It is native to mid-to-high-altitude mountainous areas in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru in the Andes Mountains of South America.
The ear can be red, purple, or yellow, and the plant shape is similar to gray cabbage. When mature, the ear resembles sorghum ear. The stems are hard in texture, can be branched or not, and the single leaves are alternate; the leaves are duck-foot-shaped, and the leaf margins are divided into full-edged and serrated-edged. The flowers are bisexual, the flowers are umbrella-shaped, spike-shaped, and cone-shaped, and the quinoa seeds are smaller and in the shape of small round tablets. It has certain drought tolerance, cold tolerance, and salt tolerance, and its growth range is from sea level to a plateau with an altitude of about 4,500 meters.
Quinoa is a traditional staple food of Indians. It was domesticated almost at the same time as rice and has a history of cultivation and consumption of more than 6,000 years. Quinoa has quite a comprehensive nutritional profile, and its taste and taste are easy for people to accept. The Indians of South America created the great Inca civilization under the nourishment of quinoa, a nutritious food. The Incas respected quinoa as the mother of food. Americans introduced quinoa to NASA as early as the 1980s. As a daily ration for astronauts, FAO determined that quinoa is the only grain that can meet all the nutrients needed by humans as a single crop, and promoted and promoted quinoa. publicity. 2013 is the International Year of Quinoa designated by the United Nations. This calls on people to pay attention to food security and nutritional balance. What is the nutritional value of quinoa? What are the benefits and functions of quinoa? What are the nutrients in quinoa? With these questions in mind, use data to interpret the nutritional benefits of quinoa!
Quinoa is rich in protein, amino acids, starch, dietary fiber, fatty acids, minerals, vitamins and other nutrients, and has a very balanced content of essential amino acids. It is regarded as a "sacred plant". Quinoa not only has high nutritional value, but also has biological characteristics such as salt tolerance, cold tolerance, drought tolerance, and barren tolerance.
Quinoa is considered by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to be the only complete nutritional food that can meet the basic nutritional needs of the human body as a single plant. The United Nations designated 2013 as the Year of Quinoa, aiming to promote Cultivation, consumption, technological research and development and variety preservation of quinoa.
Although quinoa has many characteristics of cereals, such as clustered inflorescences, balanced protein and lipids, and rich special proteins (sulfur-containing amino acids and lysine), it is a "pseudo-cereal" ” and “pseudo seeds”, which do not belong to the family Poaceae. Similar to rice, quinoa seeds can be made into porridge, puffed breakfast cereals, or baked products such as cookies, bread, noodles, potato chips, tortillas, etc. Quinoa leaves are eaten similarly to spinach, and quinoa sprouts can be made into salads. In South America, quinoa seeds are also used to make fermented beer or traditional alcoholic drinks. In addition, it can be used as feed for cattle, pigs and poultry.
The efficacy and role of quinoa are inseparable from the rich nutritional content of its seeds. After experiments by relevant scientific research institutions, theoretical data have been obtained that quinoa does have high nutritional value and is the best nutritionally comprehensive super food. food.
1. Quinoa is rich in amino acids. Amino acids are the basic substances that make up the protein required for human nutrition. The presence of amino acids in the human body not only provides important raw materials for protein synthesis, but also provides a material basis for promoting growth, normal metabolism, and maintaining life. If the human body lacks or reduces one of them, the human body's normal life metabolism will be hindered, and even lead to the occurrence of various diseases or the termination of life activities.
There are 22 kinds of amino acids in the human body. Essential amino acids are those that the human body cannot synthesize or the rate of synthesis cannot meet the needs of the body. They must be supplied by food protein. These amino acids are called essential amino acids. Among them, there are 8 kinds of essential amino acids for adults, and the requirements for essential amino acids for adults are about 20 to 37 of the protein requirements. They are: lysine, tryptophan, phenylalanine, methionine, threonine, isoleucine, leucine, and valine. In addition, histidine is necessary for infants and young children.
According to the measurement by relevant institutions using an amino acid analyzer, quinoa is rich in 17 essential and semi-essential amino acids, with an amino acid content of 9.19 to 13.00. Essential amino acids and semi-essential amino acids account for 37.4 and 4.78 of the total amino acids.
