When we talk about healthy foods, quinoa has a definite spot on the list. It is one of the most valuable diets in terms of nutrition.
Whether you follow a specific diet plan, quinoa can be a healthy food choice for you and your family.
As a flowering plant, quinoa belongs to the amaranth family.
Does quinoa have acidic properties?
If you wonder whether eating quinoa can increase the chances of acid reflux, we have plenty of information that may help you. Let’s look deeper into the nutritional aspects of quinoa consumption.
The pH Value of Quinoa
Quinoa is present in a variety of forms. Most of its types have a pH value of 6.20-6.80 (1). Although it lies nearly at the center of the scale, quinoa has acidic properties. Eating large amounts of quinoa may worsen the acid reflux problems.
However, quinoa consumption may not affect those with minor acid reflux or GERD conditions. If you eat it for the first time, you may start with small amounts to analyze its effects on your health.
The Acidic Properties of Quinoa
Despite its acid-forming nature, quinoa is a high-nutrition food. It is rich in nutrients like protein, minerals, and vitamins. Due to its beneficial properties, you can also refer to it as a superfood.
A single dose of quinoa can do wonders if you follow a diet plan to consume protein in rich amounts.
If you do not like meat in any form, appropriate amounts of quinoa can help you cover the nutritional deficiency.
Since protein keeps you full, you are less likely to overeat and gain weight. While this may be correct, these two factors increase the chances of acid reflux. Eating quinoa frequently can significantly keep your appetite full.
You may replace a portion of your food with it.
Although it can be healthy to maintain a balanced diet with quinoa, you may need to check for GERD symptoms every once with your doctor.
Role of Manganese
If you wonder whether there is a solution to the acidic effects of Quinoa, the answer is quinoa itself. It contains reasonable quantities of manganese.
Manganese is a solution to many health problems, including acid reflux. When consumed in moderate amounts, manganese fights against chronic inflammation (2).
The anti-inflammatory nature of manganese also helps you fight against diabetes, asthma, cancer, and several autoimmune diseases. The presence of manganese in quinoa balances its acidic effects and makes it a healthy food item to consume.
Role of Magnesium
Magnesium is prominent in regulating muscle and nerve function in the human body. It regulates blood flow to contribute to good organ health.
Magnesium also regulates hundreds of enzyme reactions in the body. Eating food rich in magnesium makes you more likely to prevent blood sugar problems and stomach infections.
Consuming moderate amounts of quinoa can help you improve your fiber intake. It is rich in insoluble fiber than other whole grains of its category. Due to its balancing properties, quinoa also contains good amounts of soluble fiber to improve several body functions.
The soluble fiber can maintain your blood sugar levels, lower cholesterol, and prevents weight gains by controlling your daily intake.
Quinoa and Acid Reflux
Quinoa has acidic properties like many other whole grains. However, it is the least acidic of all types. In some cases, even moderate amounts of grain consumption cause adverse effects.
On the other side, quinoa can be the best choice for acid reflux patients. The high nutritional value of this whole-grain makes it suitable to consume in moderation. The rich presence of proteins, minerals, and antioxidants improves digestive function.
Although quinoa is safe to eat, you may want to follow a varied diet plan to ensure no harm. Foods like fresh fruits and natural products combined with quinoa can help you accomplish a healthy diet routine.
How to Reduce the Acidic Effects of Quinoa
Quinoa falls closer to the neutral value of the pH scale. You can try to enhance its alkaline properties by using specific ingredients while eating it.
One of the easy ways is to cook quinoa with vegetables high in alkaline properties. You can combine it with mushrooms, broccoli, cabbage, and beets to reduce its acidic effects. Adding vegetables can also contribute to the overall daily dietary needs.
If you like to butter-fry your food often, you may not want to try it with quinoa.
Frying it in oils can change its chemical composition, making it difficult to digest. Moreover, quinoa increases its caloric content upon frying. You are more likely to put on more weight by consuming fried forms.
The best way to cook quinoa is by boiling it or stir-frying it with fresh vegetables.
