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→Nutritional value: references 27 & 28 in fact do not claim it is a complete protein, I read them. |
→Nutritional value: citation needed added. Please make it a reliable one from a peer reviewed journal. |
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Quinoa was important to the diet of [[Pre-Columbian era|pre-Columbian]] [[Andean civilizations]].<ref name=Keen>{{cite book|last=Keen|first=Benjamin|title=A History of Latin America|year=2008|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company|location=Boston, MA|isbn=978-0618783182|page=32|coauthors=Keith Haynes}}</ref> Today, people appreciate quinoa for its nutritional value. Quinoa is considered a [[superfood]].<ref name=Superfood>{{cite web|last=Keppel|first=Stephen|title=The Quinoa Boom Is a Lesson in the Global Economy|url=http://abcnews.go.com/ABC_Univision/News/quinoa-boom-lesson-global-economy/story?id=18643075|work=ABC Univision|accessdate=16 March 2013|date=March 4, 2012}}</ref> [[Protein]] content is very high (14% by mass), yet not as high as most beans and legumes. Nutritional evaluations of quinoa indicate that it is a source of [[complete protein]]. Furthermore, it is a good source of [[dietary fiber]] and [[Phosphorus in biological systems|phosphorus]] and is high in [[Magnesium in biological systems|magnesium]] and [[Iron#Nutrition|iron]]. Quinoa is also a source of [[calcium]], and thus is useful for [[vegan]]s and those who are [[Lactose intolerance|lactose intolerant]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/1998/12/29/science/q-a-623997.html|title=Calcium and Quinoa|last=Ray|first=C. Claiborne|date=29 December 1998|publisher=The New York Times|accessdate=9 June 2012}}</ref> Quinoa is [[gluten]]-free and considered easy to digest. Because of all these characteristics, quinoa is being considered a possible crop in NASA's [[Controlled Ecological Life Support System]] for long-duration human occupied spaceflights.<ref name="NASA">{{cite web | title=Quinoa: An Emerging "New" Crop with Potential for CELSS | author=Greg Schlick and David L. Bubenheim | work= NASA Technical Paper 3422 | url=http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19940015664_1994015664.pdf |publisher= NASA |format=PDF| month=November | year=1993}}</ref>
Quinoa may be germinated in its raw form to boost its nutritional value. [[Germination]] activates its natural enzymes and multiplies its vitamin content.<ref>Deep Nutrition: Why Your Genes Need Traditional Foods, Catherine Shanahan, MD, Luke Shanahan (2008) pp. 148–151</ref> In fact, quinoa has a notably short germination period: Only 2–4 hours resting in a glass of clean water is enough to make it sprout and release gases, as opposed to, e.g., 12 hours with wheat.{{Citation needed|date=July 2010}} This process, besides its nutritional enhancements, softens the seeds, making them suitable to be added to salads and other cold foods.
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