“World’s Healthiest” food #1 that I like: Quinoa
I put “World’s Healthiest” in quotes because the lists that come out occasionally are always changing. One day milk is good for you, one day it’s bad, blah blah blah. So I don’t really put too much stock in them. I REALLY don’t put any stock in the “World’s Worst” lists because a) it’s no surprise that eating a stack of pancakes with frosting from IHOP is bad for you (can you honestly tell me that someone orders that for their health?), and b) people will continually find new and exciting ways to make the world’s unhealthiest food. Anyways! Regardless of the merits of these silly internet lists, there are some foods that deserve the recognition. (Also, compared to other lists, this site is a pretty good resource. They offer more information and history about the products, as well as actual health benefits and not just weight loss tips.) Let’s focus on some of these foods and figure out easy ways to incorporate them into our diet, shall we? Yes!
Quinoa is awesome. You can click through to learn about how it is high in protein and fiber, will help keep your heart healthy, is high in magnesium, will prevent gallstones, and will drop your kids off at school, so there’s no need for me to repeat it all. Here are the benefits I can tell you about:
1. It is delicious. For all its health benefits, quinoa is above all, a really tasty grain that can easily become a part of most meals. It is light and kind of fluffy, has a slightly nutty taste and texture, but not so much that it drowns out the flavors of the rest of your food. It’s a good “vehicle” grain for everything else on your plate. (It also tastes good hot or cold, making it an excellent addition to a grain-based salad.)
2. It cooks quickly. Quinoa has more health benefits than brown rice, wild rice, spelt, and all those other healthy whole grains that take a good part of an hour to prepare. Quinoa is done in 15-20 minutes (or even less time if you’re cooking a small amount). I cannot stress how important that is to me on a weeknight. It has the same cooking method as other grains (bring to a boil and then cover and simmer).
I encourage you to give quinoa a try if you haven’t already. Use it anywhere that you would use rice: with stir fries, in a rice salad, as an accompaniment to the rest of the meal, even in a rice pudding-type dessert. It is available at Trader Joe’s and all “healthy” grocery stores, and is now starting to be available at bigger stores as well. Look in the “natural foods” section.
