Benefits: Heart + Metabolism
My mother innovated constantly to satisfy her two sons' demanding palates, so she adapted quinoa with brown rice to make one of our all-time favorite foods: sushi. Once called "Inca Gold" due to its stamina-building properties, quinoa contains all the essential amino acids, rendering it a complete protein food. Its high manganese content supplies the body's production of superoxide dismutase, an enzyme that protects against free radical damage to your energy factory. Consider this an energizing longevity recipe!
Quinoa originated in the Andean region of South America, where it has been a highly valued food for thousands of years. It is usually identified as a grain, but actually it is the seed of the Chenopodium quinoa plant, and is related to beets and chard. Quinoa is a great source of magnesium, which is beneficial for blood pressure, heart health, and energy production. It is remarkable for its high amount of protein, which is unusually complete for a plant source in that it includes all nine essential amino acids. Quinoa is a good food to eat for balancing blood sugar; where other refined, low-protein grains contain high amounts of starch that can upset the blood sugar balance, quinoa helps keep blood sugar levels steady.