Among them, leucine and lysine have the highest content, with average contents accounting for approximately 19.2 and 17.2 of the total essential amino acids, accounting for 7.15 and 6.42 of the total amino acids; threonine, valine, isoleucine, and phenylalanine The acid and histidine content are comparable. Semi-essential amino acids
Account for more than 3.81% of the total amino acids, of which tyrosine content is high, accounting for about 73.8% of the semi-essential amino acids and 4.8% of the total amino acids. The results show that quinoa contains a complete range of amino acids with reasonable proportions. It is a nutritionally complete super food.
2. Quinoa has a low fructose production index, with a GI value of 35. High blood sugar, diabetes, high blood sugar, eating quinoa has a significant effect. In quinoa, starch is the main carbohydrate, accounting for about 58.1-64.2 of the dry weight of quinoa grains. Quinoa starch contains D-ribose, D-galactose and xylose, of which 1.70 mg/100g of glucose , 0.20 mg/100g fructose, 2.90 mg/100g sucrose and 1.40 mg/100g xylose. So this gives it a low fructose index. The content of glucose and fructose in quinoa is lower than that of other grains. It is a low fructose glucose index (FGI) food. The glycemic index of quinoa is only 38.9 of rice. After eating quinoa, blood sugar will not increase significantly. Quinoa can play a beneficial role in the body's glucose and lipid metabolism, so it can be used as a staple food for diabetics.
3. Quinoa is rich in dietary fiber composed of arabinose, pectic polysaccharides and xylan. Among them, insoluble dietary fiber accounts for 78% and soluble dietary fiber accounts for 22%. This is one of the reasons why quinoa is so filling. Dietary fiber can improve intestinal flora in the digestive system and provide energy and nutrients for the proliferation of probiotics. Dietary fiber can absorb harmful substances in the intestines and accelerate their excretion.
The study found that the arabinan and pectin polysaccharides in quinoa can also regulate intestinal flora, help protect the gastric mucosa, and resist ulcers.
4. The fat content in quinoa is 1.8-9.5, and the average content is 5.0-7.2, which is higher than the 3-4 in corn. Among the fats in quinoa, 14.5% of the fat contains unsaturated fatty acids. 70, 38.90 contains linoleic acid, and 27.7 contains octadecenoic acid. Many fatty acids can be produced by human metabolism. These fatty acids are called non-essential fatty acids. However, the body cannot produce the fatty acids required for metabolism, and therefore, these fatty acids must be supplemented through daily meals. Typically, essential fatty acids are composed of chains of 20 or 22 carbon atoms. Among them, omega-3 and omega-6 unsaturated fatty acids are the two most well-known essential fatty acids. Linoleic acid can be metabolized to produce arachidonic acid, and linolenic acid can be metabolized to produce docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Decasapentaenoic acid (EPA). Quinoa is rich in a variety of unsaturated fatty acids, of which linoleic acid is the most abundant. Unsaturated fatty acids have a positive effect on cardiovascular disease and improving insulin sensitivity.
5. Quinoa is rich in saponins. The saponin content in sweet quinoa seeds is 0.2~0.4 g/kg, and that in bitter quinoa seeds is 1.13 g/kg. Saponin is a water-soluble and heat-resistant chemical. Quinoa saponins not only produce a bitter taste, but are also an anti-nutritional component that can be toxic if taken in high doses. Studies have found that saponins can cause rupture of the small intestinal cell membrane and affect the absorption of some proteins. Quinoa saponins are triterpene glycosides that are soluble in methanol and water. People's tolerance for saponins in food is 0.06~0.12. Sensory testing conducted by the University of Ambato in Ecuador found that people’s tolerance for saponins in cooked cereals is 0.1. Therefore, consuming quinoa generally removes saponins. However, recent studies have shown that quinoa saponins have pharmacological activities such as antioxidant, anti-tumor, bacteriostasis, and immunomodulation. These properties have made quinoa saponins a key research object in medicine, health products, food and other industries. ?
