"Quinoa (pronounced - kinwa), a species of goosefoot (Chenopodium), is a grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds. It is a pseudocereal rather than a true cereal, or grain, as it is not a member of the grass family. As a chenopod, quinoa is closely related to species such as beets, spinach, and tumbleweeds. Its leaves are also eaten as a leaf vegetable, much like amaranth, but the commercial availability of quinoa greens is currently limited."
That's the basics behind the 'new grain' sweeping the nation. As you can see, it's not a true grain, but putting that aside, it's not 'new' either. In fact, it has been a food source in South America for over 6,000 years!
Lori the roomie has brought it in to our diets, so far, in the form of 'burgers'. Today I ate a quinoa and veggie burger for lunch. It's very filling and, as you can see from the label below, it's pretty healthy. Fiber, iron, protein and good fats, some of the keys to staying healthy as you workout. Especially when you are working out twice a day.
That's important because if your body believes it's not getting enough calories, it's going to go into starvation mode. This does two things - 1. Your body tries to hang on to all the calories you take in and stores them as fat, because your body is about preservation first. 2. It will slow down your metabolism. We work hard to endless miles, weights, crunches and other sweat inducing moves to increase our body's basic burn rate, don't let it be halted by losing track of calories.
If this is something you struggle with, a couple of meetings with a certified dietitian, like Katie at the Mercy Weight Loss and Nutrition Center, can be a great investment. It can not only help you set proper calorie levels for your activity level, but they can recommend new foods to try or how to properly mix foods to get optimum use for your body.
Yours in Health,
Kate
This is something Bob from The Biggest Loser wants us to eat. I will have to find it.
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