Quinoa – A Protein-Rich Substitute to Rice (Available at EcoGreen Organic Shop & Restaurant)

Modified from The New York Times Article (Link Here)

Sunshine Quinoa Salad (picture from flickr)

Most Malaysians have never heard of Quinoa (pronounced keh-NO-ah or, sometimes, KEEN-wah), nevermind tasted it before.

What’s the hype about this grain?

This ancient Peruvian seed is the Queen of the Grains, and was once a staple of ancient Andean civilizations, most famously the Incas. This grain was so central to their diet that the invading Spaniards tried to burn all the fields.

The Quinoa has a mild, nutty flavour, that is highly palatable to our Malaysian palates.

But what’s more interesting about Quinoa its it health benefits. With more calcium and protein than a 1L of milk, Quinoa also contains saponins, a natural chemical which fights high cholesterol. It is also high in fiber and iron, and is gluten-free.

Quinoa is also a complete protein, meaning that it contains all 22 amino acids (amino acids are vital to our body e.g. for building muscle and other metabolic pathways). Thus, this is a great food especially for vegetarians, who need to make sure they have a full spectrum of essential amino acids, since most plants (rice inclusive) do not contain ‘complete’ amino acids. Quinoa is particularly high in lysine, the amino acid important for tissue growth and repair. What’s more it is also free from the fat or calories of animal protein.

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Tagged as: Nutrition, Organic, organic food, organic recipes, organic shop, quinoa