Quinoa nutrition facts: Interesting facts about Quinoa. Quinoa seeds are often dubbed as the food of future. With dwindling food production due to climate changes are forcing food scientists to look for alternative food sources which are nutritionally wholesome and can be grown in arid or barren lands. Quinoa can be a very good substitute for cereals because it contains all the amino acids which are required by the body besides essential minerals and antioxidants. It can be labeled as “superfood” or a “supergrain”.
Quinoa nutrition facts
Quinoa is a nutritious seed much akin to common grains like rice and wheat.
It is a member of the goosefoot family plant native to the highland plains of South-American Andes region
Its potential was recognized by the ancient Incas who believed that it contained the elixir of life and eating it will make them live long and stay healthy
It was the staple food off the Incas before the Spanish explorers forced them to stop cultivating it.
The scientific name of Quinua is Chenopodium quinoa.
Quinoa seeds are creamy and white colored.
Though it resembles staple grains but its seed is much akin to other dicotyledonous seed like gram or pea.
The fat contents is less than oil seeds and hence it is treated as any other staple grain.
The plant can grow up to a height of 3 to 6 feet.
It prefers neutral PH and sandy soil but can survive in salty as well as alkaline soils.
Nutrition facts quinoa
Its hardy nature made it a chief crop cultivated in the highlands of Bolivia, Chile, Peru and Ecuador since ancient times
The plant starts flowering in July and seeds are formed from August through September
The seeds are like amaranth seeds and could be colored white, gray, and pink, brown depending on the species.
The outer seed cover contains bitter tasting saponins which must be removed before eating.
Quinoa has spiked interest of food scientists because it can sustain in stressful conditions and contains a well balanced protein, fat and minerals in the right proportion and it will be an ideal crop in famine prone regions.
100 g quinoa seeds provide 368 calories which is comparable with other cereals like…
Different kinds of vegetables, including paprikas, zucchini and tomatoes, lie on display at a government stand that offers information on nutrition at the Gruene Woche agricultural trade fair January 18, 2008 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Gett
Only in an era of abundance could an industry—a particular mindset, really—churn out innumerable fad diets promising to be the silver bullet that will finally (finally!) offer perfect health, weight loss, and inner radiance.
At the moment the top sellers in diet and nutrition on Amazon promise you “total health and food freedom,” warn against “hidden dangers in ‘healthy’ foods,” guarantee “fast metabolism,” and declare a “revolutionary diet” that, among other things, helps you “combat cancer.” That’s a tall order for something that, for most of human history, was so scarce and difficult to procure that securing enough to eat was itself considered a blessing.
This is not your ancestor’s diet. Yet it appears that we can turn to our forebears for an important piece of nutritive advice: fasting. In one of the most in-depth pieces I’ve come across on this topic, it seems intermittent fasting is helping many deal with metabolic and immune functions.
Lest you think this a sales pitch—I’ve found the silver bullet!—let’s start at the conclusion. University of Illinois nutrition professor Krista Varady studies alternate-day fasting for a living. She readily offers up the fact that intermittent fasting—taking varied breaks from eating, either on a daily schedule or on alternate days—is “probably another nutritional fad.”
She has observed that every decade or so fads switch and rearrange. To declare fasting to be an end-all is ambitious; human psychology is generally not designed for the long-term. Novelty usurps integrity and discipline. That said, Varady concludes of fasting,
I still think that it can really help people out, and I think people who are able to stick to it really reap a lot of metabolic benefits.
The article opens with a 1973 case of a man who survived for 382 days ingesting only “vitamin supplements, yeast, and noncaloric fluids,” in what has to be a…
There is nobody that does not love good snacks. It 1curbs hunger between meals and also keeps the body fueled from early morning until late night dinners.
For anyone trying to curb weight, snacks can become quite a challenge. Small tempting bites can trap nutrition boosts as they have loads of unnecessary calories and provide a lack of sufficient nutrients. Calorie intake in turn becomes nutritionally void.
Snacks have developed a negative link to them , but no worries there is no need to fade mid morning nibbles. Bite size snacks are important in diets because they provide midday energy. Also healthy snacks resolve hunger pangs and prevent over eating at meal times.
