What's the deal w/Quinoa

_John_

When you have it, it's a very convenient way to dump a Q and a lot of vowels in a game of scrabble/wwf

Daiako

taste aside (and I do like it, i found a place where they sell them with basil, mint leaves, dried cranberries and peanuts - its a cold salad) is it any nutritious? it s a better option than rice, less carbs? What are its benefits??

Check out my response on the first page! I gave a rundown of the nutritional benefits.

white rice cooked 100 gm = 28 gm carb, 2.7 gm protein .4 gm fiber cal 130
quinoa cooked 100 gm = 21 gm carb 4.4 gm protein 2.8 gm fiber cal 120

If you like it, fine. But IMO not worth the money as it is easily 5-10 times the cost.

...that's the difference? A scant amount of protein and fiber?

Nope

stumblinthrulife

Four pages and no one has pointed out that couscous isn't a grain? MFP, I am disappoint.

srslybritt

Truly? What about black rice? Hear anything about that?

That it's awesome and delicious.

I like to eat it like this:

Edited because I'm a herp derp. This all looks really good.

Iceberg_Simpson

You just can't swallow all that protein, can you?

rachelrb85

I just checked and Google told me that 100g of uncooked Quinoa has 14g of protein but cooked has 4g? Wha? What happens to those 10g of protein?

And personally I like bulgur... love me some yummy Middle Eastern foods

LiftAllThePizzas

I don't find Quinoa to be strange...it is a staple in many parts of the world. I love the stuff and I've been eating quinoa before quinoa was cool...I'm fairly well traveled though.

You're only saying that for credibility with all the hot quinoaphiles in the thread.

I hated hating hating fads before it was cool to hate hating fads before it was cool to hate hating hating fads before it was cool to hate hating fads.

Fullsterkur_woman

I just checked and Google told me that 100g of uncooked Quinoa has 14g of protein but cooked has 4g? Wha? What happens to those 10g of protein?

And personally I like bulgur... love me some yummy Middle Eastern foods

100 grams of cooked quinoa is going to have a hell of a lot of absorbed water and therefore be lower in calories and protein.

Fullsterkur_woman

I don't find Quinoa to be strange...it is a staple in many parts of the world. I love the stuff and I've been eating quinoa before quinoa was cool...I'm fairly well traveled though.

You're only saying that for credibility with all the hot quinoaphiles in the thread.

I hated hating hating fads before it was cool to hate hating fads before it was cool to hate hating hating fads before it was cool to hate hating fads.

But how much wood would a woodchuck chuck?

And how many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?

Daiako

I just checked and Google told me that 100g of uncooked Quinoa has 14g of protein but cooked has 4g? Wha? What happens to those 10g of protein?

And personally I like bulgur... love me some yummy Middle Eastern foods

100 grams of cooked quinoa is going to have a hell of a lot of absorbed water and therefore be lower in calories and protein.

indeed. I imagine 100g of uncooked quionoa is far more than 120 calories. I know 100g of uncooked rice is around 400 cals.

Kaelakcr

Four pages and no one has pointed out that couscous isn't a grain? MFP, I am disappoint.

I said it's a "pseudo-cereal"! It's just easier to call it a grain because that's what it's colloquially referred to as ("ancient grain").

Kaelakcr

I like it but I'll admit it took me a while to get used to it. I like to dress it up with onions, peppers, probably cut some chicken strips or put some ground turkey in it. It is a good source of protein and doesn't have the bad carbs that rice has. Though I'll admit, having a strong Lousiana background, we ate a lot of white rice growing up and I will still occasionally have some.

So basically, cover it up with a bunch of other stuff so it's barely there and it's all good.

And bad carbs, especially rice as a bad carb...

Sorry, but I don't quite understand this asinine post.

There. Are. No. Bad. Carbs.

I agree with you, to a degree. There are no bad carbs; however, some carbs are more efficient, some provide more long-lasting energy, some are more nutritionally dense per calorie. "Empty calories" are a thing, and white rice, for example, is one of those things. There is very little in the way of nutrition from white rice. It's mostly simple carbs. That can cause a spike in glucose and more hunger and cravings when you crash. It's fine if you add proteins and complex carbs. But with quinoa that's not an issue.

Brown rice is better for you, but he was specifically talking about white rice in his comment.

I would also add that white rice is very high in "glycemic" levels which makes it a "bad" carb. The same can be said of white bread and white potatoes. Foods high in glycemic levels can be easily broken down quickly into sugar in your blood stream and over consumption can put you at risk for type 2 diabetes. By the way, I don't think it's a huge coincidence that the continent of Asia is facing a diabetes epidemic . Ten percent of the population in China or 98 million people are affected by diabetes and consumption of white rice has much to do with it. Conversely, quinoa's glycemic levels are low in comparison. Facts are facts.

Thank you! That's the point I was making about blood glucose. It's not that rice is "bad" for you, but quinoa is better for you, objectively. More protein per calorie (almost twice the amount!) and it's a complex, slow-releasing carb. That means longer satiation time and lower glycemic index.

bohemian124

Quinoa is awesome. It is delicious, healthy ,and versatile. The mistake most people make is they cook it in plain water with no seasonings. Blech! Cook in a broth or in water that is well seasoned with salt, herbs, spices, citrus zest, etc. So much better!

Cliffslosinit

Quinoa said, "she was only working there/doing this for a short time until college is done."

