Can you lose weight with quinoa?

QUINOA BOWL WITH LEMON CHILI SHRIMP

 Can you lose weight with quinoa?

Quinoa is certainly a food that is part of a diet aimed at losing weight. This is because it has a number of beneficial properties that are useful for weight loss.

Lose weight thanks to slow carbohydrates in quinoa

Quinoa is often used as a rice substitute. If we compare quinoa in India with rice, the first thing that stands out is that quinoa contains fewer carbohydrates. 64 grams of carbohydrates per 100 grams compared to 78 grams for rice.

The most important thing here is that the carbohydrates from quinoa are digested slowly and converted into glucose.

The glycemic index (GI) is used to indicate how quickly carbohydrates are converted into glucose and affect blood sugar. The higher this value, the faster the blood glucose will rise.

The GI of quinoa is only 35 while the GI of white rice is 70.

Because quinoa contains fewer carbohydrates and also has a lower GI than rice, the glycemic

load (GL) is really a lot lower than that of rice. The GL is the effect of a certain amount of food on blood glucose.

Now you may be wondering what all this has to do with losing weight? If you want to lose weight, it is very important that your blood sugar level remains as stable as possible.

If you get peaks in your blood glucose, it will drop sharply again, after which your blood sugar will become low. This low blood sugar level induces the feeling of hunger so that you want to snack or snack between meals.

At a peak in your blood glucose, your body will have to produce a lot of insulin. This is necessary so that the cells can absorb the glucose from the blood and thus be supplied with energy.

If there is a lot of insulin in the blood, this is a sign to your body that a lot of energy is available. At that point, the signal is issued to start storing and holding fat. Insulin is therefore often referred to as the thickening hormone.

If you want to be able to lose weight, it is therefore important that the blood glucose remains as stable as possible. Quinoa is a carbohydrate source that does not cause the dreaded spikes in blood sugar.

An additional advantage of this is that you will have long-lasting energy after eating quinoa because the glucose is gradually released into the blood.

More to know: QUINOA BOWL WITH LEMON CHILI SHRIMP 

Weight loss thanks to proteins in quinoa

Another great weight loss property of quinoa is its proteins.

Proteins digest more slowly than carbohydrates and thus give a feeling of satisfaction for longer after a meal. This also helps to prevent eating between meals.

Proteins have hardly any influence on the blood sugar level and because digestion costs more energy, your resting metabolism literally goes up.

Another great thing about quinoa is that it is 'real' food. It is rich in amino acids, minerals, and vitamins. Because you really feed your body with it, you will also have less need to eat more.

If you want to lose weight, quinoa is certainly a responsible source of carbohydrates.

However, within a low- carbohydrate diet you will have to eat quinoa in moderation. After all, they remain carbohydrates. In any case, it's a much better choice than potato, rice or pasta.

How do you prepare for quinoa?

You can prepare quinoa seeds in different ways. You can let it soak or germinate first.

You need 50 to 70 grams of uncooked quinoa seeds per person. That may not seem like much, but because it absorbs moisture, it becomes heavier and it gains more volume during cooking. Just like rice.

Prepare quinoa by soaking it.

Before cooking quinoa, you will need to wash and soak them first. This is to break down the phytic acid.

You do this by putting the quinoa in a sieve and keeping it under the tap. Then let it soak in a bowl of water for at least 10 minutes. After this, rinse it again under the tap using a sieve.

After this, add the seeds to a pan of boiling water. Let it boil for 10 to 12 minutes or as long as indicated on the packaging. You can add salt for flavor, such as when cooking rice.

After this, remove it from the heat and let it rest for another 5 minutes with the lid on. After this, stir it and let it rest for another 5 minutes. Then you drain it and they are ready to eat.

As well as quinoa pasta in India is also beneficial for health.

Prepare quinoa by sprouting it.

Sprouting quinoa grain or seeds first breaks down the phytic acid better than soaking it alone. This requires a bit more planning. Sprout by sprouting through the seeds.

First, let the quinoa seeds soak for 2 to 4 hours. After this, you can let them germinate for 12 to 48 hours. This is best done in a special germ or nut milk bag. But an empty pot or a deep plate is also sufficient.

It is intended that you rinse the seeds a few times in between.

Now that you know how to prepare quinoa, it's time for some delicious recipes