What’s all the buzz about Quinoa?

I have to admit that I wasn’t all that impressed by the flavor or texture of quinoa when I first tasted it. Then I did some research about the grain and discovered that it had many healthy attributes that go far beyond the flavor. I found out that:

Quinoa is in the fruit family and is very easy to digest.

The nutritional properties in quinoa are very similar to mother’s milk (great for Vegans and non-dairy consumers)

1 Cup of cooked Quinoa has as much calcium as a quart of milk

Quinoa is rich in folate

It is 60% higher in protein than wheat, barley, corn and rice

The protein in quinoa has all of the Essential Amino Acids present

Quinoa is high in lysine which is rare in the plant kingdom

It is low in gluten, great for gluten free baking but does not really work that well for bread, from my experience

Quinoa is a high fiber slow release carbohydrate which is good for diabetics

It is an alkaline grain compared to other grains that are considered acidic

Quinoa is rich in magnesium, manganese, and copper, elements that combat stress, relaxes blood vessels, great for migraines and the heart.

Quinoa is rich in lignans, which may be a protector against hormone related cancers, such as breast cancer.

The highest quality quinoa comes from Bolivia and Peru.

Altiplano is the sweet delicate ivory colored variety that grows 12,500 feet above sea level.

The Valley variety grows at 70,000 to 10,000 feet above sea level and is very common in Peru.

Not as common, is the Chenopodium Quinoa which is a rare organic quinoa grown on small family owned plots at over 12,000 feet in the Andean Plateu in Bolivia.