Not all snacks are healthy. Ensure you do not keep unhealthy snacks nearby to steer away mindless nibbling. Avoid all snacks in the ‘junk-food’ categories – candy, chips, ice-cream and cookies. The best way to keep from eating junk food or other unhealthy snacks is to not have these foods stored in your home.
There are many benefits to healthy snacking:
Healthy snacking stabilises blood sugar levels.
Healthy snacking balances blood sugar levels if a consistent intake of carbs is kept. It is helpful as diabetes can cause heart disease, high blood pressure and obesity
Healthy snacks meets daily nutrition requirements . The best options that are dense in nutrients include whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and low-fat dairy.
Parmeson Carrot Fries
French fries are a worldwide guilty pleasure. Swapping carrots for the spuds leaves you with a scrumptious alternative of the deep fried temptations. Roast carrots allow natural sweetness to emerge and makes a combination of a crispy finish with a soft interior, sure to tantalize the taste buds. Every serving of carrot fries comes with a healthy dose of beta carotene, fiber and vitamin A, promoting a healthy vision and skin. Top up with some basil and Parmesan sprinkles and make a sweet,savory treat.
Sweet Potato Wedges
Another way to break free from greasy deep fried french fries that cause upset stomachs are these sweet potato wedges. Seasoned with a flavor of spices with limited oil to make them crispy. Paired with a garlic and avocado mix that is packed with a healthy chunk of omega-3 fats. Drool on.
You are a corporate workhorse. Your boss loves you for that. Your paycheque says it all. Life, as you know it, is good.
Okay, let’s cut to the chase. The other side of the story is you always head home with a tired body, exhausted brain, and a hungry stomach. Some nights you would go straight to your favorite fast food joint and get what seems to be your perpetual go-to meal. The question is, are you sure you are eating real, healthy food and not artificial junk masquerading as one?
On other days, you try to muster up all the skills you need to prepare yourself a decent meal–using whatever’s left of your weekly supply. You’re lucky if you happen to have whole grain noodles, fresh tomatoes, and parmesan. Otherwise, grilled skinless chicken breasts would also make a nice, healthy treat. In both instances, you feel a quick sigh of relief, a refreshing break from your rather stale, unhealthy diet.
You don’t need to force yourself to eat food that only does your body more harm than good. It only takes a few minutes to whip up something that will not only satisfy your palate but will also boost your energy for the next day
Here are 20 quick and healthy dinner recipes you can enjoy all without breaking a sweat.
When you get both nutrition and gastronomic indulgence, you know it’s something you need to try. This easy marinara recipe makes use of fresh vegetables, ground sirloin, and jarred marinara sauce–no need to do the sauce from scratch! If you’re preparing a week-long meal plan, this recipe is recommended as it has a shelf life of five days and can be kept in mason jars.
Total prep and cook time: 30-35 minutes
Health factor: Ground sirloin is the leanest cut of meat–that’s fatless protein for you!
White beans have a mellow, blunt taste to them which means you can mix them in whatever sauce or broth you have. This tuna quesadilla recipe takes its taste from fresh cherry tomato pico, making it a savory meal you can have any time of the day.
Total prep and cook time: 25 minutes
Health factor: Beans are known to score low on the glycemic index. This helps reduce your risk of heart diseases and diabetes.
Can’t get enough of marinara? Partner it with coconut oil to make a succulent base for this super quick sardine meal.
Total prep and cook time: 1 minute
Health factor: Aside from tuna, sardines are known to be one of the highest sources of omega-3 fatty acids which lower chances of heart diseases
The lemon’s tangy taste cuts through the fresh, earthy texture of vegetables ultimately providing you with a satisfying multi-sensory experience.
Total prep and cook time: 20 minutes
Health factor: Keeping a high-fiber diet can help lower cholesterol levels and improve digestion.
This simple Hawaiian dish offers a nice balance between the melt-in-your-mouth goodness of fresh salmon and the creamy, smooth taste of avocado. Add to this the filling quality of rice and you’ll surely have a full meal, hook, line, and sinker.
