Special Edition: Super grains!
Quinoa
Quinoa has attracted health conscious consumers worldwide for its nutritional punch. The grain is packed with minerals, folate, protein and healthy fats. The Food and Agriculture Organization has repeatedly touted quinoa as a potentially important crop for food security, too, because it grows well in harsh, dry climactic conditions. It remains the most expensive ancient grain given the continued high demand. Quinoa is one of a handful of grains that is often recommended as an alternative to gluten-containing grains for those following a strict gluten-free diet. In a 2012 study published in Food Chemistry, Brazilian researchers reported that polysaccharides from the cell wall of quinoa may protect the stomach against ethanol-induced acute gastric lesions in rats.