Kaelakcr

I wish to join this "Quinoa Party."

Do I need to bring anything? Preferably something with 3 syllables or less, I have dyslexia and wouldn't want to bring the wrong thing.

How about "wine"? That's only one syllable, but it's a fun one.

BlueBombers

I don't like it. I've tried but it's just icky to me.

PikaKnight

I like it but I'll admit it took me a while to get used to it. I like to dress it up with onions, peppers, probably cut some chicken strips or put some ground turkey in it. It is a good source of protein and doesn't have the bad carbs that rice has. Though I'll admit, having a strong Lousiana background, we ate a lot of white rice growing up and I will still occasionally have some.

So basically, cover it up with a bunch of other stuff so it's barely there and it's all good.

And bad carbs, especially rice as a bad carb...

Sorry, but I don't quite understand this asinine post.

There. Are. No. Bad. Carbs.

I agree with you, to a degree. There are no bad carbs; however, some carbs are more efficient, some provide more long-lasting energy, some are more nutritionally dense per calorie. "Empty calories" are a thing, and white rice, for example, is one of those things. There is very little in the way of nutrition from white rice. It's mostly simple carbs. That can cause a spike in glucose and more hunger and cravings when you crash. It's fine if you add proteins and complex carbs. But with quinoa that's not an issue.

Brown rice is better for you, but he was specifically talking about white rice in his comment.

I would also add that white rice is very high in "glycemic" levels which makes it a "bad" carb. The same can be said of white bread and white potatoes. Foods high in glycemic levels can be easily broken down quickly into sugar in your blood stream and over consumption can put you at risk for type 2 diabetes. By the way, I don't think it's a huge coincidence that the continent of Asia is facing a diabetes epidemic . Ten percent of the population in China or 98 million people are affected by diabetes and consumption of white rice has much to do with it. Conversely, quinoa's glycemic levels are low in comparison. Facts are facts.

Right. It's a good thing I'm Japanese, I guess :huh:

Honestly, I doubt that has to solely do with white rice otherwise a diabetic epidemic would have been a huge problem long before now in every Asian country.

DamePiglet

I would also add that white rice is very high in "glycemic" levels which makes it a "bad" carb. The same can be said of white bread and white potatoes. Foods high in glycemic levels can be easily broken down quickly into sugar in your blood stream and over consumption can put you at risk for type 2 diabetes. By the way, I don't think it's a huge coincidence that the continent of Asia is facing a diabetes epidemic . Ten percent of the population in China or 98 million people are affected by diabetes and consumption of white rice has much to do with it. Conversely, quinoa's glycemic levels are low in comparison. Facts are facts.

Okay, this just...

Are you supposing that Chinese people just started eating rice recently? Because that's what "epidemic" implies... that it happened all at once and rapidly.

If that is what you are alleging, then you are way off base.
Chinese people are getting obese rapidly. Mostly a result of a CHANGE in their diets and lifestyles.

If YOU choose not to eat rice, okay. But don't make up crapfacts.

PikaKnight

I would also add that white rice is very high in "glycemic" levels which makes it a "bad" carb. The same can be said of white bread and white potatoes. Foods high in glycemic levels can be easily broken down quickly into sugar in your blood stream and over consumption can put you at risk for type 2 diabetes. By the way, I don't think it's a huge coincidence that the continent of Asia is facing a diabetes epidemic . Ten percent of the population in China or 98 million people are affected by diabetes and consumption of white rice has much to do with it. Conversely, quinoa's glycemic levels are low in comparison. Facts are facts.

Okay, this just...

Are you supposing that Chinese people just started eating rice recently? Because that's what "epidemic" implies... that it happened all at once and rapidly.

If that is what you are alleging, then you are way off base.
Chinese people are getting obese rapidly. Mostly a result of a CHANGE in their diets and lifestyles.

If YOU choose not to eat rice, okay. But don't make up crapfacts.

Kaelakcr

I would also add that white rice is very high in "glycemic" levels which makes it a "bad" carb. The same can be said of white bread and white potatoes. Foods high in glycemic levels can be easily broken down quickly into sugar in your blood stream and over consumption can put you at risk for type 2 diabetes. By the way, I don't think it's a huge coincidence that the continent of Asia is facing a diabetes epidemic . Ten percent of the population in China or 98 million people are affected by diabetes and consumption of white rice has much to do with it. Conversely, quinoa's glycemic levels are low in comparison. Facts are facts.

Okay, this just...

Are you supposing that Chinese people just started eating rice recently? Because that's what "epidemic" implies... that it happened all at once and rapidly.

If that is what you are alleging, then you are way off base.
Chinese people are getting obese rapidly. Mostly a result of a CHANGE in their diets and lifestyles.

If YOU choose not to eat rice, okay. But don't make up crapfacts.

http://healthland.time.com/2012/03/16/study-does-eating-white-rice-raise-your-risk-of-diabetes/

"Each additional daily serving of white rice, a staple of Asian diets, may increase the risk of Type 2 diabetes by 10%, according to the study, which analyzed the results of four previous studies involving 352,384 participants from four countries: China, Japan, U.S. and Australia. Those who ate the highest amounts of white rice had a 27% higher risk of diabetes than those who ate the least, and the risk was most pronounced in Asian people."

I agree that it's not the right choice of words on that commenter's part. But white rice does contribute to the epidemic, along with changes in the diet (more processed foods that are high in sugars).