Total prep and cook time: 20 minutes
Health factor: Avocados are very nutritious and contain a wide variety of vitamins and minerals as well as healthy fats.
A healthy and deliciously satisfying meal in a single sheet pan. This improved and simplified…
Freekeh is the “new” supergrain that has actually been around since the ancient times. We have just begun to tackle its numerous nutrition benefits, and it might just take quinoas place on the throne. Why? Well, it has more proteins and twice as much fiber than quinoa, thus you will feel full longer. In addition to being rich in proteins and fiber, it has many other health benefits.
So, what it is? Freekeh is actually a wheat that is harvested before it’s ripe, while the seeds are still green and soft thus retaining many of its nutrients. After it’s been harvested, it is dried in the sun and then carefully burned to remove the straw and chaff, leaving only the grain that has a slightly smoky and nutty taste.
Freekeh has been popular in Mediterranean and Middle East for a long time now, and its popularity has begun spreading due to its numerous benefits. This wheat improves your digestive health and due to its low glycaemic index, it can help manage and prevent type 2 diabetes.
Freekeh is full of healthy nutrients
Freekeh is full of proteins, fibers, vitamins and minerals such as calcium, iron and zinc. 100 grams of freekeh contains 1:
14.9 g of protein
12.9 g of fiber
31 mg of zinc
32 mg of iron
370 mg of calcium
It also contains magnesium and potassium, it has low fat content and it’s considered a low-carb food. If we take a look at the nutrition profile of quinoa 2, we can see why freekeh is the new superfood – in 100 grams of quinoa, there are 8 grams of protein and 5.2 grams of fiber, compared to 14.9 grams of protein and 12.9 grams of fiber in 100 grams of freekeh.
100 grams of quinoa contains:
8 g of protein
5.2 g of fiber
2 mg of zinc
2.8 mg of iron
31.5 mg of calcium
Freekeh improves your digestive health
Freekeh contains prebiotics that help the growth of healthy bacteria in your bowl system that can be beneficial for people suffering from various digestive problems such as diarrhea, leaky gut syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease and candida virus.
According to a study conducted by CSIRO 3, the consumption of freekeh…
Avocados are gaining popularity because of their rich nutritional value plus it’s mild and unique taste. It’s a versatile food that works with all kinds of dishes. Avocados are not only nutritious and delicious, they seem to be the hipster icon of the year. I have seen so many avocado tattoos on calf muscles and biceps that I’ve lost count. So if you love that green berry (yes, avocados are berries) so much that you would eat it for every meal and get a tattoo of it, stay tuned. The potential to add them to everything from smoothies for a rich and creamy texture, to desserts in order to substitute unhealthy fats, is endless! Avocados are super nutrient-rich, and the fact that they taste delicious makes it easy to get all your vitamins and healthy fats with every bite.
How to shop for avocados:
I love a good life hack, and luckily there are plenty for picking avocados. It’s difficult to base your decision on color alone (though you should observe any discoloration and bruising,) so it’s better to squeeze the berry gently and see if it’s firm but gives just a little. Don’t use your fingertips though, because you could wind up bruising it! If the avocado yields to firm, gentle pressure, then it’s ripe and ready. But if it just feels kind of tough, it’s going to need a couple more days 1
My favorite life hack for avocado selection is this one: peel back the stem! If you scratch off the tiny little stem on the top of the avocado, you’ll be able to know if your choice will be delicious or just brown and slimy inside. If the stem comes off easy and what’s underneath appears green, then it’s ripe! If you find brown underneath, then it’s overripe and won’t be good. And if the stem doesn’t come off and all, then the avocado is under ripe and won’t be ready for some time.
If you’re buying avocados for an event, such as a party that absolutely needs guacamole, purchase unripe avocados 4-5 days in advance. That should give you a nice window and help to ensure you won’t wind up with over-ripe berries at your party.
Taking off the steam is the easiest way to tell whether it’s good to eat or not!
It’s not ripped yet!
How to store avocados:
Once you’re a pro at choosing avocados, you still have to be able to store them. If you’re like me, you don’t always use the entire berry in one sitting; sometime’s I’ll put half into my smoothie, and sometimes I spread a quarter on toast. I typically put my leftover avocado in Tupperware before sticking it in the fridge, but there are better ways to store the green goodness and ensure it won’t be gross by the next morning 2.
