As we shared with you in our last post, nutrient analyses on our local Ontario Quinta Quinoa show that in every 50 gram serving of Quinta Quinoa, you are getting 23% of your daily requirement of Zinc, which means we are a ‘High in Zinc’ product! Through these analyses we have also determined that our quinoa is an ‘Excellent Source’ of Iron.
Iron is a necessary component of two major proteins in our body, hemoglobin and myoglobin. In hemoglobin, iron helps transfer oxygen from our lungs to our tissue, while in myoglobin the transfer of oxygen is to our muscles to help support metabolism. Iron is an essential mineral, with other functions including aiding in growth, development, cellular function, and some synthesis of hormones and connective tissue.
Because women are susceptible to greater losses of iron through monthly menstruation, recommended daily intakes vary greatly between men and women of different ages. Iron is also required in higher doses during pregnancy and lactation. For adults aged 18-50, daily iron requirements range from 8-18mg (27mg for pregnant females), so the best way to figure out what your body needs is to consult a Recommended Dietary Allowance Table or talk to your local health care provider.
It’s important to be aware of the amount and availability of iron in vitamins and supplements. Many iron supplements deliver % Daily Values of iron far greater than what is required, which can lead to gastrointestinal side effects. If you are a healthy adult, meeting your daily requirements for iron through food (like Quinta Quinoa!) is the best way to ensure your body is getting what it needs!
Imported quinoa, mainly from Peru and Bolivia, on average contains 20-30 ug/g of iron. At Katan Kitchens, we’ve been growing and researching quinoa in Ontario for the past four years, and through nutrient analyses of our crop, have discovered that our Quinta Quinoa grown in Ontario has a more complete nutrient profile than quinoa grown in South America. This is especially so with iron where our Quinta Quinoa provides 60% of your daily requirements of Iron in one 50 g serving!
We are excited that we are commercializing a variety of quinoa that grows well in Ontario and makes our quinoa even more super than imported superfoods! We believe the higher mineral content is due to a combination of our climate, the amazing nutrient-rich Ontario soils, as well as the unique, non-GMO, naturally-bred variety of quinoa seed we are growing.
Well now we’ve seen that Ontario-grown Quinta Quinoa provides superior amounts of zinc AND iron compared to commercially available imported quinoa. But there’s still more to discuss.
Our next post discusses a not so commonly known nutrient… Copper.
Sources:
http://www.fao.org/quinoa-2013/what-is-quinoa/nutritional-value/en/
http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iron-HealthProfessional/
http://www.agriculturejournals.cz/publicFiles/06732.pdf
http://www.wiley.com/college/pratt/0471393878/instructor/structure/myoglobin_hemoglobin/index.html
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/label-etiquet/nutrition/cons/dv-vq/index-eng.php
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