Benefits of Quinoa
Quinoa (pronounced “keen-wah”) is known as an ancient Andean grain, but it’s not a grain—it’s a seed! Quinoa seeds originated and is cultivated in South America along the Andes mountains. It comes from a stress-tolerant plant known as an Amaranthacean and has been cultivated for 4,000–5,000 years. It has become a staple in many modern diets.
Is Quinoa Healthy?
Because quinoa is a seed and not a grain, it has an ideal composition of nutrients. The balance of oils, protein, and fat in quinoa has led it to become what’s known as a functional food. This means that quinoa provides the body with a good source of important vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, and antioxidants to protect the brain and cell membranes, and boost overall nutrition for the body. Let’s take a closer look at exactly what those nutrients are and the roles they play in your health.
Quinoa Nutrients
Quinoa stands out in the world of food because although it mimics a grain in its uses, it’s much more nutrient-dense. It packs a powerful punch of macronutrients, vitamins, and minerals.
Protein: Unlike most plant-based foods, quinoa is a complete protein. A complete protein means that it contains all the essential and non-essential amino acids. Since amino acids are the building blocks of protein, this makes quinoa a fantastic choice to help those who are following a vegan or vegetarian diet get adequate amounts of protein. Dietary protein is needed to build muscles and tissues in the body, as well as protect the immune system by creating antibodies to fight infection. But unlike animal-based proteins, most plant-based sources of protein are not complete proteins. Quinoa stands out in that sense. In just one cup of cooked quinoa, you get 8.14 g of protein and all the amino acids!
Fiber: Fiber, both soluble and insoluble, is helpful for keeping you fuller longer and regulating the digestive system. Quinoa contains 5.2 g of fiber per cup, so you’re getting a good amount of dietary fiber to help improve your digestive system overall.
Fat: You may not think quinoa can provide healthy fats, but according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), there is 3.55 g of fat per 1 cup of cooked quinoa. This is because quinoa is a seed, so it has the ability to provide unsaturated fatty acids. Unsaturated fatty acids like omega-3s are important for the health of cell membranes and for their anti-inflammatory properties.
Vitamins and minerals: Beyond the simplicity of protein, fiber, and fat, quinoa supplies the body with the following vitamins and minerals that all play a role in the proper functioning of the human body. In just 1 cup of quinoa, you get:
- 2.8 mg iron
- 118 mg magnesium
- 77.7 mcg folate
- 1.2 mg manganese
- 281 mg phosphorus
- 0.2 mg vitamin B6
Eating quinoa supplies the body with an abundance of vitamins and minerals, and it also provides many other important health benefits.
quinoa benefits
quinoa benefits for skin
quinoa benefits hindi
quinoa benefits for hair
quinoa benefits for babies
quinoa benefits for gym
quinoa benefits for bodybuilding
quinoa benefits and side effects
quinoa benefits for pcos
quinoa benefits for weight loss
quinoa benefits for diabetes
quinoa benefits in pregnancy
quinoa benefits in telugu
quinoa benefits in tamil
quinoa benefits for thyroid
quinoa benefits dr axe
quinoa benefits in urdu
quinoa benefits for dogs
quinoa benefits over rice
quinoa benefits for health
Comments
Post a Comment