No matter what form it’s in, cut, sliced, mashed, or even guacamole, put the remainders in a bowl and sprinkle some lemon, lime or even fresh orange juice on top. The acid slows down the oxidation process (that’s what leads to the brown slime) and prolongs the life of the avocado. But if you do start to see some browning, just scoop those parts out and toss them.
If your avocado is simply sliced in half, you can just run some water over the cut surface and put it in the fridge. It’ll most likely develop a little brown film, but it’ll peel back easily and can be tossed.
If your avocado is perfectly ripe but you don’t have the time to use it, don’t throw it away! Puree your avocado with a food processor or blender and store it in the freezer. When you are ready to try out that new dip or spread recipe, you can take it out and use it.
How to ripen an avocado:
I think we’ve all been there: in the produce section of our supermarket standing in front of the lousy selection of avocados and being forced to find the best of the worst. Obviously you want to choose one that is under-ripe and not over-ripe, but it still means you are going to have to wait to be able to eat it. Maybe as long as four days! Or does it?
It turns out, there are some simple and effective methods to ripening an avocado quickly.
Place the under-ripe avocado in a paper bag. Make sure the bag is in good shape and there aren’t any rips or tears. The bag is going to seal in the ethylene gas and ultimately ripen the berry.
Add a banana in the bag with the avocado. You can use an apple or a tomato if you don’t have any bananas lying around, but the banana is your first choice. These fruits emit more ethylene gas than others, and the more they produce, the faster they’ll ripen.
Close the bag by rolling it down and keep it at room temperature and away from sunlight.
Check in often. The avocado will ripen as quickly as one day, so be sure to check it out. As it ripens, it will get some hints of deep purple and black. Once it’s ripe, store it as discussed, but only fora few days.
How to ripen a cut avocado:
If you forgot to check for the ripeness of the avocado and went straight to slicing it open, you may be disappointed to realize it’s not read to eat. Luckily you can take a couple steps and ripen the halves in no time.
In the everyday hustle and bustle of life, it is not easy to recognize subtle changes manifesting in the body. When something is not quite right,the body sends out warning signs of discomfort. We tend too dismiss these signs quicker than the 6am alarm and get some quick fix medication without dealing with the root of the problem
Scientific evidence 1 clearly points out the root most health issues are poor diet habits leading nutritional deficiencies.
These problems build up gradually and may not be easy to notice. The best way to tell if your diet is in good tact is by being on the lookout for the main warning signs of a poor diet .
A proper high fibre breakfast will prevent diabetes, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, diverticulosis, heart disease, colon cancer and hemorrhoids. Good food essentially amounts to maintaining good health. Consume more oats,brown rice seeds,greens and nuts.
Signs That You Are Not Eating Enough Fibre.
Do you feel like you are carrying huge baggage in your stomach?
When you visit the loo less than three times a week for bowel movements you are most probably constipated. Constipation is caused by a lack of insoluble fibre in your daily diet. The best way to remedy this is adding more wholewheat bread, seeds, brown rice and fruits into your meals.
Vegetables high in fibre usually make you chew for a longer time and fills you up, decreasing food intake. Try skipping french fries and rather opt for lentils or steamed broccoli that has high fibre content
Snacks that are highly processed will leave you unsatisfied. Foods low in fibre leave you with hungry pangs much sooner than a high fibre meal. Try adding legumes to your salad or sprinkle some flax seed into your oatmeal. Both are great soluble fibre sources .
Try nutritious and health snacks rather than indulging in processed junk.
A snack rich in vitamin A, like sweet potato chips cooked in olive oil.
A snack rich in vitamins A, C and K, like Kale leave chips drizzled in olive oil.
A surprising antioxidant and fibre source is a bowl of popcorn.
Do you have a high cholesterol condition?
Fibre can reduce your hunger pangs, it also lower cholesterol levels. Soluble fiber combines with small intestine cholesterol, keeping it away from the blood stream.
Do You Have high blood sugar?
