What is it about quinoa that is making the globe rave regarding the grain? How come is the food climbing up the popularity charts? Is it about its protein content? Is it about its fibre? Or is it the amino acids? Or the magnesium, iron and potassium that the grain packs in abundance? Or is it just because it is a deadly mixture of all of the above? It's all About the Protein In all of quinoa nutrition, it is the protein abundance which I find the most exciting. Vegetarians often face the challenge of filling the protein void in their diet. For people who consume eggs, chicken or other meats, the proteins are mostly supplied by these foods. For vegetarians, not many foods can take care of the protein requirements sufficiently. Quinoa helps. A comparison of quinoa with the other foods reveals that it has significantly higher quantity of proteins. According to the US Department of Agriculture, a cup of cooked brown rice has about five grams of protein within its 215 calories. Compared, a cup of cooked quinoa has eight grams of protein within its 220 calories. Further, the brown rice has nearly 45 grams carbohydrates and only 3.5 grams of dietary fibre. In contrast, the quinoa has five grams of fibre and only 40 grams of carbohydrates. A similar comparison between quinoa and egg throws up some rather surprising results. All of us consider eggs as protein rich but surprisingly quinoa beats it hands down in this department. One medium sized farm egg contains 5.5 grams of protein, compared to 8.14 grams of protein in a cup of quinoa. The Amino Acids are the Cheat Code However, more than the protein, it is the way our body can synthesise this protein that makes quinoa magical. Quinoa is the perfect grain because it consists of a complete amino acid profile. What it means essentially is that most of the protein in quinoa could be readily absorbed by the body. Other staples like rice, wheat or even oatmeal often lack in some essential amino acids. This makes them less competent as a source of protein than Quinoa. Most of the above-mentioned grains are thought as inadequate total protein sources because they lack adequate amounts of the amino acids lysine and Isoleucine. Both these amino-acids are called as Limiting Amino Acids (LAA). In other words, these LAAs prevent grains from serving as complete protein sources in our diet. Quinoa, on the other hand, has significantly larger amounts of both lysine and Isoleucine and this allows the grain to serve as a complete protein source that is readily assimilated by the human body. Fibre is the Cherry on the Cake A discussion on quinoa nutrition would be incomplete without us talking about the fibre. Quinoa has an edge over all other protein substitutes when it comes to counting the amount of fibre in each. The same cup of quinoa contains 5.2 grams of dietary fibre. The rice has less than a gram of fibre. Fibre is an essential diet element for anybody who is focussing on a high-protein, low carbohydrate diet. Most people who eat high protein foods like chicken miss out on fibre which often leads to irritated bowel. At times, the possible lack of fibre has to be supported by supplements like Psyllium husk. Quinoa insures all that. Along with high protein, it packs in a high fibre content as well. The end result is better digestion and a feeling of fullness after the meal. For an indepth look at quinoa, visit my extensive resource at http://myquinoanutrition.com
Related Articles -
Quinoa Nutrition, Quinoa protein source, Quinoa health benefits,
|