What’s so good about quinoa?

Quinoa (pronounced ‘keen-wah’) is a tiny grain native to the Andes Mountains of South America where it’s been a staple for more than 5,000 years. The Incas prized it as the ‘mother grain’ and used it to supplement their predominantly vegetarian diet of potatoes and corn.

Despite its size, quinoa is a nutrition powerhouse. It’s a complete source of protein as it contains all nine essential amino acids including lysine, which is essential for tissue repair and growth – 100g uncooked quinoa provides roughly the same amount of protein as 2 small eggs and more than a quarter of our daily needs!

It’s high in fibre, too, and has good amounts of vitamins and minerals. In particular, it’s rich in iron – 100g uncooked quinoa provides more than half our daily needs for this nutrient. Add this to its high protein content and quinoa is a great choice for people who follow a vegetarian or vegan diet. Plus, it’s gluten and wheat free, making it a good alternative to pasta and bread for people with coeliac disease.

Quinoa grains come in various colours, from white or pale yellow to red, purple brown and black. You can also buy it as flakes (a good alternative to breadcrumbs) and flour (good for making gluten-free pastry).

It’s easy to prepare. First, rinse the grains in water, then drain. Simmer in a pan of water, stock or milk (one part quinoa to three parts liquid) for 10–15 min. To really bring out the flavour, you can toast the quinoa before simmering. Or you can cook quinoa in the microwave: put the same ratio of quinoa to liquid in a large microwavable bowl, cover and cook on high for 7 min. Allow to stand for 7 min or until the liquid is absorbed.

The delicate texture of quinoa works in soups, stews, salads, breads and sweets. In fact, there’s no end to its versatility!

For a taste of the wonders of this nutritious ingredient, try HFG recipe consultant Phil Mundy’s festive recipe …

Quinoa, dried cranberry and pine nut stuffing

Prep 10 min

Cook 40 min

Serves 12

Cooking oil spray

200g quinoa

1½tsp gluten-free reduced-salt veg stock powder

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

50g dried cranberries, roughly chopped

35g pine nuts, lightly toasted

2tbsp chopped thyme

Juice of ½ orange

1 Preheat the oven to 190°C/fan 170°C/gas 5 and lightly spray a
1 litre ovenproof dish with oil.

2 Put the quinoa in a medium pan with the stock powder and 500ml boiling water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 15–18 min until the water is absorbed and the grains are tender.

3Meanwhile, spray a non-stick frying pan with a little oil and put over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 min or until softened. Add the garlic and stir for 1 min more, then remove from the heat.

4 Transfer the quinoa and onion mixture to a large mixing bowl, then stir through the remaining ingredients and season with ground black pepper. Spoon the mixture into the prepared dish, then bake for 20 min.

Per serving: 96kcal, 3.2g protein, 3.1g fat, 0.3g saturates, 14.7g carbs, 5.3g sugar, 0.7g fibre, 0.2g salt, 22mg calcium, 1.6mg iron

For more recipe ideas using quinoa, pick up a copy of the Winter 2013 issue of Healthy Food Guide, out on 19 November

Healthy comfort food

As the nights draw in, we’ve been feeling the urge to cook some of our favourite slow-cook recipes. The anticipation created by the aromas wafting from the kitchen as the flavours of your hearty dinner intensify is one of life’s great pleasures.

If you’re in the mood for something warming, try this recipe for lamb, plum and barley mow from the team at EBLEX, the organisation for the English beef and sheep industry.

 

‘You can get the best out of this delicious recipe by using the best quality ingredients,’ says Denise Spencer-Walker, food advisor for EBLEX. ‘Looking out for a quality indicator on meat, such as the Quality Standard Mark (QSM), in independent butchers and select supermarkets will ensure your beef or lamb has been responsibly produced by people dedicated to great food.’

The EBLEX QSM scheme for beef and lamb ensures red meat is produced by independently audited farmers who work to strict guidelines, guaranteeing food safety, animal welfare, care for the environment and eating quality. To find your nearest QSM butcher, visit simplybeefandlamb.co.uk/butchers-block.

