quinoa Archives - Amazing Health Advances

Quinoa Boosts Gut Health in SURPRISING Ways, Study Suggests

The AHA! Team — Thu, 17 Oct 2024 08:35:12 +0000

Patrick Tims via NaturalHealth365 – Gut health is key to overall well-being, influencing everything from immunity to mood. While stress, genetics, and diet all impact gut health, what we eat is especially important. A recent study published in Frontiers in Nutrition spotlights quinoa – often mispronounced but highly nutritious – for its bioactive compounds that support a healthy gut. This versatile seed, available in tan or red, cooks up to look like rice or couscous and is a gut-friendly addition to any meal. Research reveals the secret of quinoa’s unique bioactive compounds Scientists have recently uncovered the secrets behind quinoa’s remarkable health benefits, particularly its positive impact on gut health. This ancient grain, native to South America’s Andes Mountains, has been the subject of extensive research focusing on its bioactive compounds and their effects on intestinal microflora. Interestingly, the health benefits of quinoa aren’t limited to just one variety. Whether you prefer the classic white/tan quinoa or opt for its red or black counterparts, you’ll reap the same gut health benefits. But that’s not all – this superfood is packed with fiber, minerals, vitamins, and protein. One of quinoa’s key strengths lies in its ability to boost the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in our bodies. These compounds play a crucial role in maintaining gut health. What’s more, quinoa helps balance the acidity levels in our intestines, further promoting digestive health. Given that our gut microbiota significantly influences our risk of chronic diseases, these benefits could have far-reaching implications for our overall health. These findings stem from an extensive review of 85 scientific papers studying quinoa’s unique biochemical makeup. The research examined the efficacy of quinoa’s bioactive compounds and their nutritional benefits, even exploring the specific roles of individual biopeptides, polysaccharides, polyphenolic compounds, and saponins. Speaking of saponins, these bitter-tasting compounds (triterpene glycosides) are key in optimizing gut microbiota function. Meanwhile, quinoa’s polyphenolic compounds work to regulate digestive enzymes and boost intestinal immunity by increasing the number of protective goblet cells. Quinoa’s polysaccharides act as prebiotics, nourishing beneficial gut bacteria. Combined with quinoa’s dietary fiber, they can even help curb weight gain on high-fat diets. As if that weren’t enough, quinoa proteins are a natural source of ACE inhibitory peptides, supporting gut and heart health. In short, quinoa is a nutrition powerhouse, offering many health benefits that extend far beyond basic sustenance. It’s no wonder quinoa has become such a staple in health-conscious diets around the world. The benefits of quinoa extend far beyond gut health In addition to enhancing gut health, the consumption of quinoa also helps with weight management and assists in the prevention of the onset of obesity. Moreover, consuming quinoa also helps prevent liver cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, and even colon cancer. Such health benefits result from regulatory effects on the gut’s intestinal flora, a phenomenon that reveals the strong connection between the human gut, liver, brain, and other internal organs. However, if you are like most people, you either haven’t tried quinoa or aren’t sure how to mix it into your meals. Creative ways to incorporate quinoa into your diet Quinoa with lemon juice makes an excellent side for a dinner entrée. You can also add quinoa to berries, cereal, and oatmeal. When combined with the right ingredients, a bowl of quinoa makes a great main course. Add spinach, diced pepper, and lemon juice to a bowl of quinoa, and you’ll have a protein-packed, gut-boosting entrée that pleases the taste buds. Sources for this article include: Frontiersin.org News-medical.net To read the original article click here.

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Morning Grain Bowls Recipe

The AHA! Team — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 08:34:16 +0000

Recipe by: NutritionFacts – Morning Grain Bowls Recipe Leftover cooked grains are a great way to start the day—and quick, too! If you don’t have leftover grains, cook up a pot of your favorite grain the day before and you’ll have the start of something good in the morning. COURSE: Breakfast DIFFICULTY: Easy SERVINGS: 4 INGREDIENTS ▢3 cups cooked whole grains (ex: brown rice, quinoa, freekeh, oats) ▢¾ cup cannellini beans mashed ▢2 cups Almond Milk ▢3 tablespoons ground flaxseeds ▢1 1-inch piece turmeric (or 1 tsp ground) ▢1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated (optional) ▢1 cup berries fresh or frozen ▢1 ripe banana sliced ▢4 tablespoons Date Syrup (optional) INSTRUCTIONS In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the cooked grains, beans, Almond Milk, flaxseeds, turmeric, and ginger (if using). Mix well. Microwave for 2 to 3 minutes, or until warm but not too hot. Divide the grain mixture among four bowls. Top each serving with 1⁄4 cup (35 g) of the berries and one-quarter of the sliced banana. Drizzle each serving with 1 tablespoon (20 g) of Date Syrup, if desired. Video Link: https://youtu.be/UVH7S6xCKIE To read the original article click here.

