The other day I added quinoa to some black bean quisedillas I was making. I had heard that it was supposed to be a really healthy grain, and I thought I'd sneak a little in. (First rule of cooking in Toni's world: If it's got a little liquid and a reasonably strong flavor, it's a great place to add something healthy)
The quiesedillas turned out pretty well, and just to verify what I thought I knew about quinoa--basically that it was good for you and that it had quite a bit of protein for a grain--so I did a little Google search.
The problem with the internet is that Google can't really distinguish between the website of places that do research, or fact-check, or have some connection to reality and those run by some guy named Bubba sitting at his computer in the basement of his mother's house wearing his tin-foil hat to protect his brain from alien brain scans. I always try to pick domain names that look like they belong to something credible. So, when I searched on "quinoa nutrition facts," I turned up a plausible sounding website called NutritionData.com. Okay, that seemed reasonable enough, so I clicked on the link.
I don't doubt their research, or their accuracy--I just don't really know what the heck they are talking about. Amino acid score? Weren't we having enough trouble just figuring out calories? Not that someone, somewhere might not need this information, but this is not info for the normal consumer. Most of us are really American Bandstand-type nutritionists. ("Thanks Dick. It's got a good crunch, I can still dance after eating it.....I'd give it a 6") Too much information is just confusing.
A little more digging around, and I found my answer: YES, it is good for you--it has protein. And it can be used as a substitute for white rice or couscous....or snuck into anything else that your spouse doesn't see you making.
I think I'd give it a 7......
1 comment:
If you're eating meat products knowing amino acid stuff isn't as important. There's 8 essential amino acids that your body can't make on it's own from other stuff so when you're a vegetarian it's important to know "safe" foods that provide those amino acids. (Man- I haven't thought about stuff like this since my Dietetian days!)
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