Quinoa cakes… so yummy even the haters will snack!

Raw quinoa

By now, I’m sure you’ve heard of quinoa, even tasted it, and probably now how to pronounce it (“keen-wah”). For the last few years, it was all the rage.  In fact—2013 was deemed “The International Year of Quinoa.”

Quinoa is a gluten-free grain that is considered a “pseudo-cereal.” It’s actually from the same family of food as spinach, beets, and swiss chard—that surprised me, too! However, we consume it like a cereal grain; therefore, it is grouped with wheat, oats, barely, etc. It comes in a rainbow of colors, but the taste and nutrient profile is similar between them. (One of the differences that is important to me is that white quinoa has a fluffier feel, and black quinoa has a crunchier feel.) Quinoa can be cooked on its own (think, rice-substitute!), used as flour in recipes, or used as flakes (to replace typical oats).

Quinoa is nutrient rich—at 110 calories per half cup—it is loaded with vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants, phytonutrients—all of which are very bioavailable (our bodies absorb and reap the benefits). It is high in essential amino acids (the important building blocks of protein). Unlike most grains that lack adequate amounts of amino acids (such as like lysine and isoleucine), quinoa is uniquely rich in these, making it considered a complete protein source (like animal protein). Quinoa is also rich in healthy, monounsaturated fats. Though this does increase its caloric profile, the fat is monounsaturated (healthy)—which is one of the reasons it is linked with reduced inflammation. Other research has linked quinoa with cardiovascular health and diabetes risk reduction.

Whether you eat it because it’s healthy, because you like the taste and texture, or just because someone cooks it for you—keep eating it! If you are looking to try a new recipe—I made these quinoa cakes this past weekend that were fabulous!

diet myth #2: red meat is bad for you

Charcoal Cow Butchery Diagram

There is a big push for us to eat less meat, especially red meat.  There are some reasons why this is the recommendation, but not all red meat deserves a bad rap!

The Bad News: Red meat, in general, has more saturated fat than other more lean meats. In fact, red meat is the 2nd biggest contributor to saturated fat in the American diet (behind cheese!).  Saturated fat leads to many health problems, including cardiovascular disease. There have also been studies that correlate people who eat more red meat in their diet to higher risks of both disease and cancer (although this has not been scientifically proven, yet). 

nutrient rich beef

The Good News: Red meat has a ton of nutritional benefits.  For starters, it's a complete protein (which means it contains all of the essential amino acids your body needs).  Additionally, because they are from an animal source, many of the vitamins and minerals obtained by eating red meat are absorbed more easily than their vegetable counterparts. 

so about that protein shake...

Some fun recipes from The New York Times

I love my morning shakes.  I really do.  I look forward to making them- at the store I think about what  things I can add into my shake to make it extra yummy- sometimes it's coffee, sometimes it's peanut butter.  I try to make it healthy by adding seeds, nuts, greens, oats, protein, etc.  I never gave much thought to the protein that I add.  I guess I thought- the more protein, the better.

This not really the case.