Quinoa: a Top Source of Plant-based Proteins

Quinoa is one of the highest vegan protein sources and it is often defined as a “complete protein”.

What Is Quinoa?

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) is a flowering plant in the amaranth family. It is a herbaceous annual plant grown as a crop primarily for its edible seeds.
These seeds are rich in a lot of nutritional elements, in amounts greater than other grains.
Native to South America, quinoa is often mistakenly considered a cereal, also by virtue of its high starch content; in reality it does not belong to the family of the Graminaceae and is related to spinach.
Its leaves can be cooked in the same way and the taste is very similar.
It is called pseudo-cereal and thanks to its characteristics, it is still a valid alternative to cereals.

Why Is Quinoa Good For You?

Quinoa is the best vegan protein source and it doesn’t contain gluten. This makes it a food suitable for those suffering from celiac disease. It’s also an important source of plant-based proteins, and it is considered one of the highest vegan protein sources.

It has numerous nutritional properties:

• Rich in plant-based proteins, source of protein for vegans (Vegan proteins content: 1 cup cooked = 8 – 10g)
• Rich in carbohydrates and dietary fibers
• Rich in B vitamins and minerals

How Do You Eat Quinoa?

Since it has a fairly plain texture and taste, quinoa is a very versatile ingredient that can be used in both sweet and savory dishes.

Cooked quinoa is widely used to replace rice or couscous, especially for its high nutrient content as well as for its unique taste. It is a complete food as it comes and an easy and quick way to enhance the quinoa taste is to add one of our our vegetable or fruit sauces.

Quinoa salads are perfect for an energizing lunch: 100 grams provide about 350 calories, so it’s a very nutritious food, recommended especially for children, pregnant women, athletes and convalescents.

Quinoa is also perfect for sweet recipes. Make a delicious breakfast porridge using quinoa as a base and adding fruits, nuts and yogurt on top.
Add cooked quinoa to cooked quinoa to muffins, cakes, crumbles to make tasty healthy treats.

Discover our Chef Quinoa product line a variety of nutritious foods that are easy to carry and consume anywhere.