Red quinoa is a superfood that can improve your health naturally. Discover its benefits, especially if you suffer from celiac disease, and how to integrate it into your diet.
The benefits of Red Quinoa are waiting for you.
One of the most common questions about red quinoa is whether it is a good cereal for those who have celiac disease or who are sensitive to gluten. The answer is that quinoa is technically gluten-free, although as a cereal it still contains small amounts of gluten in its structure. What this means is that those who are extra sensitive to gluten may have a reaction to quinoa while many others may not. Just do a test and find out if quinoa works for you.
What do studies say about Quinoa?
One study tested 19 patients with celiac disease and gave them a quarter cup of quinoa daily for 6 weeks to see if it affected them negatively. If they were adversely affected, 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 they gave the patients. Normally cereals or grains are served in the one-half cup portion but here the patients were given half the 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 this amount would have been quite a bit higher - at 53. Which means that if you are diabetic or have metabolic problems, eating quinoa can only be a ¼ serving or your blood sugar levels will skyrocket. If this happens - even without having diabetes, high sugar levels predispose you to develop a degenerative disease or exacerbate the one you already have. (Celiac disease is considered a degenerative disease).
Benefits of red, white and yellow quinoa
There are three varieties of Quinoa - red, white and yellow. That being said, here you have 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 regenerate itself.
- Good source of magnesium and phosphorus. Normally these minerals are 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 anti-cancer and antioxidant properties.
- Quinoa provides insoluble fiber, which means that the colon benefits from this, and prevents constipation.
Recipe with quinoa
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 pan, add two cups of water, a handful of Himalayan salt. Cover and 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 so much with it. Here are some solutions:
- Eat it as a breakfast cereal, with a handful of nuts and a piece of fruit, and with eggs for a balanced breakfast of protein, carbohydrates and fats.
- Mix it with vegetables in the meal. For example, mix it with tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, and some Italian spices such as basil, oregano or rosemary. You will only need ¼ teaspoon of each spice per cup of cooked quinoa. You can add vinegar or olive oil as well - balsamic vinegar is great in this dish.
- If you are having a family meal and you will be serving poultry, use quinoa instead of rice as the stuffing. Add a little sage - one teaspoon for every two cups of quinoa, salt, pepper, thyme and you 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
