Quinoa Benefits For Health

Although it is often classified as a grain, quinoa is actually a member of the same plant family as spinach. While the green leafy quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) tops are edible, it’s the seeds that are served most frequently. For more than 5,000 years, quinoa has been the staple food of peoples of the Andes, where it is one of the few crops that grows well in the dry mountainous climate and poor soil.

The tiny quinoa seeds are packed with important nutrients: A ½-cup serving provides about 2 mg of iron, more than any unfortified grain product. It also contributes large amounts of several other essential minerals, including 45 mg of magnesium, 87.5 mg of phosphorus, 157.5 mg of potassium, and 0.75 mg of zinc, as well as numerous B vitamins, especially B6, folate, niacin, and thiamine.

Most of the calories in a cup of cooked quinoa come from complex carbohydrates. However, it also provides protein, which is of a higher quality than similar products because it provides lysine, an amino acid missing in corn, wheat, and other grains.

Health Benefits

Provides nutrient boost to gluten-free diets.
While the only “cure” for celiac disease is the complete removal of gluten from the diet, gluten-free grains like quinoa can help ward off certain nutritional deficiencies that may accompany going gluten free. According to some recent research out of Columbia University, incorporating quinoa into a healthy gluten-free diet can result in measurable improvement in protein, iron, calcium, and fiber levels.

Protects against cancer and heart disease.
Quinoa is a good source of saponins, phytochemicals that help to prevent cancer and heart disease.

Helps regulate blood sugar and high blood pressure.
Researchers in Brazil found that quinoa has important potential for helping people with diabetes regulate their blood sugar and high blood pressure better. Out of 10 different grains and cereals studied, quinoa provided the most quercetin and antioxidant levels overall. Its low glycemic index and load are also helpful for blood sugar control.

Fights obesity.
While quinoa’s high fiber content makes it an obvious choice for helping control the appetite, some exciting new lab findings in Paris seem to indicate that quinoa may eventually play a more specific role in fighting obesity. Researchers there observed that mice fed a high-fat diet didn’t continue to gain weight after their meals were supplemented with quinoa extract. They also noted that the mice showed less insulin resistance and that several inflammation markers in their blood were reduced as well.

Health Risks

Kidney stones.
Quinoa is related to spinach, chard, and beets, so it also contains oxalates (sometimes in substantial amounts), which can lead to the development of some types of kidney stones in people who are prone to them. The oxalate content of quinoa ranges widely, but even the lower end of the oxalate range puts quinoa on the caution or avoidance list for an oxalate-restricted diet.

Eating Tips
• Add some cooked quinoa to a corn relish.
• Use quinoa flour in place of half of the all-purpose flour in muffin recipes.
• Cook quinoa with raisins and cinnamon for breakfast.

Buying Tips
• With its popularity on the rise, quinoa can be found in most health food stores and supermarkets alongside the rice.
• There are more than 120 varieties of this tiny, bead-shipped grain but the most frequently sold are white, red, and black in color.

Storing Tips
• Store quinoa in an airtight package in a cool, dark place for up to 6 months.
• Freeze indefinitely for longer storage.

QUINOA FACTS
• Since nutrient-rich quinoa is drought resistant and grows well on poor soils without irrigation or fertilizer, it’s been designated a “super crop” by the United Nations for its potential to feed the hungry poor of the world.
• NASA has shown interest in quinoa, recommending it be considered as an ideal food on long space flights.
• Inca warriors relied on balls of quinoa mixed with fat to supply them with necessary calories on the battlefield.