Quinoa The Magical Food

Hi myboobiesplace and thank you for your comment and question about quinoa - hopefully this little post will provide some information!

Quinoa is fabulous and I’m glad you asked about it – I personally think it’s one of the many underutilized and tasty foods out there.

Although quinoa is often referred to as a gain, it is actually closely related to beets, spinach...and...well...tumbleweeds...and falls into the category of a pseudo cereal because it’s not a true cereal, grain or grass. I know...weird.  You can also eat the greens but I haven’t been able to find any as of yet.  It originated in South America and has been a food source for over 6,000 years and the growing and harvesting of quinoa is much more stainable than other grains.

Quinoa contains  more protein than any other grain out there - an average of 16.2  percent, compared with 7.5 percent for rice, 9.9 percent for millet, and 14 percent for wheat. Some varieties of quinoa are more than 20 percent protein and the protein is a high quality complete protein with an essential amino acid balance which is similar to whole milk.

I’m particularly fond of the Inca Red Quinoa (although the taste doesn’t vary that much from regular quinoa I think the gorgeous maroon red complements any plate).

You can purchase quinoa at almost any major food store these days and it’s usually tucked away in the health food section. I believe the most popular brand out there is Ancient Harvest (http://www.quinia.net).  You can also find it in health food stores and a lot of times in bulk. I don’t recommend buying it in bulk but that’s just my experience. It’s usually not something that has a fast turn over rate so the chances of it being stale, and ruining your experience, is rather high unfortunately. I also look for brands which specify “no washing required”.  Quinoa like a lot of whole grains, often needs to be washed but the process isn’t fun and I like companies to do it for me :) They also make quinoa pasta which I love – high in fiber, protein, gluten free and doesn’t have that cardboard taste which some wheat pastas have.

Hope this was helpful and if you don’t find it around you I’m sure you can purchase some online or harrass your local supermarket to carry it (something I’m always doing!).

Quinoa, uncookedNutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)

Energy 370 kcal   1540 kJ

Carbohydrates            64 g

- Starch  52 g

- Dietary fibre  7 g 

Fat       6 g

- polyunsaturated  3.3 g 

Protein            14 g

Water  13

Thiamine (Vit. B1)  0.36 mg              28%

Riboflavin (Vit. B2)  0.32 mg            21%

Vitamin B6  0.5 mg    38%

Folate (Vit. B9)  184 μg         46%

Vitamin E  2.4 mg      16%

Iron  4.6 mg    37%

Magnesium  197 mg   53%

Phosphorus  457 mg   65%

Zinc  3.1 mg   31%

Percentages are relative to US

recommendations for adults.

Source: USDA Nutrient database