What is red quinoa? A comprehensive introduction to this crop

After 200 days of hard work and care, Grandma Tian Gui No. 1's red quinoa was finally fully harvested on 2014-04-30, and sponsorship subscriptions were opened, with all shipments to be completed before the Dragon Boat Festival. During this time, the question Grandma encountered most often was: what is red quinoa?

        Red quinoa is a health-promoting grain for a whole grains diet.

Red quinoa is a food grain whose leaves and seeds are both edible. Most ordinary food grains belong to the grass family, but red quinoa belongs to the Chenopodioideae subfamily, so it is called a "pseudo-grain." Quinoa is a close relative of spinach. Red quinoa is one variety among the 120 species under the 110 genera of the annual Chenopodiaceae family, and its English name is Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa).

Red quinoa contains all 9 essential amino acids needed by the human body and is regarded as a "complete protein." It has more high-quality protein than any other grain and more calcium than milk. If vegetarians worry about lacking protein from not eating meat, they can use red quinoa instead of meat and potatoes to supplement protein, because 100 grams of red quinoa contains 14 grams of protein. The lysine in red quinoa helps tissue growth and repair, and it is also rich in calcium, phosphorus, iron, sodium and potassium. Because it is gluten-free, it is a health-promoting whole grain for those with poor digestion or dietary allergies. Red quinoa has the titles of "complete protein," "mother's grain" and "super grain," which shows its importance for health-promoting human diets. Seeing is believing, so why not try it yourself?

To learn about red quinoa, please watch the 1-minute video "Grandma's Red Quinoa Field"; or refer to the article "The Hometown of Whole Grains: Erlin Jiushe, Changhua." For more questions, please contact Tian Gui project host Teacher Huang at [email protected]