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Does a Macrobiotic Diet Help with Diabetes?

AHA Publisher — Fri, 16 Dec 2022 08:00:31 +0000

Michael Greger M.D. FACLM via Nutrition Facts – What happens when you add massive amounts of carbohydrates in the form of whole grains to the daily diet of people with type 2 diabetes? Why are macrobiotic diets apparently so effective at reducing blood sugar levels in diabetics within just a few weeks’ time? The diet is centered around whole grains—brown rice, barley, and millet—so might the high fiber intake improve the gut microbiome, the friendly flora in our colon, which then leads to a reduction in insulin resistance? Or, perhaps it’s because the diet is also rich in vegetables, so that corrects some kind of low-grade acidosis from the high levels of animal protein in their regular (non-macrobiotic) diets. Regardless of the reason, researchers found a significant difference after just 21 days. Can macrobiotic diets also help with longer term blood sugar control? I examine this in my video Flashback Friday: Benefits of a Macrobiotic Diet for Diabetes. How about a six-month dietary intervention with wildly out-of-control blood sugars? As you can see at 0:51 in my video, hemoglobin A1c offers a sense of one’s average blood sugars over the previous few months. An A1c level of 5, for example, would mean that your blood sugars have been in the double digits most of the time over the last few months, indicating that your sugars have been at a normal, healthy, non diabetic level. But, an A1c of 6 is prediabetes territory and 6.5 can be a sign of full-blown diabetes; an A1c under 7 is considered controlled diabetes—what diabetics are striving towards with pills and insulin injections—and a level over 7 is considered out-of-control diabetes. In the macrobiotic diet study, the average A1c level started out off-the-charts at 12.6. The subjects had been averaging blood sugars in the 300s for months, despite all having been on insulin injections. What happened when the study participants were placed on the so-called Ma-Pi 2 diet, a strictly plant-based macrobiotic-style diet centered around whole grains, vegetables, and beans, with some sesame seeds and green tea? After just six months on the diet, their A1c levels dropped from a wildly out-of-control diabetic 12.6 to averaging a non diabetic 5.7. What’s more, although the subjects were getting daily insulin injections when their A1c was an astronomical 12.6, they achieved non diabetic 5.7 on the diet after they had all been able to eliminate their insulin. Within only six months, 100 percent of the study participants started out on insulin with out-of-control diabetes and ended with 0 percent on insulin and averaging non diabetic blood sugars. That’s the power of plants. Also within those six months, three-quarters were off all of their diabetes medications completely. Any side effects? Their bad LDL cholesterol dropped by 20 percent and their triglycerides dropped by nearly 40 percent. (And, of course, let’s not forget that anyone starting a strictly plant-based diet must ensure a regular, reliable source of vitamin B12.) All we needed was a randomized, controlled trial, and we got one: Type 2 diabetics were randomized to the macrobiotic diet versus the recommended American Diabetes Association-type diet. You can see an example of a typical day on the macrobiotic diet below and at 2:59 in my video, which includes a savory whole-grain cake for breakfast; brown rice sesame balls for a snack; a vegetable millet soup with a brown rice salad, a lot of vegetable sides, and adzuki beans for lunch; more whole grain snacks; and, similar to lunch, a dinner of vegetable barley soup with a lot of vegetables and chickpeas; and green tea throughout the day. On the more standard diabetic diet, participants might have low-fat milk and whole-wheat bread for breakfast; a Mediterranean lunch with vegetables and beans; fruit for a snack; and a bean and vegetable soup, whole-grain bread, agretti (a green leafy vegetable), and baked fish for dinner. I have to say, that’s a pretty healthy control diet. The researchers could have compared the macrobiotic diet to a trashy one, but they wanted to stack it up against the diet diabetes groups recommend. So, what happened? The macrobiotic diet won out on every measure of blood sugar control. You can view the numbers in the graph below and at 4:00 in my video. At the start of the study, participants had fasting blood sugars in the 120s. That’s bad, but they were diabetics, after all. Normal fasting blood sugars, like when you wake up in the morning before having breakfast, should be at least in the double digits and under 100. When subjects were put on the relatively healthy, more standard diabetic diet, their blood sugars got better over the three-week study, dropping from the 120s down into the 110s. (That’s the best the American Diabetes Association-type diet can do.) Compare that to an isocaloric macrobiotic diet, meaning with the same number of calories. On the macrobiotic diet, subjects improved within days and achieved normal fasting blood sugars within a week. A full 100 percent of those on the macrobiotic diet got their fasting blood sugars under 110, whereas less than half of those on the diabetes diet did. And, that was achieved while on fewer drugs. In the control group, one participant was able to reduce their oral hypoglycemic medications, whereas five of the seven on such drugs in the macrobiotic group had to stop taking them. Otherwise, if they had continued taking the drugs, their blood sugars would have fallen toolow. So, the macrobiotic diet gave better results on fewer drugs. That’s the power of a reallyhealthy diet. As an aside, what a poke in the eye with a sharp stick this study was to the low-carb crowd! Researchers took diabetics and put them on a 73 percent carbohydrate diet, adding 100 grams of carbs—in the form of grains, no less—to their daily diet. And what happened? Did their blood sugars skyrocket out of control? No, they got significantly better in a matter of days, with average fasting blood sugars starting out at 129 and falling to 95. And, in just three weeks, their bad LDL cholesterol plummeted down to 62, a nearly 48 percent drop. Is the macrobiotic diet perfect? No, but I offer some suggestions for improving it in my video Flashback Friday: Pros and Cons of a Macrobiotic Diet. Key Takeaways Macrobiotic diets have been shown to effectively reduce blood sugar levels in diabetics in just three weeks, perhaps due to its high fiber content or being rich in vegetables. A six-month dietary intervention showed that participants placed on the so-called Ma-Pi 2 diet, a strictly plant-based macrobiotic-style eating regimen with green tea, experienced significant improvements in their A1c levels, dropping from a wildly out-of-control diabetic 12.6 to averaging a non diabetic 5.7. As well, the subjects achieved non diabetic 5.7 on the diet after they had eliminated their insulin. Additionally, their bad LDL cholesterol dropped by 20 percent and their triglycerides dropped by nearly 40 percent. When type 2 diabetics were randomized to the macrobiotic diet versus the recommended American Diabetes Association-type diet, the macrobiotic diet won out on every measure of blood sugar control. And, although only one subject in the control group was able to reduce their oral hypoglycemic medications, five of the seven on such drugs in the macrobiotic group had to stop taking them lest their blood sugars fall too low. The study was likely very eye-opening to low-carb followers since the diabetics were put on a 73 percent carbohydrate diet, adding 100 g of carbs to their daily diet, and not only did their blood sugars improve, but their bad LDL cholesterol also plummeted. To read the original article click here.

