Its important to consume a variety of wholegrains in your diet as each grain has a different nutritional profile and not only provides a variety of nutrients but a variety of tastes too. Eating the wholegrain rather than the processed version will improve satiety. The whole grain version has a much higher fiber content which is paramount for a healthy digestive system – this has a pivotal role in all health conditions (more on that later). Refined grains have over 90% less zinc and B vitamins than the whole version as these nutrients are found in the husk that is removed from refined grains.
Quinoa: (pronounced keenwa) An ancient grain with the best nutrient profile of all the grains. It is protein rich and is lower in carbohydrate than any other grain. It contains more calcium than milk (weight for weight) and is higher in essential fatty acids than any other grain. Being gluten free means it is suitable for people following gluten free diets. It is packed full of manganese, magnesium, iron, tryptophan, vitamin E and B vitamins. Magnesium is THE antistress mineral. It maintains the relaxation of the blood vessels reducing constriction so is therefore helpful in reducing headaches, muscle spasm, hypertension and is a necessary mineral in cardiac health. Magnesium is also needed to regulate blood sugar levels so is important for diabetics.
To cook quinoa: Always rinse quinoa before cooking to remove saponins which have the potential to cause bloating. It expands two and a half times its size. Cook with one part grain two parts water. it takes about 20 minutes to cook and once cooked the germ seperates from the seed and the grain becomes transparent. Quinoa can be used instead of rice and is much lighter than rice with a nutty flavour. If you enjoy the nutty flavour you can dry roast it before cooking it to increase the nuttiness.