Quinoa nutrition facts

One of the latest superfoods to be touted by celebrity trainers and the like is quinoa.

 

What makes "keen-wah" so nutritious? We’ve got the scoop on quinoa nutrition facts.

 

Most people who have heard of quinoa think it’s a grain, and judging by how it’s pronounced, some assume it’s from the Orient.

 

But technically, quinoa is a seed, not a grain and it’s grown high in the Andes Mountains of South America.

 

Quinoa plants have been cultivated at altitudes of well over 10,000 feet and have been considered a superfood for at least a few millennia — in fact, the Incas cherished it as a superfood of their own.

 

Here in the U.S., quinoa has been discovered as a nutritious asset and enjoyed culinary popularity within only the last few years. Here’s why…

 

Eat one cup of quinoa (a single serving size), and you’ll consume:

• 220 calories (70 percent carbs, 15 percent fat, 15 percent protein)
• 40 grams of carbohydrates (13 percent daily value)
• 8 grams of protein (16 percent of daily value)
• 3.5 grams of fat (5 percent daily value with no saturated fat)
• A glycemic load (blood sugar spike) of only 18 out of 250
• 5 grams of fiber (20 percent of daily value)
• 20 percent of daily value of folate (various forms of Vitamin B)
• 30 percent of magnesium daily value (beneficial for people with migraine headaches); 28 percent daily value of phosphorous; iron (15 percent); copper (18 percent); and manganese (almost 60 percent)

Quinoa is stocked with life-sustaining nutrients all across the board, including all eight essential amino acids. There are other highly beneficial compounds, vitamins and minerals in this food that the Incas reverently called "chisaya mama" (mother of all grains).

 

Vegetarians would do well to incorporate quinoa into their diet often. It’s difficult for vegetarians to get all eight essential amino acids and an adequate source of protein from one food source. Usually, vegetarians and vegans need to combine foods like beans and rice to acquire all the essential amino acids, the building blocks of protein.

 

Those with gluten sensitivities or wheat allergies can rejoice in eating quinoa as it contains no gluten or wheat. (Spanish conquistadors during the South American conquest suppressed quinoa production, as it was associated with what the Spaniards perceived as non-Christian, indigenous, ceremonial backwardness. Thus, wheat was cultivated in the Andes region.)

 

Quinoa cooks very easily, in about 15 minutes. Like cooking rice in a stove top pot, you’ll want almost 2 cups of water per one part quinoa but be careful not to pour too much water in the pot, otherwise it will take even longer.

 

Cook quinoa at a high setting until it starts boiling and then cover and simmer for about 12-15 minutes. When you see the ring-shaped sprouts popping out, you’ll know the quinoa is almost ready. Stir the quinoa so all the water gets absorbed.

 

Quinoa by itself tastes rather bland. Add some coconut or olive oil or ghee butter (clarified butter) to add flavor and consistency. Add any spices or herbs you like and perhaps some crushed almonds or walnuts. In the last two minutes before it's ready to serve, toss a handful of spinach and stir until the spinach withers a little bit but not too much.

 

Enjoy this food that the Incas valued as much as gold.

 

Judd Handler is a freelance writer and health and lifestyle coach in Encinitas, Calif., who likes to think he has perfected the art of cooking quinoa. He can be reached atcoachjudd@gmail.com.

How to Meditate 101

Feeling scatterbrained? Stressed-out and overwhelmed? Depressed? It’s time to calm your mind. Here are some tips on how to meditate and the benefits you’ll receive from daily meditation.

 

Warning: your life might change if you start meditating. Eventually, you may:

• Develop appreciation for the mundane every-day tasks that bore you and keep you joyless.
• No longer be bombarded by the constantly chattering “monkey mind” that’s been taking up residence in your brain.
• Lower your blood pressure; perhaps you’ll be able to stop taking your meds.
• Recognize the illusion of problems your mind spins out of control; learn how to see the hilarity of every-day dramas.
• Attract more positivity in your life.

You Gotta Believe!

Can’t sit still for an hour while you’re in a position that seems like you’d strain your groin staying in it for any longer than a minute?

 

Don’t let that dissuade you from giving meditation a try. You don’t have to be like Buddha and sit in perfect “lotus pose” with your ankles up into your hip sockets. You can be seated in a chair or even lying down on your back staring up at the ceiling or sky.

 

Meditation doesn’t have to be an impossible spiritual pursuit necessitating pure stillness.

 

You can try moving meditations like tai chi or qi gong. Yoga classes can be meditative.

 

Some people even meditate while they walk. They concentrate on every step and attempt not to get distracted by their own thoughts.

 

Instead, focus is put on the setting, which can be anywhere that’s quiet (even if it’s the garage or laundry room). Anywhere that’s quiet and has natural beauty is a bonus.

 

Go for a walk and “be in the present”, paying close attention to the rustling of the leaves on a tree or a flock of birds flying overhead. While walking, also focus on the dynamic rhythms of the breath, with stomach and ribs expanding on the inhale and the deflations of the exhalations.

 

However you decide to meditate, the first baby step—but a very important one on the road to a calmer mind and less stressful life—is determining that you are ready for a change in your life.

 

Try telling yourself this: “I’m attracting peace in my life.” But don’t half-heartedly say it. You must truly feel that you’re going to be successful in focusing on the positive and calming the mind.

