SUPER FOOD: QUINOA

If you follow me on instagram you will see that I eat a lot of Quinoa and that's mainly because I use it as a replacement to most of my other carbs like bread, brown rice and pasta. It's an absolutely incredible super food and I really wanted to share it all with you so that you can maybe start incorporating it into your diet.

What is Quinoa?

Quinoa comes from a grain-like crop for the main purpose of it's edible seeds. However, it is a seed and not a grain therefore you can eat this if you are gluten intolerant.

What are the benefits?

*Quinoa is one of the most protein-rich foods that we can eat as it is a completely protein containing all nine essential amino acids.
* Quinoa contains insanely high amounts of fiber, almost twice as much as other grains.
* Full of iron for healthy red blood cells, lysine for tissue growth and repair, magnesium for healthy blood sugar control, riboflavin (B2) for improving energy metabolism and manganese which is a powerful antioxidant. Overall packed with healthy vitamins and minerals.

What does it taste like? How do you eat it?

I like to think of Quinoa as a replacement for pasta or brown rice so my favourite ways to eat it are by itself as lemon quinoa and with vegetables as vegetable quinoa. Both recipes can be found on my cooking blog here. It tastes kind of like brown rice but a little bit more nutty. It has quite a funny texture, somewhat similar to cous cous but a bit more heavy.

Is it worth it?

Quinoa can get rather pricy, usually costing about $11 for a 500g bag. Totally worth it in my opinion just because it's so high in protein and a half kg bag lasts you quite a while.

Interested in hearing more about super foods?
Check out others that I have examined HERE!

Posted in: Nutrition, Super Food