Quinoa: The Superfood!

Hi! I'm Stelios Pantazis.
I'm a doctor and I specialize in
medical nutrition and metabolic disorders.
Our subject today is a superfood, quinoa.
Quinoa is a plant cultivated on the Andes
for more than 7,000 years,
but in Europe, we've discovered
its value in the last few decades.
It's considered a superfood, namely
a food that in very few calories
offers many nutrients.
Today, we'll find out what quinoa is,
why it is beneficial to our health
and how you can include it
in your daily life.
Quinoa is nutritionally similar to cereals,
but it doesn't belong to this family of plants.
However, we include it in this group
with the other cereals,
because it has similar nutrients
as well as similar use in cooking.
One of the most significant
advantages of quinoa
is that it's gluten-free.
Therefore, if you suffer
from celiac disease,
gluten intolerance, or try
to avoid gluten for any reason,
quinoa is a great alternative.
There are more than 3,000 types of quinoa,
but in the market you're mostly find
white, red and black quinoa.
Depending on the colour, the nutrients
may vary significantly.
For example, black quinoa has
the fewest fats and the most Omega-3.
This makes it really attractive.
Moreover, red and black quinoa have
two times more vitamin E than the white one.
Finally, as we've said in a previous video,
the darker the colour of quinoa,
the more the antioxidants it contains.
This quick analysis shows us
that black quinoa is the most nutritious.
But the other two are also very healthy.
In the market, it's available in many forms,
but the most common form is in seeds.
In practice, you can use it
exactly as you use rice,
without changing the recipe at all.
Moreover, you can find quinoa in flakes,
which you can use as you use cereals
for breakfast,
while if you're good at cooking,
at health food stores,
you can find ground quinoa,
namely quinoa flour,
with which you can make
what you would make with any flour,
namely bread, rusks, pies, etc.
Compared to cereals, quinoa contains
2-4 times more proteins and fibers,
which makes it the most nutritious cereal,
or pseudocereal, as it's called sometimes.
It's also very rich in Omega-3
compared to the other cereals,
and only 1 cup of quinoa, which is
equal to 185 g of cooked quinoa,
covers 1/3 of our daily needs
in magnesium and phosphorus,
1/5 of our needs in folic acid and copper,
1/8 of our needs in iron and zinc,
and 1/10 of our needs in thiamine,
riboflavin and vitamin B6.
In fact, all these nutrients
in just 220 calories.
Therefore, the replacement of as many
cereals as possible with quinoa
is a great idea,
because this way you add
more proteins, fibers,
vitamins, minerals
and trace elements to your diet.
Besides all these vitamins,
quinoa is very rich in phytochemicals,
namely substances contained in the plant
that are really beneficial to our health.
Such substances are flavonoids,
phenolics, saponins
and other strong antioxidants.
Let me remind you that black quinoa
is richer in these substances.
Besides these amazing effects
and the fact
that it's really rich in nutrients,
one of the most significant benefits
of quinoa,
when it replaces the other cereals,
is the effect
on the metabolism of carbohydrates.
Quinoa is rich in fibers,
proteins and essential fatty acids,
therefore, during its digestion,
the carbohydrates are released more slowly,
which is very beneficial to the metabolism.
Quinoa's glycemic index is between
the glycemic index
of legumes and cereals,
therefore it's a great replacement
for the other cereals and rice,
but it's not superior to legumes.
Quinoa is useful
for the replacement of cereals, not legumes.
Legumes are much more nutritious than quinoa
and more beneficial to the metabolism.
You should bear this in mind,
when you're looking for ways
to include quinoa in your diet.
Quinoa will improve your diet very much,
if you use it to replace cereals and rice,
but it will make it worse, if you use it
to replace legumes.
With this in mind, let's see
the possible uses of quinoa in cooking.
The most significant use of quinoa
in cooking is the replacement of rice.
You can remove the rice
from a dish made with rice
and add quinoa,
without changing the recipe at all.
So, you can use quinoa to make
stuffed peppers, spinach with quinoa,
leeks with quinoa, quinotto,
instead of risotto, etc,
In any dish containing rice,
you can remove it in one go,
add the same amount of quinoa,
without changing the amount of water,
and the dish will be the same,
if not tastier.
The other thing that I recommend replacing
with quinoa is breakfast cereals.
Here, quinoa can replace the cereals
you use for breakfast,
but it can also be added
to the mix of cereals you eat.
For breakfast, I combine
quinoa, carob flour, flax and raisins.
I add a little soya milk,
because I'm dairy-intolerant,
and I have the perfect breakfast.
Unfortunately, you won't find many pastries
made exclusively