Reasons to Cook Quinoa 0
Quinoa has been called a “super food” or “super grain” by nutritional experts everywhere. Because of it’s impressive nutritional content, this ancient grain is recently gaining popularity in the Western world. Here is a look at why cooking quinoa is so good for you.
Quinoa Provides Your Body with Everything It Needs!
Quinoa is a rare food in that it provides your body with all of its nutritional needs. It has protein, carbohydrates, fat and fiber. Dr. Duane Johnson, a New Crops Agronomist at Colorado State has said “If I had to choose one food to survive on, quinoa would be the best.”
Abundant Vitamins and Minerals
Quinoa provides a wide variety of vitamins and minerals. It is a great source of iron, thiamine, niacin, B6, phosphorous, copper, magnesium, potassium, riboflavin and manganese.
A Complete Protein
One of the key reasons that quinoa has received so much press as of late is that it is one of the few vegetarian foods that offers a complete protein source. This is thanks to the fact that it has all eight of the essential amino acids in it. It is particularly notable that quinoa is a good source of the amino acid lysine. Lysine is critical for cellular repair but is not found in abundance in any other grain type food other than amaranth. The fact that quinoa contains all of the essential amino acids makes it a particularly good food for vegetarians. Rather than having to worry about combining proteins to get their nutritional needs met they can just eat quinoa!
The good news is that whether you are a great cook or not, it is very easy to learn how to cook quinoa. The simplest way to cook quinoa is on the stove top. Add quinoa and the cooking liquid of your choice to the pot in a 1:2 ratio. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook covered for 18 minutes.