WATCH THIS SPACE…. KANIWA
Don’t worry this isn’t what Kimye have decided on a name for their latest arrival to the Kardashian clan, although I am thinking it could be a serious contender… maybe i’ll tweet them? Behold the new superfood kaniwa. Sadly quinoa is now probably going to be old news, since this bad boy out competes quinoa on many levels. Kaniwa comes from South America and is from the same region as quinoa (the Andes). It is a smaller, slightly darker and more sweet, so is kind of like that friend who goes on holiday loses five pounds, gets a cracking tan and smells like a pina colada. It cooks in the same way as quinoa so absorbs water in about 15-20 minutes ( see notes for cooking websites). So we all know quinoa is so famed for its high protein content and its complete amino acid profile it contains ( if you don’t, I suggest you spend more time on the health section of daily mail not tabbing the showbiz articles, or just scroll to the notes of this article), but kaniwa’s protein content beats it by 3%. Mineral wise, it contains heaps of iron great for all your oxygen carrying red blood cells, as well as calcium and phosphorus which combined help with cellular function. Phosphorus in particular helps with ATP production, think of ATP as a human duracell bunny in our bodies acting as energy for our cells, hugely critical for all you “weekend athletes”. Gluten phobes will be pleased to know that it is also naturally gluten free, reducing that bloat that may occur after eating a hearty meal of pasta. Virtually fat free, it is a great idea for anyone looking to lose or few or just looking to eat less fat. Along with this, it’s fiber content is unbeatable meaning it will keep you fuller for longer and keep your toilet trips in check, something definitely to think about with all them festival toilets. Mentioned in one of my previous articles (For the love of kale) antioxidants are little powerhouses found in a variety of foods such as berries and green vegetables that prevent the formation of free radicals which can potentially lead to cancer, heart disease and decline in brain function. Kaniwa has heaps of a type of antioxidants called flavonoids. Flavonoids themselves have their own group as well and Kaniwa has specifically high amounts of the flavonoid quercetin, shown to help reduce blood pressure and inflammation. Last but certainly not least, Kaniwa is actually a lot easier to cook with. It is recommended with grains especially with quinoa that you should rinse them before use, due to the presence of saponins, which if not rinsed can leave a bitter taste to your masterchef piece. Yet with Kaniwa no saponins are present, meaning no more sieve washing up, hooray! i haven’t seen kaniwa sold in any of my local supermarket stores ,but amazon are already selling it and we all know online shopping is so much easier anyway, so there’s no excuses not to add it to your basket. The numerous positives along with its versatility to replace any grain in your diet makes it hard not to try and reap the benefits of this South American super seed, so I’m definitely going to embrace the swap and chose kaniwa… well for a while anyway. NOTES: COMPLETE AMINO ACID PROFILE : AMINO ACIDS ARE BUILDING BLOCKS OF A PROTEIN For example you could have many amino acids such as: AABBDDEEGLA - this would equate to one whole protein, like many bricks making up a house. An essential amino acid is an amino acid that cannot be made by the human body, so you have to eat these amino acids through your diet to get them into your body. There are nine of these essential amino acids A food which contains all nine of these essential amino acids is called a ‘complete protein’ food or a food which has a ‘complete amino acid profile’. HOW TO COOK KANIWA WEBSITES: www.vegkitchen.com/product-guide www.vegkitchen.com/recipes
