For lunch today, I have just had a wonderful Quinoa salad. As part of living healthy and getting the life you love, care has to be taken as to just what you put in your body.
Quinoa, pronounced keen-wah, has been cultivated since before the time of the Incas, almost 6000 years ago in the Andes. To the Indian natives of the Andes Mountains in Peru and Bolivia, quinoa seeds were at one time even more valuable than gold.
After the Spanish conquest of the Incas, Quinoa fell into decline and obscurity, until a revival of interest in the 1970’s and 1980’s.
I was introduced to Quinoa by a friend who works in nutrition who said it was the ideal food for vegetarians. It is now available more widely and even the supermarkets have begun to stock it.
If your local superstore does not have it, ask the manager to get it in for you – after all you are the customer. Alternatively, it is certain to be stocked by your local health food store.
Being a vegetarian, Quinoa is indeed the ideal food for me – it is very high in protein. As it also contains complex carbohydrates, is low in fat, and rich in vitamins and minerals – it is the complete food and can supply us with all the body’s requirements.
Quinoa is gluten free and considered an ideal food for those prone to food allergies. It is perfect for people who cannot tolerate common grains like wheat, corn, rye, barley, and oats.
At the same time, by buying this particular pack of Quinoa, I am supporting the long term improvement of Bolivian farmers.
Quinoa is also fast and easy to cook. Cook it the same way as you would cook rice. It can be served hot or cold and can be made savoury or sweet. The grains when cooked retain their fine and easily digestible texture.
There are myriad tasty recipes you can create and the only limitation is your imagination. For instance, use Quinoa instead of rice in your favourite dish.
I particularly like to use it in my salads – just mix it in with other vegetables for a highly filling and nourishing meal.
Enjoy!