Lamb, Plum and Barley Mow

Serves 6

Prep time: 25 min

Cook time: 2 hr 45 min

675g lean boneless lamb leg, cut into 2.5cm cubes

1tbsp ground cinnamon

2tbsp rapeseed or olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 large garlic cloves, crushed

4 carrots, roughly chopped

150ml marsala wine or port

600ml hot reduced-salt lamb stock

2 bay leaves

150g pearl barley

75g kale or savoy cabbage, roughly chopped

2 ripe red plums, stoned and roughly chopped

2tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, to garnish

1 Preheat the oven to 170°C/fan 150°C/gas 31/2. Put the lamb in a large bowl, season with ground black pepper and mix with the cinnamon. 
2  Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan. Working in batches, cook the lamb over a medium-high heat, turning, for 3–4 min until browned all over. Transfer to a 1.7litre flameproof casserole dish. 
3  In the same frying pan, cook the onion, garlic and carrots for 2–3 min. Add to the casserole dish with the lamb. Add the marsala wine or port to the pan, scraping the base of the pan to release any sticky bits, then pour it into the casserole dish.
4 Add the stock and bay leaves to the casserole dish and bring to the boil over a high heat. Cover, then transfer to the oven and continue to cook for a further 2 hr. 
5 Remove the dish from the oven and add the pearl barley, then return to the oven for 30 min. Add the kale or cabbage and plums, then return to the oven for a further 10 min. Discard the bay leaves, then serve garnished with parsley.

 

Per serving: 375kcal, 26.6g protein, 13.9g fat, 4.4g saturates, 33.8g carbs, 10.7g sugar, 7.3g fibre, 0.9g salt, 88mg calcium, 3.8mg iron

Per serving this recipe is LOW CAL, LOW SAT FAT, LOW SUGAR, LOW SALT, HIGH PROTEIN, DAIRY FREE, CONTAINS 1 OF 5-A-DAY

For more slow-cooked recipes pick up a copy of our winter issue, out on Tuesday 19 November.

A breakthrough for type 2 diabetes?

By Tracy Kelly

Can we put type 2 diabetes into long-term remission? It’s a question that’s asked often and to date we don’t have the answer – but that could all change within a few years. 

That’s because Diabetes UK has recently awarded a £2.4 million research grant to look into whether losing weight – and keeping it off – through a low-calorie liquid diet is a feasible long-term treatment for putting type 2 diabetes into remission.  

As part of the Diabetes Remission Clinical Trial (DiRECT) study, researchers will recruit 280 overweight people with type 2 diabetes and put them on two separate diets. This new trial follows a 2011 study that found that 11 overweight people with type 2 diabetes saw their insulin production return to normal and their type 2 diabetes put into remission after eight weeks on a low-calorie liquid diet. 

Following the huge media interest in this study, many people with type 2 diabetes were interested in this approach. But as exciting as these findings were, the study did not focus on the effects of the diet in the long term and there is still much about low-calorie diets that we are yet to understand.

As part of the new trial, one group of 140 people will spend between eight and 20 weeks on a low-calorie diet of 800 calories a day – mainly nutritionally complete diet soups or shakes, plus ample fluids. Then, as normal food is reintroduced, they will learn how to change their lifestyles permanently. 

The results of this group will be compared with an equal number in the second group, who will follow what is currently accepted as the best advice for weight loss and weight maintenance. 

Both groups will be monitored for two years to study the long-term effects of their diets on weight. MRI scans will look at what’s happening inside their bodies during the diet.

The aim is to see whether the stress and effort of following a restrictive diet for several months is beneficial in the long run. After all, 800 calories is not a lot – people following such a diet are likely to feel hungry quite a lot of the time. Also, will they be able to stick to it for long enough for it to be successful? Even more fundamentally, this kind of diet is not an easy option or a ‘quick fix’ and people will still have to follow a healthy lifestyle afterwards to stop their type 2 diabetes coming back. It’s a fact that weight regain after liquid diets is common.

Type 2 diabetes will always be a serious condition, but perhaps it won’t always be seen as a condition that people have to manage for the rest of their lives – and that inevitably gets worse. If this study shows that low-calorie liquid diets can be used safely, on a bigger scale and as part of routine care, it could completely change what we know about type 2 diabetes and how it is treated by the NHS. It could also provide an accessible way to help people with this condition live longer, with a better quality of life and a reduced risk of serious health complications.  

For more information about the trial visit www.diabetes.org.uk/DiRECT

Tina tries... facing her running demons

I can’t express how much I hate running (and rain). As far as I’m concerned it’s the devil’s exercise – I’m still haunted by the schoolgirl memory of running 400m, then throwing up at my PE teacher’s feet.

But the time came to face my fear. Lloyd, my personal trainer, suggested I try a form of exercise that’s easy to do outside of our gym sessions. And even after telling him of (yet another) class of ‘86 drama, he seemed willing to take on the challenge of getting me running again.

