Re:Quinoa should be taking over the world. This is why it isn’t
by pqqqqq on Thursday July 11, 2013 @05:42PM
(#6029429)
It contains a good amount of all of the essential amino acids (ie the amino acids that your body cannot produce adequately itself). It also has calcium and iron. It's a pretty awesome nutritional food.
EDIT: to emphasize, the key advantage of quinoa is that it has a lot of all of the essential amino acids, which is very very rare among plants. I believe the only other plant with all essential amino acids is soy.
Re:Quinoa should be taking over the world. This is why it isn’t
by lena on Thursday July 11, 2013 @07:22PM
(#6029937)
It's not very rare at all. It's rare if you compare it to grains, and while quinoa is not a grain, it is usually used instead of a grain. Many beans (e.g. white and black) and vegetables have a complete amino acid profile.
Re:Quinoa should be taking over the world. This is why it isn’t
by mjn on Thursday July 11, 2013 @07:56PM
(#6030062)
Even potatoes have a complete animo acid profile. Not in the most optimal ratio, but 10 potatoes/day gets you enough of all the essential amino acids. In fact you can live exclusively on potatoes if you add in a source of Vitamin A (like carrots).
Re:Quinoa should be taking over the world. This is why it isn’t
by oftenwrong on Thursday July 11, 2013 @06:02PM
(#6029552)
There are other plants that provide the "complete" protein profile. For example, hemp seeds do.
Re:Quinoa should be taking over the world. This is why it isn’t
by danielweber on Thursday July 11, 2013 @05:45PM
(#6029445)
What makes quinoa better than brown rice?
How does the cost compare?
My original text:
"The arid, cool land that quinoa needs was plentiful, since little else could grow there. And thus far, that trait has made it difficult to grow elsewhere." (posted link)
"Protein content is very high for a cereal/pseudo-cereal (14% by mass), yet not as high as most beans and legumes." ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa )
I'm puzzled. Why not stick to beans, which are cheap and plentiful, and come in a wide variety of shapes and colors?