. Iron also increases brain function because the brain takes in about 20% of our blood oxygen.
PRO TIP:
It is easy to incorporate quinoa into your diet- just use it in place of rice in any recipe. Its small grains cook to tender in as little as 15 minutes. Quinoa has a subtle nutty taste that makes it a versatile ingredient in the kitchen. It can be used in baking or as a breakfast grain, as well in hot side dishes or cold salads and even in burgers.