Quinoa & Flaxseed
Quinoa is a South American herbal plant that flourishes in the Andes Mountains along the western coast of the continent. It grows to about 5 feet high and consists of flowers and fruits that contain the seeds. Quinoa is a complete protein source and is rich in unsaturated fats. Flaxseed comes from a plant called Linum usitatissimum, which can be grown throughout most of the United States. The seeds have several medicinal benefits, and they are an excellent source of fiber and omega-3 fatty acids.
History of Quinoa
The Incas, a South American Indian civilization living in the Andes mountains of Peru, called quinoa the "mother of all grains." Quinoa was revered by the Incas, who thrived from 1438 to 1533 A.D., and even today the people living in the Andes mountains greatly appreciate the flavor and nutrition that quinoa offers. Since 2002, the demand for quinoa has been increasing in the United States and Europe. According to the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center, Peru and Bolivia produced nearly all of the world's supply of quinoa in 2010.
Amino acids are the building blocks your body needs to make proteins. The essential amino acids are the ones your body can't make, and quinoa contains all of these. This means that quinoa is a complete source of protein, and it can be a valuable part of your healthful diet, especially if you are a vegetarian. Quinoa is low in saturated fat and is an excellent source of mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says that 1 cup of cooked quinoa supplies almost 2 grams of polyunsaturated fatty acids. You also get 5.2 grams of dietary fiber, 318 milligrams of potassium, 2.8 milligrams of iron and 118 milligrams of magnesium.
Flaxseed Therapeutic Value
Flaxseed is purported to be a remedy for many different medical conditions. However, the "Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database" has rated flaxseed as "possibly effective" as a treatment for only four conditions. Flaxseed may, for example, be able to lower your total cholesterol and your LDL or "bad" cholesterol levels. It may also help people with Type 2 diabetes lower their hemoglobin A1c level, which is a measure of their three-month average blood glucose level. Flaxseed may also be able to help relieve menopausal symptoms, and may improve kidney function for people who have systemic lupus erythematosus, an autoimmune disease.
If you want to add flaxseed to your diet, you should consume ground flaxseed and not the whole seed, says the Mayo Clinic. You can more efficiently digest the ground seed, and thus get the full benefit of the fiber, omega-3 fatty acids and lignans that flaxseed contains. Lignans are a group of plant chemicals that may play a role in cancer prevention. You can enjoy ground flaxseed by sprinkling it on your cereal, mixing it with your yogurt or baking it into muffins and breads.
Robert DiPardo has been a pharmaceutical chemist for more than 30 years. He has co-authored several scientific publications on cardiovascular disease, osteoarthritis, Alzheimer's disease and other therapeutic areas. DiPardo retired from drug discovery research in 2009 and, since 2010, has covered fitness and well-being for various online publications. DiPardo holds a Master of Science in organic chemistry from Yale University.