Are you under the impression that rice is the only grain option? Not anymore! Quinoa is quickly gaining popularity as a healthy alternative to rice among health enthusiasts. Pronounced as keen-wah or ke-no-ah, it is one of the world’s popular health foods that offer tremendous health benefits. Belonging to the amaranth family, Quinoa is a flowering plant that produces edible seeds.

Let us go through this article to know the Quinoa benefits and how you can incorporate them into your diet. Read on!

What is Quinoa? And its Types:

Botanically speaking, Quinoa is a pseudo-grain and no a grain. It is considered so because Quinoa has all the nutrients you can find in cereal grains and is eaten the same way. Quinoa is a relative of spinach and beets and is the seed of the goosefoot plant. When cooked, the composition of Quinoa is similar to rice or wheat and is gluten-free.

The different types of Quinoa available are:

• White Quinoa.
• Red Quinoa.
• Quinoa flakes.
• Black Quinoa.
• Quinoa flour.

Nutritional Value of Quinoa:

Quinoa is an excellent source of all the nine essential amino acids and a complete source of protein. It also has the necessary minerals and fiber that are essential for the health of your body.

One cup of Quinoa contains:

• Calories- 222.
• Fat- 4 grams.
• Fiber- 5 grams.
• Protein- 8 grams.
• Manganese- 2 milligrams.
• Magnesium- 118 milligrams.
• Folate- 78 micrograms.
• Phosphorus- 281 milligrams.
• Iron- 8 milligrams.
• Copper- 4 milligrams.
• Thiamine- 2 milligrams.
• Zinc- 2 milligrams.
• Riboflavin- 2 milligrams.
• Selenium- 2 milligrams.
• Potassium- 318 milligrams.
• Vitamin E- 2 milligrams.

Proven Quinoa Health Benefits:

Whether to treat digestive issues like constipation or lose weight healthily, you can count on Quinoa as it has high amounts of fiber. In addition, it can work wonders for skin and hair health as it contains antioxidants. Let us go through the Quinoa benefits in detail.