 

If you’re meditating because you heard Dr. Phil say it’s good for you, but you have your doubts it will do any good, you’ve already set yourself up for failure to make a powerful, uplifting change in your life.

 

How Long Should I Meditate?

If you’re new to meditation, try just one to two minutes, maximum, at first, and notice how hard it is to not let your thoughts take over. Remember, the goal of mediation is to focus on your breath. You may also focus on a simple phrase you want to attract in your life—peace, wealth, wellness.

 

It’s ok if you have thoughts creeping in. Don’t give up at first. In fact, it’s not likely you’ll ever become a spiritual master and transport your spirit to another dimension. So when you notice your mind is focused on thoughts think of them as passing clouds.

 

Recognize the fact you’re thinking instead of meditating. Bring yourself back to your breath and phrase/mantra. Try staring at a candle flame. That will really zone your mind out. (Remember staring at campfires? How meditative!)

 

It Won’t be Easy but it’ll be Worth it.

Very few people that try, say, guitar or surfing for the first time, are any good at it. It will be the same with mediation. Don’t give up. Eventually, try to meditate at least once in the morning and at night for at least 10 minutes. Stick with it and you will profoundly attract more peace in your life.

 

Got more tips for how to meditate? Leave us a note in the comments below.

 

Judd Handler is an Encinitas, CA-based lifestyle coach and health writer. He has been meditating, playing guitar and surfing for over a decade and wasn’t skilled at any of the three at first. He can be reached at CoachJudd@gmail.com.

Massage: Touch is a Life or Death Matter

A recent article in Oprah Magazine reviewed massage benefits. A few scientific studies that were cited proved that massage can be great for:

• Reducing stress
• Boosting immunity
• Combating stress
• Mitigating depression
• Lowering blood pressure

But do we really need research studies that corroborate what the ancient Egyptians and Chinese already knew, as well as Native Americans and Indians from the Asian subcontinent and other classic civilizations?

Don’t we intuitively know all these benefits? Do we really need a lab researcher doing a study proving that sitting in close contact with a partner for 10 minutes lowers blood pressure, as the article mentioned? 

Happy Endings on the Daily Show and Colbert Report

Comedians Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert would likely have a field day in their respective cable news parodies, quoting the Oprah article, in this case, the director of an institute whose name is a comedic double-entendre gift for someone like Stewart and Colbert…it’s called the Touch Institute.

The director suggests “ ‘[A] regular dose’ of some type of touch lasting at least a few minutes each day, although 10 to 15 minutes is optimal.”

Insert punchlines here.

All joking aside, it’s sad that our pace of life has seemingly become very hectic and stressful. All the while, a vast chunk of Americans have no time—or money—to receive therapeutic touch.

Do we really need scientific studies to convince us that if we don’t receive intimate and therapeutic touch, we’ll suffer health consequences?

Massage Benefit Bonus: Mind-Body Connection

One major massage benefit the article did not mention is the stimulation of mind/body unity. Perhaps it’s difficult to scientifically measure what the gerontologist and author Ken Dychtwald called “the miraculous play of psyche and spirit within the totality we are,” in the foreword of the seminal bodyworker’s bible, Job’s Body by Deane Juhan, a book that Utne Reader said should be “required reading for every bodyworker.”

Dychtwald summarizes the themes of Juhan’s opus, divulging in the very beginning of the book quite eloquently what is perhaps one of massage’s greatest benefits.

He says:

“Without adequate tactile input touch, the human organism will die. Touch is one of the principal elements necessary for the successful development and functional organization of the central nervous system, and is as vital to our existence as food, water and breath.”

Another massage benefit, according to Dychtwald, is that “Bodywork…can actually re-educate and re-program the organism into becoming more coordinated, more flexible, and more appropriately responsive—literally more ‘intelligent.’ ”

Different Types of Massage for Different Benefits

Good bodyworkers ask their clients before a session what outcomes or benefits the client would like to experience as a result of the session.

Perhaps one client is a cyclist and most often enjoys deep tissue massage for the benefit of muscle tension relief, but this week is majorly stressed out. The in-laws are in town.

The bodyworker would be wise to at least ask if the client would want to receive a more gentle form of bodywork to relieve stress and quiet the mind.

If the intake form (which every bodyworker should have a client fill out before the first session) lists anti-depressant medication, the bodyworker would likewise want to provide a less-rigorous, deep-tissue massage, unless specifically asked for.

If your bodyworker doesn’t ask you about your desired outcome (more relaxed, less tense, etc.), tell the bodyworker before the session starts how you would like to feel after the massage.

Intrinsic Benefits of Massage too Complex for Scientific Measurement?

Science can measure some of the physiological processes that occur after getting a massage such as increased serotonin, one of the brain’s all natural depression fighter.

But what it has yet to measure is the mental development that may occur as a result of massage and how massage affects, once again, quoting Dychtwald, the “intellectual and emotional contents of the body’s organs.”

What Dychtwald means is that one major massage benefit is that bodywork may fundamentally change who we are as human beings.

Judd Handler is a lifestyle coach and certified massage therapist in Encinitas, CA, specializing in Thai Massage Therapy, a combo of assisted-yoga stretching and bodywork. He can be reached at CoachJudd@gmail.com.