Buy Quinoa and Live a Healthier Life

Don't be the last to try! Buy quinoa now! 

This is the best time to really think about your health, not just for yourself but also for the people you love, not only to lose those extra size and weight for you will surely lose them, but to seriously consider having a longer and healthy life. Switch to a better eating habit and switch to a healthier lifestyle when you buy quinoa.

Where can you buy quinoa? You can buy quinoa online as a Whole Grain, a natural and organic cultivar mostly from Peru and Bolivia; it is usually sold in 12 oz. packages or boxes. It is cooked in just 10 - 15 minutes, wheat free and gluten free, this makes quinoa the perfect food for people who follow a wheat free and gluten free diet. It is certified organic which means it was planted and cultivated on an unfertilized and healthy soil.

Why buy quinoa? Simple, it's an amazing grain, a super food. Here are a few heartening reasons:

1. Buy your way to good health because it contains more high quality protein than any other grain. It is actually one of the best sources of protein in the vegetable kingdom.

That's right, it is a vegetable. Quinoa is a broad leaf plant vastly grown in South America, and the leaves are used in salads with other salad greens and served as a side dish, and the seeds of quinoa are consumed like grains and mostly substituted for rice. Quinoa in itself is a complete protein grain. It provides all the essential amino acids in a balanced fashion, close to the standard set by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. Buy quinoa for a light, tasty and easy nourishment. This delicate grain is much less filling than most other grains and has a delicious nutty flavor all its own.

  2. Quinoa is fiber-rich, light and easy to digest.

3. Purchase quinoa to get a high level of carbohydrates that are slow-releasing and helps maintain your blood sugar level, and keep you full and satisfied and your energy high for most of the day with lesser cravings for more food.

Quinoa has a delicate nutty flavor and is very easy to prepare. Perfect for today's active lifestyle, quinoa can be served as a side dish; in soups, in salads, as a pilaf, and even as a nutritious breakfast cereal. When you purchase quinoa, the package should say that the quinoa grain had been pre washed and thoroughly rinsed and air dried to remove the naturally occurring bitter saponins, and there are some brands that do as they promise. Although it is always so much better if you wash it before cooking, to really enjoy its great flavor.

You can also find and buy Quinoa Flour, Quinoa Flakes and Quinoa Pops for their variety of uses in your kitchen. They come in three variants of natural whole grain; white quinoa, red quinoa and black quinoa. Although there is no big difference in taste or health benefits and the preparation, it will always make your presentation appealing with each color of quinoa grain.

 Source:

The Healthy Food I Eat | Niomi Smart

Superfoods - Quinoa and Amaranth

Quinoa and Amaranth are great additions to your whole foods diet. These grains are traditional foods of Mexico, Bolivia and Peru. Both were sacred grains to the Native people. Amaranth was the sacred food of the Aztecs, and quinoa was the sacred food of the Incas. When Latin America was conquered by the Spaniards, these grains were outlawed! Fortunately they have been rediscovered and are now grown in Latin America and the U.S.


Amaranth is a gluten free grain that is not a true cereal grain. It's actually a seed from a leafy annual plant related to spinach. The greens of the amaranth plant can be eaten, and the seeds are used like a grain. the grain like seed is great for folks who are allergic to grains. Amaranth is very nutritious and the United Nations Food and Agriculture organization has noted that wherever amaranth is eaten, there is no malnutrition. Amaranth can survive in poor soil and in drought conditions.


Amaranth has a high protein content, about 18 %, and contains the amino acid lysine, which is usually low in whole grains. It's also high in calcium; 1/2 cup serving of amaranth has as much calcium as an 8 ounce glass of milk! Amaranth is a good source of fiber, vitamin E, and minerals. It contains more calcium, magnesium and silicon than milk.


But, truth be told, this grain is an acquired taste. The texture is gooey, like porridge, and it can be a bit bitter. You can cook it with onions, which adds sweetness, or you can add a few tablespoons of amaranth to another grain and cook them together. The amaranth will blend in fairly well. I like the combinations of amaranth with millet, rice, quinoa or sweet corn. Combining amaranth with another grain creates a high protein profile, as high as meat.


According to author Marjorie Hurt Jones, in her book "The Allergy Self Help book," Amaranth flour is nice for baking. She recommends combining 25% amaranth flour with brown rice flour or oat flour for wheat free baking.


The other superfood grain, Quinoa, pronounced keen-wa, is nutritionally similar to amaranth, but it has a light fluffy texture and, well, it tastes better! Quinoa is gluten free and easy to digest. It is popular with whole foods cooks.


Quinoa is not a true grain but is treated like a grain in our meals. It has the highest protein content of any grain-like food, and is a good source of calcium, iron, phosphorus, B vitamins and Vitamin E. And it cooks quickly, in about 20 minutes. To cook quinoa, add 1 cup grain and 2 cups pure water to a pot, bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover and steam for 20 minutes. One cup dry grain will create 3 cups of cooked grain! You can also sometimes find quinoa pasta at the natural foods section of the grocery store.


Quinoa can be a substitute for rice, couscous, bulghur or other fluffy grains. It makes a nice grain salad. For a tabbouleh salad, cook the quinoa, then put in a salad bowl. Add in diced cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, black olives, a handful of mint, sliced red bell pepper, and good quality extra virgin olive oil and fresh lemon juice. I like to add garlic as well. Toss the grain and vegies and add sea salt if desired.


I love both these grains for their nutrition boost and taste. Add herbs, vegetables and a sauce and you have a nice vegetarian dish.






Source:

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