I have more quinoa info - is it OK??

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-01-2004
I have more quinoa info - is it OK??
3
Tue, 03-16-2004 - 5:59pm
I posted earlier about whether quinoa is phase 1 appropriate. There was some debate, since quinoa is considered a grain. However, it turns out that quinoa is not actually a grain. It is however, one of the only "grain-like" foods that contain all amino acids. The Incas first stared its cultivation. Cool, huh?

See below from http://www.fatfree.com/foodweb/food/quinoa.html

"Description: Quinoa, pronounced keen-wah, is not a true cereal grain, but rather the botanical fruit of an herb plant. It is treated as a grain in cooking. The grains are small yellow flattened spheres, approximately 1.5 to 2 mm in diameter. When cooked, the germ coils into a small "tail" that lends a pleasant crunch."

Nutrition Facts:

For a 100g serving:

Calories: 374 18.7%

Total Fat: 2.937g 14.685%

Sodium: 21mg 0.87%

Cholesterol: 0mg 0%

Total Carbohydrate: 68.9g 22.9%

Potassium: 740

Dietary Fiber: 5.9

Sugar:

Protein: 13.1


So...high in protein, low in fat, decent fiber... Anyone? Phase 1 appropriate? I just really don't want to blow it but it would be a shame to miss out on this yummy healthy "grain"...

Thanks again!!!!

Elizabeth (the quinoa obsessed :)




iVillage Member
Registered: 12-19-2002
Tue, 03-16-2004 - 6:53pm

"Description: Quinoa, pronounced keen-wah, is not a true cereal grain, but rather the botanical fruit of an herb plant. It is treated as a grain in cooking. The grains are small yellow flattened spheres, approximately 1.5 to 2 mm in diameter. When cooked, the germ coils into a small "tail" that lends a pleasant crunch."

Nutrition Facts:
For a 100g serving:
Calories: 374 18.7%
Total Fat: 2.937g 14.685%
Sodium: 21mg 0.87%
Cholesterol: 0mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate: 68.9g 22.9%
Potassium: 740
Dietary Fiber: 5.9
Sugar:
Protein: 13.1


Hi Elizabeth, so then....this item is a fruit?

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-01-2004
Tue, 03-16-2004 - 10:49pm
Ok, here's what I found. A ~100g serving contains 2g sugar and has a glycemic index of 35. Combined with the nearly 10g of protein, only 4g of fat and 6 grams of fiber, it seems perfect and if it is acceptable then I would love to spread the quinoa gospel ;)

As for whether it's a "fruit" like we think of fruit: it looks alot like couscous, so it's often mistaken for a grain. It grows on a stalk like a grass and is the fruiting part of the plant. (sorry, I'm a biochemist so I'm sort of into the natural history of foods!)

Here is a link to what dried quinoa looks like:

http://www.chefbrad.com/images/quinoa.jpg

I think that although it is technically a "fruit" the major portion of each "grain" is actually seed. I've been eating it for a few years and it is hard to come by in some places. You can frequently find it in the bulk food aisle of natural foods stores. It cooks like rice, has a nutty flavor and is very mild and versatile.

Sorry to keep harping, I just think it's a wonderful, delicious, all natural low carb high protein food that could really be great for SBDers, particularly if it can substitute for the *real* grains that we crave!

Here is a vendor's website and nutritional information.

http://www.quinoa.bigstep.com/generic1.html

Nutrition Facts for 1/4 cup dry (42g)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Calories 159 Calories from Fat 18

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~ %Daily Value

Total Fat 2 g

Saturated Fat 0 g

Cholesterol 0 mg

Sodium 8 mg

Carbohydrate 28 g

Dietary Fiber 3 g

Sugars 1 g

Protein 5 g

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Vitamin A 0% * Vitamin C 0%

Calcium 2% * Phosphorus 15%

Iron 15% * Riboflavin 8%

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hope this helps!

Thanks again :)

Elizabeth



iVillage Member
Registered: 10-01-2003
Tue, 03-16-2004 - 10:56pm
Quinoa is a pasta like grain product.