Fibre is known to delay the sugar absorption of sugars into the blood stream. This makes the blood sugar levels rise at a slower pace .
When you begin to develop irritation and pain in your larger intestine lining due to an inflamed pouch, it is a diverticulitis condition that is correlated with a diet low in fibre . In more severe cases, diverticulitis can cause vomiting, diarrhea, fever and bloating.
Here we offer you some easy, quick and high fibre content breakfast for you to try!
Sweet morning delicacies
Boxed cereals , even if they may be labeled as healthy usually have refined flour,artificial colors, corn syrup and sugar. The health dangers that lurk in processed cereal is the same as those in a can of soda.
Let us start each day with a boost of high fibre breakfasts.
Chia seeds are the super seeds keeping the body hydrated and improving overall endurance. Wake up to a breakfast leaving you fueled with healthy fats, fiber and calcium.
CROP FUTURES Experiments using circles of white pipes blowing extra carbon dioxide over crops suggest that certain nutrients may dwindle in crops grown in a carbon-enhanced future atmosphere. Here, researchers in Arizona measure the growth of wheat.
A dinner plate piled high with food from plants might not deliver the same nutrition toward the end of this century as it does today. Climate change could shrink the mineral and protein content of wheat, rice and other staple crops, mounting evidence suggests.
Selenium, a trace element essential for human health, already falls short in diets of one in seven people worldwide. Studies link low selenium with such troubles as weak immune systems and cognitive decline. And in severely selenium-starved spots in China, children’s bones don’t grow to normal size or shape. This vital element could become sparser in soils of major agricultural regions as the climate changes, an international research group announced online February 21 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Likewise, zinc and iron deficiencies could grow as micronutrients dwindle in major crops worldwide, Harvard University colleagues Samuel Myers and Peter Huybers and collaborators warned in a paper published online January 6 in the Annual Review of Public Health. Futuristic field experiments on wheat and other major crops predict that more people will slip into nutritional deficits late in this century because of dips in protein content, Myers reported February 16 at the Climate and Health Meeting held in Atlanta.
“If we’d sat down 10 years ago and tried to think what the effects of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions might be on human health, none of us would have anticipated that one effect would be to make our food less nutritious,” Myers said. “But we can’t fundamentally disrupt and reconfigure most of the natural systems around our planet without encountering unintended consequences.”
Figuring out those unintended nutrient consequences isn’t easy. For selenium, scientists have only a rough idea of the element’s global movements. It’s unclear what proportions erode out of rocks or waft onto land from sea, says biogeochemist Lenny Winkel of ETH Zurich and the Swiss aquatic research group Eawag in Dübendorf. She was the principal investigator for the selenium in soils project in the new Proceedings paper. As far as she knows, it presents the first global look at selenium concentrations in soils and what basic factors influence what’s there. This scale, she says, was “a bit bold.”
Starting with more than 33,000 data points from other sources, Winkel and colleagues pieced together a map of selenium concentrations in soils across much of the globe. Climate popped out as one of the more important predictors of selenium content in soil, a link that hadn’t shown up in small studies. Places where climate turns land arid generally have lower selenium, but soil character matters, too. Places with high organic carbon, as in a woodland rich with fallen leaves, as well as places with abundant clay, tend to do better at retaining selenium.
Story continues after map
Selenium slump
Soil concentrations of the element selenium, essential for human life, could change by the end of the 21st century, according to computer simulations based on an intermediate scenario for climate change (a scenario that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change labels RCP6.0). The analysis identified what influences soil selenium now — including precipitation and concentrations of organic carbon in soil — and predicted future concentrations based on those influences.
G.D. Jones et al/PNAS 2017
By the end of the century, about two-thirds of heavily cultivated agricultural land would probably lose selenium under an intermediate scenario of climate change, Winkel and colleagues conclude. With a projected average end-century warming of 2.2 degrees Celsius compared with 1986 to 2005, selenium drops in breadbasket regions in the study by an average of 8.7 percent. Only 19 percent of croplands seem likely to gain selenium.
The new map “is worrisome,” says plant physiologist Philip White of the James Hutton Institute in Invergowrie, Scotland. White, who studies agricultural plants,…
