Quinoa
– Quinoa isn’t really a grain, it’s a seed! But it’s been adopted into the grain family because quinoa’s nutritional profile is closer to that of other grains than that of most seeds.
For example, quinoa is low in fat content, which means we can eat plenty of it without worrying about the added caloric intake. It’s also high in fiber, protein, thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B6, folate, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, and zinc. Plus, it has a decent amount of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. This means that when you add quinoa to your dishes, you’re not just adding a a filler with a nutty, earthy flavor, you’re actually adding fantastic nutrition.
After being a popular food in the Andean region in South America for over 5,000 years, quinoa rose to fame worldwide when it was discovered that it is a plant-based source of complete protein, like soybeans. In other words, it has all the essential amino acids we need. Today, we know that we don’t need to eat all our essential amino acids at once, and that it might be better not to eat certain amino acids together because they fight for absorption in our body. So, feel free to add quinoa to some of your dishes, but don’t feel like you need to force yourself to eat it all the time to get adequate protein levels. Learn more about protein and essential amino acids here.
You can use quinoa the same way you use rice, or you can make morning quinoa porridge, or even enjoy puffed quinoa as a snack. The flavor is stronger than rice or oats, and the seeds are less chewy than these more popular grains, so quinoa might be an acquired taste. Quinoa comes in different colors, white quinoa is the mildest and softest, red is a little richer, and black has the strongest flavor and it stays the firmest when cooked. Different colors mean different phytonutrients. Red quinoa, for example, has quercetin, which helps delay cell aging.
Always rinse your quinoa before cooking it. This helps remove a natural coating named saponin that makes the quinoa taste more bitter. It’s also always a good idea to rinse all our grain to remove dirt before cooking.
Nutrition Calculator: Quinoa
Use our personalized nutrition calculator to discover the percentage of daily nutrition needs you and your family can get from eating quinoa.
Nutrition needs vary according to age, sex, and whether women of reproductive age are pregnant or breastfeeding. Fill out the form below for yourself and for your family members to get personalized results.*
* Calculated as a percentage of the Recommended Daily Allowances (RDAs) as established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Based on nutritional information provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as an average of multiple cooked quinoa samples.