A Food With Seemingly Magical Benefits: Quinoa

A number of years ago, I borrowed a book from my then girlfriend. It was Christopher McDougall's "Born to Run", a fascinating account of his exploring a very remote and isolated tribe of natives in Mexico, who had legendary running skills.

I mean, these guys were really fast - probably the fastest runners in the world!

So, what was their secret? Well, it probably wasn't restricted to just one thing. After all, their entire lifestyle was geared towards running.

But that said, one of the most important elements for why they were such strong runners was the food that they ate. it was like a super food.

Of course, if you're reading this, and you've seen the title of this blog entry, then you can guess what that super food is: Quinoa.

I'm not a runner, but this book inspired me to almost try to become one. McDougall made it sound so natural, so awesome and healthy and....well, human! It felt, suddenly, like it was the thing that I needed to do to really be fully human.

Maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration. And also, I never did take up running. You see, there's one thing about running: I hate it! Hate it with a passion!

I love hiking, and can hike and walk for hours. When I do that, my mind wonders freely, and I can think about anything and everything. It can be meditative, it can be therapeutic, but it feels completely natural.

But when running, my mind tends to focus on one thing: the pain. There is a stitch on my side, and my knees hurt. I can't breathe properly. And when my mind is not focused on the pain, it focuses on when I can finally stop running.

A natural born runner, I am not - to say the least!

Still, I could see the value of the book, and found it informative and, in it's own way, inspiring! Surely, especially to runners. And yes, even though I am not, never have been, and never will be a runner, I could appreciate it.

After reading it, I also wanted to run out and get some Quinoa.

And maybe you will, too.

Here's a link to an article about Quinoa:

"Quinoa: From Peasant to Posh" by Brian Sterricker. Senior Copywriter for Field Assignment, May 9, 2012:

http://www.fieldassignment.com/2012/05/quinoa-from-peasant-to-posh.html




Here's a link about the health benefits for Quinoa:

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?dbid=142&tname=foodspice



Here's are a couple of links on how to prepare and cook Quinoa, that could prove useful:

https://screen.yahoo.com/cooking-101/quick-quinoa-090000807.html

http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/vegetarian-recipes/basic-quinoa.php