Cooked and dried quinoa
The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise grows it under his feet ~James Oppenheim
I distinctly remember the first time I encountered quinoa - it was at the end of a long day hiking the Incan trail up to Macchu Pichu. Melded into a corn soup, it was chewy and delicious, easily the best meal I'd had in days. All the meals were good, but it's the only one that I can actually remember. Since then it's consistently made the "superfoods" list (who makes this list anyway - the same people that maintain the best-dressed list?) because of its high nutrition content.
Famed in ancient Incan times and now the modern, quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) was identified by NASA scientists as one of the most nutritious foods in the plant and animal kingdoms. The Incans considered it sacred and called it the "Mother of All Grains." The first seeds of the season were sown by the Incan Emperor using golden implements. It was so integral to the culture that the Spanish conquistadors forbade its cultivation and scorned it as "food for Indians." Quinoa is often identified as a grain, but it is actually the seeds of a goosefoot (chenopod), so it is closely related to spinach, beets and tumbleweeds.
So what makes it so nutritious? Quinoa is very high in quality protein. Like eggs, it is a very high-quality protein since it has all nine essential amino acids for adults (the aminos that your body can't produce). One serving (1/2 cup) contains 12% of your daily iron requirements, and it's high in magnesium, riboflavin, fiber and phospohorus. Quinoa is easy to digest and gluten-free for those with gluten issues. It was given to Incan warriors and nursing mothers. NASA is considering it as a crop for long duration manned space flights.
Quinoa comes in two colors - a traditional beige or red. Nutritionally they are considered equivalent, though you may want to vary the colors according to your dish. A 1/4 cup dry (1/2 cup cooked) serving contains:
- 163-172 calories
- 2.8-3 grams of fat (no saturated fats, trans fats or cholesterol)
- 1-5 mg sodium
- 29-31 grams carbohydrates
- 3-5 grams sugar
- 6 grams proteins
In its natural state quinoa is covered with a sticky coat of saponin, which is difficult to remove. Most commercially sold quinoa has had this layer removed. However, you may still want to soak them (as recommended by Sally Fallon) for 12+ hours in water with 2T of kefir, yogurt, vinegar or lemon juice to remove antinutritive properties.
Quinoa can be used as a substitute for any grain. You can swap it out for rice in a stir-fry or barley in a soup. Get creative. It cooks quickly (15 min), and absorbs 2 cups of water to 1 cup of quinoa.
As quinoa becomes a more popular export crop, The New York Times reported that producers are earning more income, but fewer local people can afford it resulting in greater malnutrition in quinoa-growing areas. Globalization also means that there is also an increasing preference for processed foods such as noodles in South America. Less access to nutritious, locally grown food but higher income for farmers. It's a tough situation, but MindfulEats is on the side of increasing local income.
Want to learn more?
- Comprehensive quinoa overview from World's Healthiest Foods
- New York Times article on impact of global quinoa demand on Bolivia (March 20, 2011)
