Quinoa

I’ve been going on and on about eating complex carbs over white refined ones, + eating protein with every meal so heres some info on quinoa, ‘the mother grain’ which ticks both these boxes - a protein filled complex carb.

It’s great for vegans especially as its a complete protein (i.e. it contains all the essential amino acids which we can’t ourselves produce and must get from our diet, lots of animal products are complete proteins but only few vegan options are). Quinoa has higher levels of protein than any other grain. Quinoa also has a higher (good) fat content than any other grain, and higher levels of calcium than milk does (another great one for the vegans).

Quinoa contains so many good things: Vits A, B1, B2, B3, folate, E, K, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, and zinc. It’s got high levels of anti oxidants (beta-carotene and lutein).

It’s also anti cancer (many of the substances in quinoa have antiangiogenic properties and suppress the proliferation of cancer cells). It has a high fibre content (my usual obsession… helps bowel function/movement, helps blood sugar regulation etc.). Its also good for high blood pressure (as it has good levels of magnesium and potassium).

Quinoa is good for mental health generally, and also reduces the symptoms of PMS as it is high in B vitamins and magnesium. Eat it a lot especially in the 2nd half (luteal phase days 14-28) of the period cycle.

In TCM, quinoa is said to tonify ‘kidney yang’ - essentially meaning it’s warming & strengthening for the whole body.

Remember, SOAK quinoa for a around 8 hours before cooking!