Our last three blogs in this series overviewed the health benefits of three trace minerals found in Quinta Quinoa – zinc, iron, and copper. These minerals, although required in only small amounts, have vast benefits to our health. We also illustrated that our Quinta Quinoa has increased available amounts of these minerals compared to commercially available quinoa imported from South America. But now we’re going to switch gears and discuss a macronutrient – protein.
Protein is made up of amino acids – eight of which are essential amino acids for both children and adults. While quinoa generally has higher protein content than most traditional grains, it’s also higher in protein quality and is a rare complete source of plant protein and has a complete amino acid profile. Proteins are known as ‘the building blocks of life’. This macronutrient is present in every cell in the human body and helps the body repair cells, in addition to making new ones. During developmental stages of life i.e. when you’re a child, teen, or pregnant, protein is specifically important to aid in proper growth and development.
Like with most nutrients, your recommended daily intake of protein varies with your health, age, and developmental stage. For healthy adults, generally 2-3 servings of protein-rich foods are sufficient per day.
You can fulfil your body’s protein requirements through both animal and plant protein sources! Plant sources such as quinoa, legumes and beans can provide your body with all the protein it needs.
Through our research, we have determined that local Ontario Quinta Quinoa has higher protein content compared to commercially available imported quinoa. While imported quinoa contains 12-14% protein, our varieties grown in Northern and Southern Ontario contain 20% protein, or 10 grams of protein per 50 gram Quinta Quinoa serving.
We have been able to demonstrate that quinoa is a viable crop to introduce into Ontario agriculture. With Quinta Quinoa’s high nutritional profile, it is clear that there is a great opportunity to expand across Ontario. We believe that the increased nutrient content compared to commercially available imported quinoa 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 have developed.
We’ve now shown that Ontario-grown Quinta Quinoa is higher in zinc, iron, copper and protein compared to commercially available imported quinoa. We hope you’ll also find that Quinta Quinoa doesn’t sacrifice any flavour for it’s high nutritional value. If you have any further questions regarding Quinta’s nutritional facts feel free to take a look at our nutritional facts table, contact us and stay connected to our blog for additional Quinta updates.
Sources:
http://www.fao.org/quinoa-2013/what-is-quinoa/nutritional-value/en/
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002467.htm
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/protein/
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2 Responses
where do I get the earlier reports
Hi Howard. Please send any inquiries to service@quinta.co and we will do our best to provide you with the answers and information you are looking for!