Question for Savvy Vegetarian:

When cooking with quinoa would I consider this as a carb or a protein when dieting? It appears to be extremely high in carbs but is said to be 100% protein.

I am summer-sizing and must eliminate and combine foods properly. Please help. Thanks. – D.S.

Savvy Vegetarian Advice:

Hi D.S, with plant foods there isn’t a natural division between protein and carbs, they all have some of both in various quantities. So you have to look at your overall carb intake over a day, if that’s your concern. Same with protein. Do that by looking at nutrition data for all the different foods you eat.

Quinoa Nutrition:

Quinoa isn’t 100% protein. But cooked quinoa has 4 – 6 g complete protein per 1 cup serving, and you’re right – like most grains it’s high in carbs – and lots of other good stuff.

It’s better to get more of your carbs from nutrient dense foods like quinoa, and less from empty sources like white flour. All carbs are not created equal, is what I’m saying :-)

By the way, it’s not so much the carbs as the fats that make you fat. Consider this: 1 tsp oil averages 50 calories and not much else. 1 cup cooked quinoa has 155 calories, 30 g carbohydrate, 3 g fat, 3 g dietary fiber and 5.5 g protein. So my advice is eat the quinoa and veggies, and skip the oil, to summer-size effectively.

For more about cooking with quinoa, and quinoa nutrition, check out Savvy Vegetarian’s Basic Quinoa Recipe.

Hope that helps! Judith Kingsbury