Nutrient Breakdown
| Nutrients | Concentration |
| Protein | 8 grams |
| Calories | 222 |
| Carbohydrates | 39 grams |
| Fat | 3.55 grams |
| Fiber | 5 grams |
| Folate | 19% (DV) |
| Vitamin B6 | 13% (DV) |
| Vitamin E | 8% (DV) |
| Iron | 15% (DV) |
| Copper | 39% (DV) |
| Zinc | 18% (DV) |
| Manganese | 51% (DV) |
| Magnesium | 28% (DV) |
| Potassium | 7% (DV) |
| Phosphorus | 22% (DV) |
Health Benefits of Quinoa
Antioxidant Properties
Quinoa is rich in antioxidant plant compounds. It contains some of the most valuable antioxidants that can benefit your health in several ways. You can find quercetin and kaempferol in quinoa (3).
These flavonoids have anti-inflammatory properties to fight against the effects of free radicals.
The presence of flavonoids also helps in boosting your body’s immunity. By improving cell health, quercetin and kaempferol minimize the harmful effects of free radicals and improve the mortality rate.
Rich Fiber Content
Quinoa is among the best foods for its rich fiber content. A cup of cooked quinoa has about 5.18 grams of fiber, making it richer than a cup of brown rice (4). If you have stomach problems like constipation, eating quinoa may help you in your bowel movement.
Fiber-rich foods are excellent solutions for digestive health problems. They also regulate the flow of beneficial bacteria present in the gut.
Moreover, dietary fiber also helps to maintain healthy body weight. You may also combine quinoa with protein-rich foods to avoid excessive eating.
Gluten-Free Food
Gluten intolerance is common in certain people. They can not consume common whole grains rich in gluten content like wheat and barley. If you have celiac disease, you may avoid foods with gluten content (5).
Quinoa is a big rescue to gluten intolerant people. It is a gluten-free whole grain that is rich in nutritional value and makes up most of the body’s nutrient deficiencies. What makes it unique from other whole grains is the presence of rich nutrients that most whole grains lack. Such nutrients include fiber, zinc, folate, and magnesium.
Protein-Rich Diet
Quinoa is also blessed with rich protein content. It can serve as one of the primary protein intake sources among other foods. If you follow a vegetarian diet and struggle to meet your protein intake goals, you may opt for quinoa.
Quinoa helps you attain a sufficient percentage of protein. It can improve muscle health, injury recovery, and overall brain function. Another benefit of quinoa consumption is the presence of amino acids (6).
It is one of the few food resources containing all the nine amino acids necessary for the body’s healthy functioning. Consuming a cup of quinoa per day can significantly add protein to your diet.
Lysine Content
When you consume a cup of quinoa, you take sufficient amounts of lysine that helps you in regulating your body function. Lysine transports fat across the body cells to burn when your body needs energy (7).
Quinoa consumption adds appropriate amounts of lysine to your body, regulating the fat storage in the body cells. As a result, you can feel energetic and proactive throughout the day.
Low GI Value
Eating low GI value foods can benefit your health by keeping your blood sugar levels in check. Generally, foods with a high GI value can raise your blood sugar levels and cause harm to your health.
Quinoa has a low GI value, making it healthy to consume in moderate amounts. If you eat quinoa, you can let go of the worry of sugar level spikes. You can also prevent several diseases associated with blood sugar imbalance.
Acidic Nature of Red Quinoa
Red quinoa is a form of quinoa with slightly varied nutritional values. It belongs to the Chenopodium family of plants. Originated from South America, red quinoa shares almost the same properties as regular quinoa.
The primary difference between red and white quinoa is the red color. If we talk about the pH levels, red quinoa has almost the same pH reading as the other types. However, it has more protein content, has a less acidic nature, and may take more time to digest than black or white forms.
The Alkaline Nature of Quinoa Flour
People use quinoa in many forms. One of the common uses is by making its flour. If you wonder how acidic the quinoa flour would be, you may be surprised to find out the truth.
Quinoa flour is an alkalizing food source with high nutritional values.
The flour form has dominant alkaline properties with a pH value closer to seven. Many households use it as a replacement for white flour in cooking.
Quinoa flour has a dried powder form. You may find it available on the markets. However, it is pretty expensive to purchase. If you want to make quinoa flour, you can do it with the help of quinoa grains.
The Takeaway
Quinoa is full of health benefits for people of all age groups. With many healthy nutrients, this whole grain effectively meets the human body’s daily caloric requirements. If you want to make it a part of your diet plan, you may discuss it with your dietician first. They can monitor your sensitivity to acidic foods and recommend a healthy daily dose.
You can find quinoa in white, black, or red forms available in the local supermarkets. If you want to try healthy recipes to reduce the acidic effects of quinoa, you may search online for healthy quinoa cooking recipes.
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