Quinoa Nutrition

The first thing to say about quinoa is that it is a seed, not a grain. The plant grows to about 2 metres high and the seeds are born on flower clusters. The leaves can be eaten like spinach and in fact quinoa and spinach come from the same plant group. The most common type is the cream coloured quinoa but you can also buy red quinoa. The quinoa I grew last year was the rainbow variety which had a range of brown and dark red quinoa seeds.

Quinoa Nutrition Facts

Quinoa has long been a favourite for vegans because it has all nine essential amino acids supplements. Lysine in particular in crucial for repairing the body and bringing recovery to your body.. It also contains magnesium ,iron, copper, phosphorus and magnesium. What this all means in layman's parlance is that it has one of the highest concentrations of these elements in the plant world.

Quinoa carbohydrates are slow releasing which means that it satisfies your hunger for longer. For diabetics this is ideal as you can maintain the correct blood sugar levels for longer with high level carbohydrates such as quinoa.

Quinoa is almost a "complete" food and was used by the Incas tribe by mothers while pregnant as well as when nursing infants. (It is thought to help improve the quality of milk mothers produce while feeding). Quinoa has plenty of Calcium, Fat, Iron and phosphorous and a high amount of vitamin B2.

Sprouted quinoa has more fibre because the seed germ has sprouted from the seed. This germ gives a good level of fibre when cooked in the standard way. When it is sprouted the fibre is more because of the large white sprout. You can mix sprouted quinoa with chopped raw vegetables for a healthy salad full of fibre and goodness.

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