The other day I heard a speaker talking about Manna. For those who do not know, Manna was the food that God’s people lived off during the journey from Egypt to the promised land. This was along time ago. The name Manna literally means “What is it?” So each day the people would go and collect their “What is it?” and live off it.
Some of the people came up with all sorts of Manna recipes. There was “What is it” Casserole, “What is it” Soup, “What is it” Pie and even “What is it” Ice Cream. OK I could be wrong about the Ice Cream.
The point about Manna is that it was good enough to provide all their nutritional needs for their journey. It must have included protein, fat, carbohydrates and a full range of minerals and vitamins. And that is the similarity that Manna has to Quinoa.
Nutritional Information About Quinoa and Protein
Quinoa is a complete protein. It contains more protein than all other grains and seeds. The amount of protein varies from about 16% to 20% depending on the variety you are using. This is more than double the protein content of rice which comes in at around 7%. It also is much better than wheat and millet. And who wants to eat Millet anyhow?
Not only is the protein content in quinoa high. It is also of the best quality. It is a complete protein with an essential amino acid balance close to the ideal. Quinoa has a high content of lysine, methionine and cystine. Soya is comparatively low in Methionine and Cystine. (Source – The Quinoa Corporation )
Quinoa and Carbohydrates
Quinoa has a low glycemic index of 53. This means that the carbohydrates are slow to be digested. 1 cup of Cooked quinoa amounts to around 40 g of total carbohydrates. Being low in GI, quinoa will improve blood sugar levels and cholesterol levels. This is ideal for people with diabetes and others with high blood pressure. Quinoa is a slow carbohydrate.
Quinoa Fat Content
Quinoa has a much higher fat content than rice and whole wheat pasta. It comes in at about 15% of the total calories. This does not make it a high fat food. The fat content of a nrmal diet should be in the range 25 – 35% according to the American Heart Association. So quinoa is well inside this range. Eating just 1 cup of cooked quinoa will supply you with about 10 percent of your daily fat requirement.
At the same time this cup of quinoa is giving you good amounts of fibre, folates, manganese and phosphorus.
So quinoa is probably as good as Manna in terms of supplying you with a good balanced range of nutritional benefits. It is one of natures superfoods that is fast gaining recognition in the media. You can create all sorts of quinoa recipes – many more than you can with Manna.
If you don’t know the next part of what happened with God’s people let me tell you that got bored of eating Manna everyday. So they asked God for an alternative. He gave them a months supply of Quail. I think I will stick with quinoa!
Curious if you stuck with the 4 hour a day diet and Quinoa for longer, since your last post was May? I am starting out on the 30 day challenge and Quinoa is a staple for me, so I would LOVE to know that it worked for you!
Hi Sachiko
I stuck with the diet for about 9 weeks. Eventually I stopped losing weight as I had lost about 26 pounds. I am still a bit unsure about the 4 hour diet. The book does not give enough guidance in my humble opinion. If you are not a foodie you really have to read between the lines to understand what Tim Ferris is getting at. Good luck with your diet.