Your Health Detective



left146685002 of 4 in a Series – Including Dr. Gloria’s Special RecipesPresented by: Dr. Gloria GilbèreFor Educational PurposesEight + Quinoa Nutrition Benefits 1. Aids in weight lossDue to its high insoluble fiber and protein content, quinoa can increase that “full” feeling you have after a meal, known as satiety. Whole grains and pseudo-cereals have been consistently shown to increase feelings of fullness after meals when compared to refined grains. It is also believed that quinoa may influence the action of hormones that play a role in appetite, such as gherkin, peptide YY and insulin. If you take a look at research that studies the impact of quinoa nutrition on the human body over time, you’ll find that eating quinoa is associated with weight loss, as well as an improvement in the levels of cholesterol in the blood. Eating quinoa on a regular basis may even be one way to prevent obesity. In an animal study conducted in 2014, researchers in Paris, France found that quinoa consumption led to higher energy expenditure better glucose processing and less dietary fat absorption. Another reason quinoa may help you lose weight is because it contains over half of the manganese you need every day. Manganese impacts hormones and digestive enzymes, making it easier for your body to digest and use the food you eat efficiently.2. Nutritious Gluten-Free AlternativeQuinoa is reported to be beneficial for people following a gluten-free diet, providing nutrients they are missing after eliminating traditional grains from their diets. A 2009 study reviewed diet records of patients with celiac disease who followed a gluten-free diet, finding that most subjects relied heavily on rice as their primary grain source, which made their diet inadequate nutritionally, not to mention that rice converts to sugar and sugar induces inflammation and plays havoc on our immune responses.However, by changing their primary whole grain source to quinoa, the subjects were able to meet their protein, iron, calcium and fiber needs. Even when studied over time, celiac patients can easily tolerate quinoa on a daily basis. Using quinoa as a primary grain instead of other gluten-free alternatives may help ensure a more balanced diet for celiac suffers, as well as others who follow a gluten-free / anti-inflammation diet.3. May help fight cancerSince quinoa is such a great source of antioxidants (which I’ll delve into a little later), it’s probably no big surprise that it has anti-cancer properties. However, the extent of research might shock you — quinoa as a stand-alone food, and three specific nutrients found in quinoa seeds, are some of the most revolutionary topics of research regarding preventing or treating cancer. The first of these nutrients, saponin, is also the most controversial. Saponins naturally occur in various types of plants and have a mild “detergent” quality — that’s why when you rinse quinoa, you’ll notice a soft white foam forms.Saponin sometimes acts like an anti-nutrient, and in some foods can negatively impact the lining of the intestines and contribute to leaky gut syndrome, as well as destroying some healthy red blood cells.However, they also have shown promising results when tested on cancer cells — saponins have caused cell death in glioblastoma (aggressive brain cancer), leukemia and lymphoma cells in the lab. Their permeability (meaning their ability to travel through various organ linings as in leaky gut syndrome) is actually one factor in their potential power against cancer. Quinoa’s second “super nutrient” in cancer research is known as lunasin. The subject of scientific scrutiny since 1996, Lunasin is a peptide with a number of potential health benefits, most notably its ability to bind to and break apart cancer cells. Lunasin is particularly special because, in both lab and animal tests, it kills only cancer cells while leaving healthy cells untouched. The lunasin found in Chenopodium quinoa is considered bioactive, which simply means that eating quinoa is a useful way to have this nutrient actively operate in your body. Finally, quinoa also contains an antioxidant known as quercetin, which has significant success in stopping the spread of lung cancer as well as other forms. Quercetin works by fighting free-radical damage related to a large number of diseases. It’s one of the reasons quinoa, which contains one of the highest levels of quercetin found in any food, is an anti-inflammatory food. 4. Supports a Healthy HeartQuinoa’s anti-inflammatory nutrients also make it a great addition to a heart-healthy diet. Heart disease is currently the leading cause of death worldwide, but the reasons behind it are often related to diet and lifestyle issues that are simple to correct.One of quinoa nutrition’s benefits is its high level of heart-healthy fats. Quinoa contains about 4 grams of fat per cup and contains no trans- fats. About 25 percent of the fat found in quinoa is oleic acid (a healthy monounsaturated fat) and 8% is alpha-linolenic acid, the type of omega-3 found in plants. Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) has been shown to decrease the risk of death from heart attacks.A diet high in ALA can also help reduce cholesterol and blood pressure levels. Researchers agree that consuming ALA by eating high-ALA foods has the most impact, rather than trying to take it in supplement form. Three other nutrients found in quinoa nutrition also support heart health: butyrate, potassium and magnesium.Butyrate is a fatty acid that you get from certain foods and supplements, and that a healthy gut can make out of fiber content. It can slow or stop the spread of atherosclerosis – a common and dangerous condition characterized by hardening and narrowing of the arteries and disrupting blood flow. One serving of quinoa provides you with almost a tenth of the potassium you need each day. A major contributor to heart disease in Western culture is our tendency to eat foods high in sodium and not consuming enough potassium. Potassium reduces stroke risk as well and naturally lowers blood pressure.Eating foods with a large concentration of magnesium, such as quinoa, reduces risk of stroke and heart attack. In my next article of this series, I’ll outline the Last Four of the Eight Nutrition Benefits of Quinoa…AND…in the last of the series I’ll share with you my tried-n-true cooking methods and recipes…stay tuned! ................
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