Considering the nutrient food community, rice and quinoa are totally contradictory to each other and that is the reason why it is better to understand the nutritional benefits of each one of them and then make a healthy choice. Just because some foods are tagged as “health food”, it doesn’t make necessarily a health food as such; rather it makes them a miracle food. But do we have replacements to white rice or brown rice? Many people all over the country are not fully aware of the benefits of quinoa.

Quinoa has been in the limelight for the last few years. It is almost to be found in all homes all over the world, Quinoa is a best replacement of white rice or brown rice. It should be considered as the first choice of meals considering its health benefits and the nutritional importance it possesses. A nutrient-rich source of food, is naturally gluten-free, which does not go through any processing, thus preventing the loss of nutrients. The gluten-free property of quinoa makes it more healthy, beneficial in certain disorders of the body and keeping you healthy throughout. It is a high source of fibre, compared to white rice or brown rice. Being able to possess certain inflammatory properties, it promotes the overall health of the body because of the presence of vitamins and minerals.

Quinoa comes in three forms namely:

White quinoa:

It is one of the simplest types which gets cooked faster and doesn’t require much preparation time. It is also less crunchy in taste.

Black quinoa:

It is crunchier compared to white one, and hence it requires more time to cook, probably 5-10 minutes.

Red quinoa:

Compared to white quinoa, even this one takes a longer time to cook and regarding its crunchiness, it is much crunchier than white quinoa.

One of the most important points of this superfood’s benefits is that it consists of all the nine essential amino acids, especially lysine, histidine and methionine in abundant. The human body carries out better functioning in presence of all the nine essential amino acids since many health disorders such as diabetes, high blood pressure, hair fall, erectile dysfunction, etc. can be easily controlled and treated with ease. Amino acids are a must for the proper functioning of the metabolic activities of the human body. Foods which are low in glycemic index are highly beneficial for preventing the risks of sugar spikes in blood. Quinoa has a score of about 53 when it comes to low glycemic index and hence is better than rice which has a score of 73.

It is also a rich source of healthy fats, unlike rice, which does not support healthy fats. Talking about healthy fats, it has a high amount of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat which benefits in lowering the cholesterol levels of the body, thus keeping your heart free from any risk of heart disease. Fibre contributes greatly to losing weight. Quinoa is a rich source of fibre which benefits in many situations like regularising the bowel movements, helps in lowering the cholesterol levels of blood and prevents sugar spikes. Being rich in fibre, it keeps you fuller for a longer time, which in turn, makes you eat less and thus promotes weight loss. Compared to other grains and its nutritional benefits, quinoa has a comparatively high amount of vitamins and nutrients. It has high amounts of specific minerals such as fibre, zinc, calcium, magnesium, selenium, etc.