Today, I would like to give a little insight into the food item Quinoa. First off, I love Quinoa. I eat it every day. Most people don’t realize that Quinoa is very nutritional. First off, it has a very high protein content. I believe it is somewhere in the 13%-15% range. In this game, we need as much protein, CLEAN/COMPLETE protein that we can get. I’m going to sidetrack for a minute. When I say it’s a COMPLETE protein, I mean that it possesses all nine essential amino acids that are required for the dietary needs of humans. These amino acids include Tryptophan, Threonine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine Cystine, Phenylalanine Tyrosine, Valine, and Histidine. Okay, Enough of the long acid names. Back to Quinoa…Other nutritional values include phosphorus, magnesium, and iron. Another importance of Quinoa is that it is a good source of calcium. This is important in 2 ways. First, we all know that calcium is important in helping keep bones healthy and strong (Yes, I’m going old school 2nd grade teachings with that one). The other is the fact that it helps lactose intolerant people have a good source of calcium. That’s a win/win in my book. Quinoa is a great item for considering weight loss. Overall, Quinoa is a very healthy and beneficial food that we should all consider in our STRICT CLEAN diets. That’s all I have for the health benefits.
As far as cooking/eating, I don’t get too fancy. Basically, you cook it like rice. I do 2 parts water to one part Quinoa. Bring to boil and then reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes. Taste great by itself but if I’m looking to spice it up, I’ll throw a little Sriracha Sauce on it. That’s the healthy way of eating it. If I’m on a cheat day, or if it’s around the holidays, I like to get NASTY with it Haha Ill make a mix of Quinoa, trimmed low-fat bacon bits, and cheese and make what I like to call Quinoa bites. Use a cupcake sheet and just layer the bottom of the pan with this mix and bake. YUM!
As I’ve stated, I love Quinoa and believe everyone should incorporate it into their diet. The only drawback I can see is its Hella more expensive than rice… but If you can afford it, I would highly recommend it!
Anyway, I hope somebody finds this a little helpful. Thanks for taking the time to read. I figure it’s about time I start contributing to this community after all the help and contributions I’ve received from my friends and brothers.
Most info came off the top of my dome, but for reference and to check spelling, I’ve used:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?dbid=142&tname=foodspice (Definitely give this a read!)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complete_protein