By: Joanne Smith, Certified Nutritional Practitioner
Welcome to my new nutrition blog! The foods I feature here will provide helpful, healthful nutritional information and tips to help you achieve optimal health and well-being. As someone who has lived with a spinal cord injury for 20 years, I fully understand the unique challenges of trying to stay healthy and living a full and active life with a chronic health condition. One of the keys to this delicate balance is proper nutrition.
Living with a disability or other health challenge can alter your metabolism significantly and this can contribute to the development of a host of other secondary health complications, which can negatively impact your independence. Incorporating whole foods into your diet is an important way to help maintain your health, improve daily functioning, reduce the secondary complications that come with living with a disability, minimize illness and maximize your potential.
Importance of Whole Foods
So what exactly are whole foods? They are foods that are as close to their original form as possible. These foods are free from processing, meaning they contain no additives, preservatives, antibiotics, hormones and other potentially toxic chemicals.
The first fantastic whole food I want you tell you about is Quinoa. Many of you have probably heard a lot about this an ancient grain lately and are wondering what the fuss is all about, right? To begin, Quinoa is a gluten-free, easily digestible grain, so it’s an ideal food for individuals with compromised digestive systems. It is also so nutrient dense that many of our earliest civilizations used it as their main food staple.
Battle Disease with Nutrient Dense Quinoa
Quinoa’s complete protein content can help tissue grow and repair itself, which in turn can prevent and/or heal serious wounds such as pressure sores. Its multitude of minerals such as, magnesium, iron and calcium help reduce the risk of health issues such as type 2 diabetes, anaemia and osteoporosis respectively.
Quinoa can help control cholesterol levels since it doesn’t contain any of this potential artery-clogging substance and has very little saturated fat. Its high fibre content can help eliminate toxins and improve bowel function, which in turn can help reduce the risk of cardio-vascular disease and some forms of cancer. And for those of you who may not be feeling a wee bit lethargic, quinoa’s rich source of Vitamin B’s can help boost your energy levels!
Easy to Prepare and Flexible
This light, fluffy grain with a somewhat nutty flavour needs only 15 minutes to cook. So not only is it faster to prepare than other grains like rice, but it’s also much more versatile. Enjoy it as a main or side dish by tossing in nuts, seeds, beans, fruits or vegetables or add it to soups and salads. The possibilities and health benefits of Quinoa are virtually endless!
If you have any nutritional questions, comments, tips or recipes to share, I’d love to hear from you! Just fill out the comment form below.
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Joanne Smith, Certified Nutritional Practitioner
Ph: 416.992.2927
Email: fruitfulelements@gmail.com
Website: http://www.fruitfulelements.com/
| A word from James:
I met Joanne Smith at a fundraising event for the Canadian Helen Keller Centre. She explained to me her expertise as a nutritionist and her experience writing for different publications. We quickly agreed that the Premier Homecare Services Blog would be a great forum for her work. Take a minute to look over her biography (click here) to see why I feel that we are especially fortunate to receive nutritional advice from her, a proven expert. She will continue to submit articles for the blog ongoing in the future and I will publish them regularly. For convenience, I have created a category (found on the navigation bar to the left) where one can find all her articles as they are released. |
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One Response to Quinoa – Nutrition by Joanne Smith
July 17th, 2009 at 4:53 pm |
This article inspired me to share a great recipe for a light meal. Enjoy
Quinoa Salad
1 cup red quinoa
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock or broth
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice or balsamic vinegar
2 scallions, chopped
1/2 cup plain, chopped almonds, toasted
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup crumbled feta or goat cheese
Cook quinoa according to package directions, using the stock or broth instead of water. Once cooked, put quinoa into a bowl and allow it to cool to room tempertature. Toss with oil and vingear or lemon juice. Add scallions, almonds, cranberries and cheese.