Quinoa is gluten-free and packed with nutrients like protein, zinc, fiber, and folate, as well as antioxidants. Quinoa doesn’t take long to prepare, and you can add it to your diet in both sweet and savory dishes.
Although it’s usually lumped in with cereal grains, like oats and barley, quinoa is actually a pseudocereal grain. In other words, it is basically a seed that is prepared and eaten similarly to a grain. Other examples of pseudocereal grains include buckwheat and amaranth
Pseudocereals grains, edible seeds belonging to dicotyledonous plant species, are becoming a current trend in human diets as gluten-free (GF) grains with excellent nutritional and nutraceutical value. Pseudocereals are a good source of starch, fiber, proteins, minerals, vitamins, and phytochemicals such as saponins, polyphenols, phytosterols, phytosteroids, and betalains with potential health benefits.
Nutrient breakdown for 1 cup (185 grams) of cooked quinoa:
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Calories: 222
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Protein: 8 grams
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Fat: 3.55 grams
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Carbohydrates: 39 grams
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Fiber: 5 grams
Quinoa is a good source of a number of important nutrients, including folate, magnesium, zinc, and iron.
It’s also rich in fiber and protein, nutrients that play an important role in helping you feel full.
