Quinoa Is Not A Grain

Quinoa is not a cereal grass at all, but rather a member of the same food family that contains spinach. All parts of the plant could be eaten, including not only the seeds but also the leaves and stems. Quinoa leaves taste similar in flavor to the leaves of their fellow chenopods, such as spinach.


Most grains are considered to be inadequate as total protein sources because they lack adequate amounts of the amino acids lysine and isoleucine.  By contrast, quinoa which though eaten in the same way as most grains is not a grain, has significantly greater amounts of both lysine and isoleucine (especially lysine), and these greater amounts of lysine and isoleucine allow the protein in quinoa to serve as a complete protein source.

Quinoa also contains a variety of antioxidant phytonutrients, including ferulic, coumaric, hydroxybenzoic, and vanillic acid. Antioxidant flavonoids including quercetin and kaempferol are also especially plentiful in quinoa. Anti-inflammatory polysaccharides in quinoa include arabinans and rhamnogalacturonans. Many members of the vitamin E tocopherol family are provided by quinoa, including important amounts of gamma-tocopherol. Quinoa is a very good source of manganese. It is also a good source of phosphorus, copper, magnesium, dietary fiber, folate, and zinc.

 •             Combine quinoa with garbanzo, black, or great northern beans.

•             Add nuts and fruits to cooked quinoa and serve as breakfast.

•             Sprouted quinoa can be used in salads and sandwiches just like alfalfa sprouts.

•             Add quinoa to your favorite vegetable soups.

•             Ground quinoa flour can be added to cookie or muffin recipes.

•             Quinoa is great to use in tabulah serving as a delicious (and wheat-free) substitute for the    bulgar wheat.

•             Use it instead of rice to stuff tomatoes, cabbage, collards, and add to stir fries.

•             Add quinoa as a salad topping, on top of vegan nachos, or even inside burritos.