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 ‘Superfood’. It is of three types:
- Red quinoa
- White quinoa
- Black quinoa
Quinoa Health Benefits:
- 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. The year 2013 was regarded as ‘The International Year of Quinoa’ because of its high nutritional value.
- 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: It 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: It is rich in protein contents in comparison to most of the other foods and also contains necessary amino acids.
- Beneficial for metabolic health: It has a low sugar and triglyceride level in it. This leads to improved metabolic health.
- Anti-inflammatory benefits: Cytokines that is released in the body can be suppressed
- Health benefits: It is a complete protein and helps fight Type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure, colon cancer, obesity etc.
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.
