Quinoa, a plant from South America that is related to spinach and beets, produces small seeds with high food value. Quinoa is considered a pseudo-grain because it is not a grass; however, you cook and eat the seeds in a similar fashion to grains. Quinoa is a source of complete protein, providing all essential amino acids. Check with your doctor about eating quinoa for diabetes.
Healthy Grains
Quinoa was among a list of 10 Peruvian Andean grains that may contribute to the management of Type 2 diabetes in a study published in the August 2009 issue of the "Journal of Medicinal Foods." Quinoa exhibited the highest antioxidant activity and was rich in quercitin, a flavonoid antioxidant. Other notable grains mentioned in the report for their potential anti-diabetic benefits were purple corn, which showed particularly high phenolic antioxidant content, and Andean legumes, which showed blood-pressure-lowering ability. The researchers called for further animal and clinical studies to confirm the results of their test tube study.
Glucose Lowering
Researchers at the Department of Food Chemistry and Nutrition, Medical College, The Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland reported that quinoa reduced most of the adverse effects of a high-fructose diet on lipids and glucose levels in laboratory animals. Quinoa reduced total cholesterol by 26 percent; low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, the bad form of cholesterol, by 57 percent; and triglycerides by 11 percent compared to a control group. Quinoa also lowered blood sugar by 10 percent and restored levels of high-density lipoprotein, HDL, the good cholesterol, to pre-fructose diet levels. Quinoa did not have any effect on triglyceride levels in this study, published in the December 2010 issue of the journal "Plant Foods for Human Nutrition."
High Nutrient Content
Quinoa's ability to grow in challenging environmental conditions from sea level to more than 14,000 feet gives the plant remarkable stress tolerance. It might pass this on to you when you eat quinoa, according to researchers at the Department of Food Engineering, Universidad de La Serena, Chile. Quinoa has higher nutritional value than other cereal foods, including 15 percent protein, mineral and antioxidant content, as well as certain phytohormones, such as phytosterols, which have cholesterol-lowering benefits that may assist in the management of elevated lipid levels in diabetes. The study was published in the December 2010 issue of the "Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture."
Recommended
Quinoa is a recommended food in the "Diabetes Cookbook for Dummies, UK Edition", by diabetes specialist Alan Rubin, MD. Quinoa is an ideal substitute for white rice or other processed carbohydrates because it is high in fiber and releases sugar into the bloodstream more slowly. Quinoa also provides 25 percent of your daily iron needs and high levels of magnesium, potassium and phosphorus.
References
- "Journal of Medicinal Foods"; Evaluation of Indigenous Grains from the Peruvian Andean Region for Antidiabetes and Antihypertension Potential Using in Vitro Methods; L.Ranilla, et al.; August 2009
- "Plant Foods for Human Nutrition"; Effect of Quinoa Seeds (Chenopodium Quinoa) in Diet on Some Biochemical Parameters and Essential Elements in Blood of High Fructose-fed Rats; P. Pasko, et al.; December 2010
- "Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture"; Nutrition Facts and Functional Potential of Quinoa (Chenopodium Quinoa Willd.), an Ancient Andean Grain: a Review; A. Vega-gálvez, et al.; December 2010
- "Advances in Food and Nutrition Research"; Quinoa (Chenopodium Quinoa Willd.): Composition, Chemistry, Nutritional, and Functional Properties; James Abugoch; 2009
- "Diabetes Cookbook For Dummies, UK Edition"; Dr Sarah Brewer, et al.; 2011