6. Quinoa is rich in phytochemicals.
Polyphenols are mainly divided into three types, flavonoids, phenolic acids, and catechins, all of which exhibit strong antioxidant activity and can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and Alzheimer's disease. Four kaempferol glycosides, 2 quercetin glycosides, and 6 flavonol glycosides were isolated and identified in quinoa grains. The flavonoid content in quinoa is relatively high, ranging from 36.2 to 144.3 mg/100 g. At the same time, phenolics, as an antioxidant substance in cereals, have received widespread attention. The phenolics in quinoa have antioxidant capabilities similar to those of traditional crops. Choline is a strong organic base and a component of lecithin. The choline content in quinoa is 70mg/100g.
7. What should I eat if I have gluten allergy? Diet for Celiac Disease Patients? Quinoa is gluten-free. Since patients with celiac disease cannot eat traditional grain foods containing gluten, quinoa is a gluten-free crop and its quinoa flour can replace rice or corn flour.
8. Why can quinoa help you lose weight? What is the principle? Does quinoa really help you lose weight? With these questions, scientific experiments analyze the truth about quinoa weight loss!
Lunasin Obesity is caused by overeating and lack of exercise. Obesity is becoming more and more common in today's society, and obesity not only affects the beauty of the human body, but also has a negative impact on human health. Adipose tissue metabolism produces fatty acids, glycerol, hormones, pro-inflammatory cytokines and other harmful metabolites, which indirectly lead to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. At the same time, obesity may also lead to cardiovascular disease and even cancer. Lunasin, as a functional peptide with 43 amino acids, has received widespread attention. Studies have shown that lunasin is an important functional peptide with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and other effects. . Qualitative and quantitative analysis of lunasin in quinoa, and exploration of the anti-obesity activity of lunasin extracted from quinoa. The content of lunasin in quinoa is 1.3 μg/g; by adding lunasin in quinoa to the 3T3-L1 adipocyte culture medium, it was found that lunasin in quinoa has inhibitory effects by downregulating the expression of PPARγ and C/EBPα mRNA. Role of adipocyte adipogenesis. Research results show that the nutritional content of quinoa has the effect of losing weight. ?
9. Quinoa is rich in bioactive substances. Does quinoa have beauty and anti-aging effects? Quinoa ingredients have antioxidant properties? Quinoa is not only superior to other grains in the content and proportion of protein, fat, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins, but is also rich in polyphenols, flavonoids, choline, phytosterols, phytic acid, saponins and other biological substances. The active substances also make it have strong antioxidant capacity. Quinoa has good antioxidant activity confirmed by various classic in vitro tests using FRAP, ABTS radicals and DPPH radicals. Experiments using animal models have shown that quinoa saponins can synergize with cholera toxin or ovalbumin in the stomach or nose, and enhance multi-site specific immunoglobulins by regulating the permeability between mucosa and antigens. .
10. Quinoa is rich in minerals. Can quinoa be eaten during pregnancy and pregnancy? Quinoa is rich in mineral elements in a moderate proportion and is easily absorbed. Its calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc contents are higher than those of cereal crops. Studies have shown that: 100 g of quinoa can meet the body’s daily needs for the mineral elements iron, magnesium and zinc. In addition, the calcium content in quinoa is more than 2 times higher than that of wheat and more than 5 times higher than that of rice and corn. Therefore, long-term consumption of quinoa can not only maintain bone and tissue health, but also prevent osteoporosis.
11. Quinoa is rich in vitamins. Quinoa is a good source of vitamins, with higher levels of B vitamins, vitamin E and folate than most grains. The folic acid contained is 3 times that of wheat and rice, and more than 7 times that of corn. Long-term consumption can effectively prevent the occurrence of neural tube defects in the vast majority of infants. Vitamin E can not only effectively inhibit the oxidation of oils, but also prevent and reduce the damage of lipid peroxidation of cell membranes in the body.
Therefore, the vitamin E in quinoa has strong antioxidant properties and therefore has anti-aging effects.
I hope that after reading my article, you can truly know and understand quinoa. According to your own eating habits, scientific proportions and reasonable meals.
The Origin of Quinoa