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Quinoa Crispy Bars (Better Than Rice Crispy Treats!)

AHA Publisher — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 07:00:57 +0000

Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DNM, CN – Crispy treats: they sound so cute and friendly and yummy. It’s unfortunate that they’re essentially made of rice, sugar, butter and marshmallows — lots of it. But what if I told you there was a way to enjoy the dessert guilt-free? Goodbye, rice krispies, hello Quinoa Crispy Treats! This healthified version replaces the rice with protein-rich quinoa and sweetens things up the natural way thanks to healing raw honey. And instead of using gobs of butter, the quinoa crispy bars are held together with almond and sunflower seed butters. Yum! Not only is this quinoa bar tasty, it’s also the perfect energy bar. It delivers 235 calories per serving, with 24 grams of healthy carbs, 14 grams of healthy fats and 6 grams of protein. Try this new take on an old treat tonight. How to Make Quinoa Crispy Bars Start by lining an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper. In a small pot over very low heat (honey should never be heated up much at all), melt add the coconut oil, honey, almond butter and sunflower seed butter. Remove the pot from heat once the mixture has melted and sprinkle with the sea salt and cinnamon. Then pour it all into the waiting baking dish. Stir the puffed quinoa through the almond butter mixture, making sure all the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. With a spatula, even out the quinoa crispy mix so it’s all level. Then place the baking pan in the freezer, letting the crispy bar set for 20 minutes or so. When you’re ready to serve, remove the quinoa crispy bars from the freezer and cut immediately. Serve while still frozen. These are healthy quinoa bars are delicious and so easy to make. Kids love to help make them — and eat them, of course! Quinoa Crispy Bars Recipe This healthy version of rice krispy treats replaces the rice with protein-rich quinoa and sweetens things up the natural way thanks to healing honey. And instead of using gobs of butter, the quinoa crispy treats are held together with almond and sunflower seed butters. Yum! INGREDIENTS 1 cup unsalted almond butter ½ cup sunflower seed butter ½ cup raw honey 3 tablespoons coconut oil ½ teaspoon sea salt ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon 3 cups puffed quinoa or millet INSTRUCTIONS Prepare a 8×8 baking dish by lining it with parchment paper and set aside. In a small pot at very low heat, melt almond butter, sunbutter, honey and coconut oil. Remove from heat and scrap into a mixing bowl. Stir in sea salt and cinnamon. Add in puffed quinoa and stir until well incorporated. Pour mixture into prepared dish. Spread out mixture with a spatula to make an even layer in the dish. Freeze for 20 minutes or longer until set. When ready to serve, remove from freezer and cut immediately. Serve frozen. To read the original article click here.

