The Benefits of Quinoa in Your Regular Diet

Did you know that quinoa is a pseudocereal that contains fiber, capable of improving intestinal transit and reducing constipation? We'll tell you all about its benefits in this article.

Quinoa is a pseudocereal that has gained popularity for its health benefits. It’s easy to add to your usual diet and take advantage of its nutritional properties. In some countries, they’ve used it for years, although in the western world it’s a relatively new food.

It’s a product that’s perfect for replacing certain ingredients rich in carbohydrates such as pasta, refined flours, or some varieties of rice; it even has certain advantages over these foods. In this article, we’ll detail the benefits of quinoa in your diet. Keep reading to find out everything you need to know!

Quinoa has complex carbohydrates

Quinoa, being a pseudocereal, has complex carbohydrates. This makes it a very good food for athletes, who need sugars for physical activity.

A study published in the journal, Nutrients, states that consuming a serving of carbohydrates and protein together after exercise maximizes the resynthesis of glycogen stores. For this reason, you can shorten your recovery times, which leads to an increase in performance in the medium term.

Taking this process into account, we can say that quinoa is an ideal food to include in an athlete’s usual diet, especially after exercising.

Even though it has carbohydrates, it also contains protein. It provides vegetable proteins, with a lower biological value than animal protein, although it’s an ingredient that you can combine with meat products to increase your protein.

Benefits of quinoa: fiber content

In addition to macronutrients, quinoa stands out for its fiber content. This substance is capable of improving intestinal transit, thereby reducing the risk of developing diseases related to the digestive organs.

A review published in the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition found a positive association between regular fiber intake and reduced risk of colon cancer.

There are two types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. It’s important to ingest both regularly to improve your body’s health. Quinoa contains mostly insoluble fiber, which has the ability to speed up intestinal transit by increasing motility. This feature is useful for those who suffer from chronic constipation.

Vitamin contribution, another benefit of quinoa

In addition to offering fiber and macronutrients to people who eat it, quinoa is a food that stands out for its vitamin content.

Quinoa contains ascorbic acid –vitamin C-, a nutrient involved in the functioning of the immune system. This is  especially important for athletes since it’s involved in the synthesis of collagen, which improves muscle recovery after intense effort

As if this weren’t enough, quinoa also contains B vitamins, such as B1 and B2. These substances act as catalysts in multiple physiological reactions in the body, thereby improving their efficiency. For example, they help with energy production.

Continuing with the contribution of micronutrients, quinoa also provides minerals such as calcium and iron. Both are essential, so it’s important that you get them through your diet to avoid deficiencies.

Calcium is involved in bone metabolism, while iron allows the transport of oxygen through the blood. A lack of the latter could lead to anemia, which leads to fatigue and chronic tiredness.

The health benefits of quinoa

Quinoa is a pseudocereal that you can include in your diet on a regular basis since its consumption carries a series of health benefits. As we mentioned before, it contains carbohydrates, protein, and fiber. On the other hand, it also provides important amounts of micronutrients, which reduces the risk of certain deficiencies.

Whether you play sports or not, quinoa is a food that you can include in your diet on a regular basis. With it, you’ll help improve intestinal transit and the functioning of many physiological reactions that take place daily in your body.