Quinoa or quinoa as it is also known, is one of the most popular foods that exist especially for those of us who carry a vegetarian or vegan food and although quinoa is not part of the family of the most typical grains, such as oats, barley or wheat, we can also consider it as a grain and one of the most nutritious.
chenopodium quinoa is the scientific name with which we know this extraordinary plant and It is a plant that comes from the lower areas of South America and we can find it naturally, mainly in Bolivia, which is one of the places where there is the largest number of varieties.
Quinoa characteristics
Quinoa is a plant that only lives for one season, it has quite wide and large leaves, apart from the fact that each plant can measure between about 0.5 to reach 2 meters in height, but it also has the peculiarity of blooming before forming the seed, as for its flowers, they are red and in some cases have a tone, which are grouped until they form a kind of spike at the end of the stem. Its stem has a straight shape with many branches, the seeds that are the most important part of this plant due to their high nutrient content, being very small granules that have a thickness that ranges from 1.8 to 2.2 millimeters and their color can vary, since we can find them in white, brown, pink, yellow, red, black and gray.
Quinoa is a plant that there needs to be a climate that is relatively coolHowever, it cannot withstand very cold climates, since it cannot grow in areas where temperatures remain above 35 ° C or below -1 ° C.
Plant care
One of the main concerns that we must take into account when growing one of these plants are weeds, since these generally tend to fight hard with quinoa and in most cases it is our plant that ends up losing.
La quinoa plant it has a very slow growth and once it reaches 30 centimeters in height it begins to grow rapidly until it becomes practically self-sufficient.
Chenopodium quinoa or quinoa plants are too big to be grown in pots, since as we have mentioned before, each of these seeds will grow into a huge plant up to 2 meters tall. In addition, it would not make any sense to grow just one or two quinoa plants, since in this case we will barely get a very small crop of grains, so to have a more exact idea, if we grow about 10 or 11 of these plants we will be able to harvest approximately one and a half kilograms of quinoa grains.
Growing a quinoa plant it is not a very difficult task as many imagineWe only need a large area and at the same time a climate according to the needs of the plant and that's it, in this way we can enjoy some quinoa seeds, organic and grown under our own care.
Diseases and pests
Quinoa seeds are usually covered by a substance that is known by the name of Saponin, which has a rather bitter taste, and at the same time serves to prevent birds and pests from damaging the grains.
Although Saponin helps protect the grains from some pests, the leaves of this plant can be very weak against the damage that some insects such as flea beetles or aphids. When the quinoa plant reaches sufficient maturity, it can withstand the damage that these pesky insects produce without any problem, but when they are still very young, this is a big problem.
Although in a very low proportion, some types of caterpillars may also be attracted to the plantHowever, it will only be enough for us to get rid of them as we see them, so the pests should not give us any problem if we want to grow this plant.
Properties
Quinoa is just a seed that has exclusive characteristics when we consume it as a cereal, it is for this reason that Quinoa is also known by the name of pseudocereal As such, this grain provides us with most of its calories in the form of complex hydrates and at the same time provides about 16 grams of protein per 100 grams.
If we compare quinoa with the vast majority of cereals, we can see that it is higher in fat and protein, despite the fact that the latter are mostly unsaturated, where we must highlight the presence of omega 3 and omega 6 acids.
As for the amount of calories it contributes, quinoa looks a lot like or just a little bit superior to a cereal, since it contains a lower amount of carbohydrates.
In the same way, we must emphasize its high fiber content, since can reach 15 grams per 100 grams, being most of this, fiber of insoluble type as the seeds are generally characterized.
On the other hand, and if we refer to micronutrients, the quinoa grain stands out for its potassium, iron, calcium, zinc, phosphorus and magnesium contentLike it, it offers B complex vitamins in significant quantities and vitamin E with antioxidant properties.
Quinoa benefits
Because we can use quinoa as a cereal, it is very useful for the diet of people who suffer from intestinal problems, since in this case quinoa does not contain gluten. In addition and by having a high fiber content and provide a higher protein intake compared to other cereals, quinoa has a fairly low glycemic index, which makes it the ideal food for people suffering from diabetes or for those who want to lose weight while eating a healthy way.
Another of its benefits is that it helps us a lot when it comes to controlling cholesterol levels in the blood, since thanks to its fiber and unsaturated lipids they favor the lipid profile in our body. Quinoa also helps fight constipation and at the same time it is very useful for the diet of vegetarians, due to its amount of protein, as well as being an excellent source of plant-based iron.