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Pain-Fighting Quinoa Breakfast Porridge

AHA Publisher — Tue, 27 Jul 2021 07:00:26 +0000

Dr. Don Colbert – This easy-to-make and filling quinoa breakfast porridge offers blood-sugar stabilizing protein, anti-inflammatory properties, and tons of antioxidants to help fight pain. Ingredients: 2 cups cooked quinoa 1 cup cashew milk (or almond milk) 1½ cups fresh organic blueberries ¼ cup toasted walnuts ½ tsp ground cinnamon 2 tsp raw honey 1 Tbsp chia seeds Directions: Combine the quinoa and cashew milk in a saucepan and slowly warm over medium low heat Stir in blueberries, cinnamon and walnuts until all are evenly warmed Remove from heat and stir in raw honey Top with chia seeds and serve! To read the original article click here. For more articles from Dr. Colbert click here.

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Apple Quinoa Detox Salad

AHA Publisher — Thu, 28 Jan 2021 08:00:08 +0000

Dr. Don Colbert – Quinoa, pronounced “keen-wah,” is a 7,000-year-old plant from the mountainous regions of South America. Commonly referred to as gluten-free grain, quinoa is actually a seed. Unlike most grains quinoa contains enough of the amino acids lysine and isoleucine to be considered a complete protein. This means that it has all 9 of the amino acids the human body needs to obtain from dietary sources. This quinoa salad uses sprouted quinoa which is perfect for a detox diet because it is much easier to digest. “Sprouted” means the seeds have been soaked long enough to initiate germination which activates enzymes and deactivates hard to digest anti-nutrients. Turmeric, coriander, and cumin are added for anti-inflammatory action, flavor, and to help with digestion. Shallot provides fiber to feed healthy bacteria and olive oil supplies healthy monounsaturated fats. The addition of fresh and crisp apple rounds out the flavors and adds a satisfying “crunch.” This salad is easy, delicious, and a great staple for the 21 Day Detox diet! INGREDIENTS 1/4 cup raw whole organic almonds 1 cup organic sprouted quinoa 1 teaspoon local organic honey 1 tablespoon finely chopped organic shallot 1/2 teaspoon organic turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon organic coriander powder 1/2 teaspoon organic cumin powder 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 3 tablespoons juice of an organic lemon Freshly ground organic pepper 2 tablespoons organic extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons organic dried cranberries, no sugar added 1 small granny smith, cut into 1/8-inch-thick wedges 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh organic mint leaves, coarsely chopped, plus more for garnish INSTRUCTIONS Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread almonds on a baking sheet and toast in oven until lightly browned, around 7 minutes. Let cool and chop nuts to desired coarseness. Rinse quinoa thoroughly and drain. Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a saucepan. Add quinoa in to the water and return to a boil. Once boiling, cover, and reduce heat to a simmer Cook until quinoa is al dente, about 15 minutes. Fluff quinoa with a fork and let cool. Whisk together honey, olive oil, shallot, turmeric, coriander, cumin, salt, pepper, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Add quinoa, cranberies, apple, mint, and nuts; toss well. Garnish with mint. Adapted from marthastewart.com To read the original article click here. For more articles from Dr. Colbert click here.

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