Superfood Quinoa and It’s Pal Amaranth

Published in Detodo/La Optimista, Ibiza’s good news only newspaper.

Possibly deserving a place at the top of the superfoods’ table are amaranth and quinoa. Recognised long ago by the indigenous peoples of the Americas, these foods played integral roles in their culture. Later banned by the powers that be, who were perturbed by their use in native religious ceremonies, their considerable health-boosting properties were somewhat obscured from general society’s view.

Thankfully, nowadays, there is very little doubt of their protein and other essential nutrients contact. They are exceptionally high protein grains, containing 8-9 grams per one cup serving. The protein they provide is actually termed as “complete”, meaning that they carry all the essential amino acids in the ratios needed by the human body; a trait that is almost unheard of in plant foods. Although they behave like grains when cooked, hence their collective title of “pseudo-grains”, they are not actually members of the grass family and therefore completely safe for people with gluten or corn allergies.