Red Quinoa a goldmine for your health

The benefits of Red Quinoa are waiting for you

One of the most common questions about red quinoa is whether it is a good grain for those with celiac disease or who are gluten-sensitive. The answer is that technically quinoa does not contain gluten, although as a grain it still contains small amounts of gluten in its structure. This means that those who are extremely sensitive to gluten may have a reaction to quinoa while many others do not. You just have to test it and find out if quinoa works for you.

What do studies say about Quinoa?

A study tested 19 patients with celiac disease and gave them a quarter cup of quinoa daily for 6 weeks to see if it negatively affected them. If it had negatively affected them, there would have been changes in their intestinal tract. The researchers found that quinoa did not activate celiac disease in the patients. What is interesting in the study is the small amount of quinoa given to the patients. Normally grains are served in a half-cup portion, but here the patients received half of that portion. The researchers may have known that the glycemic index of quinoa is 55, making it a moderate glycemic index food. In fact, if the patients had been given ¾ cup of quinoa, the sugar content of that amount would have been significantly higher – at 53. This means that if you are diabetic or have metabolic issues, eating quinoa should only be a portion of ¼ cup or your blood sugar levels will spike. If this happens – even without having diabetes, high sugar levels predispose you to develop a degenerative disease or exacerbate one you already have. (Celiac disease is considered a degenerative disease).

The benefits of red, white, and yellow Quinoa

There are three varieties of Quinoa – red, white, and yellow. That said, here are the benefits of red quinoa, (as well as white and yellow):

Good source of amino acids. Quinoa is one of the foods that contain all the essential amino acids your body needs to self-regenerate.
Good source of magnesium and phosphorus. These minerals are typically difficult to obtain in the diet.
Good source of quercetin, which benefits those with allergies. Quercetin acts as an anti-inflammatory agent in the body. It also has anticancer and antioxidant properties.
Quinoa provides insoluble fibers, which means that the colon benefits from this and prevents constipation.

Quinoa Recipe

Quinoa is easy to cook because it cooks like rice. If you know how to cook rice, you know how to cook quinoa. For every cup of quinoa you put in the pot, add two cups of water, a handful of Himalayan salt. Cover and let simmer for 15 minutes. The big question is how you can add it to your diet. It’s an easy question because you can do a lot with it. Here are some solutions:

Eat it as a breakfast cereal, with a handful of nuts and a fruit, and with eggs for a balanced breakfast of protein, carbohydrates, and fats.
Mix it with vegetables at lunch. For example, mix with tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, and some Italian spices like basil, oregano, or rosemary. You will only need ¼ teaspoon of each spice per cup of cooked quinoa. You can add vinegar or also olive oil – balsamic vinegar is great in this dish.
If you have a family meal and you will serve poultry, use quinoa instead of rice as stuffing. Add a little sage – a teaspoon for every two cups of quinoa, salt, pepper, thyme, and you’ll have a winning stuffing. Make sure the quinoa is cooked before adding it to the poultry before cooking.

Try quinoa in your diet and let us know how much you liked it [btn text=”Another recipe with quinoa” tcolor=#FFF bcolor=#444 thovercolor=#FFF link=”http://yourdoctorwithin.com/portfolio/quinoa-con-uva-y-frutos-secos/” target=”_blank”] Source Are You Curious About Quinoa? http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/05/11/quinoa-nutrition.aspx