Lloyd explained that for a newbie it’s not all about pounding the tarmac for minutes on end. He wanted to set an initial pace that wouldn't scare me, so I can build on it in time. We began with a 10-minute warm-up of fast walking, then set to work on 40 minutes of walking and running at a 2:1 ratio – two minutes of fast walking, then one minute of running. He explained how important it is not to fly off too fast at the beginning as you’ve got to keep going for the 40 minutes. ‘Easy!’ I hear you cry, but those 60-second bursts of running felt longer and longer. I did make it through, though, with a small sense of achievement and a very fetching pair of rosy cheeks – thankfully there was no vomiting.

Go on, then, I'll admit it wasn’t that bad, even in the rain. (Did I just say that out loud?) I can only think this was down to Lloyd keeping my spirits up. He also pointed out that varying the terrain and running on softer ground is a lot less stressful on your joints. It was a great way to get into running and I’ll be intrigued to see if I'm ever able to complete a parkrun (parkrun.org.uk) without stopping… 

So, the big question: would Tina try it again? Yes, I already have! With the help of my very patient, marathon-running boyfriend, I upped the ratio so I can now run for longer and walk for shorter periods. And after a particularly frustrating train journey out of London at the weekend to visit my folks in Suffolk, there was nothing for it – I had my trainers and the countryside on my doorstep: I was going for a run.

I even stopped the obsessive 60-second-clock watching. Not that this particular run didn't come with its share of danger moments: farmers with guns, dog walkers, a fallen tree in my path and, worst of all, forgetting to put a bra on! But all my train traumas were soon a distant memory. How satisfying.

I now have to clean my trainers for all the right reasons (NOT because I've been doing the gardening in them). I may need a second pair – I may even have to venture into a sports shop. Note to self: pick up a sports bra while I’m there.

NEXT TIME: Tina tries those big scary machines at the gym

Tina tries… an aqua class

By Tina Betts

Tina risks getting her face wet in the hope it will do something spectacular to her body…

I'm no mermaid. At the school swimming gala I was always the one having to start in the pool because I couldn't dive in. An underwater wardrobe malfunction aged 14 (in front of the boys – of course!) didn’t help my confidence, but I’ve moved on. And since a friend taught me how to swim the breast stroke correctly, I'm not averse to getting my face wet, just so long as I can still touch the bottom!

I must admit lane swimming sounds as dull to me as running on a treadmill, though, so I'm quite excited by my first aqua class with Cheryl. I've even got the perfect cossie - the websites call it a legsuit, but I prefer to call it my Victoriana. It’s basically an all-in-one with shorts and it’s perfect for holding all the right bits in and making you feel secure when stepping out of the changing rooms (take that, class of ’86!).

So I'm raring to go. I’ve been warned this is not about fancy footwork – it’s a proper workout, but your body and joints are completely supported, ‘like gloves around a hand’, as Cheryl explains. 

The pool is the perfect temperature and once I've got the hang of facing the right direction and minimising my splashing (I did notice the other members of the class giving me a wide berth!), I'm smiling and having fun. The challenge of getting an ‘eddy flow’ is particularly good – that’s where the whole group runs in one direction for a few strides, then abruptly changes direction. A great mix of different exercises means you get a good workout without the pain of not being able to walk the next day.

And I've been back. Unlike my Spanish class, I haven’t had to force myself to join in Cheryl’s aqua class after a rubbish day because the old endorphins kick into action and I always feel loads better afterwards. I’m conscious I need to keep my new exercise regime varied, so I guess that's where Lloyd steps in again. I wonder what he has lined up for me next? Oh, my lord, I do believe I'm getting excited!

Cheryl Stafford is a personal trainer at Nuffield Health (nuffieldhealth.com). For anyone interested in what’s actually happening to your body underwater, here’s what Cheryl told me…

·       Water provides hydrostatic pressure, which basically means pressure all around the body (rather like a glove around a hand). This aids blood circulation and has a massaging effect on the muscles.

·       Water protects the joints from impact, so you’re able to replicate high-impact land moves more safely and for longer periods of time. The cooling effect of water also allows for a quicker recovery.

·       Water provides frontal resistance – basically, the harder you push, the harder the water pushes back! The same movement on land will be approximately 12 times harder in the water, so you use far more energy.

·       Water provides a dual concentric contraction, which means both your front and back muscles have to work concentrically as water exerts force all around the body. In land-based exercises you work against gravity, so one muscle is working eccentrically (ie lengthening), while the other is contracting or shortening. The eccentric contractions are related to DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, ie not being able to walk downstairs the day after a workout!). This is less likely in an aqua class as it’s difficult to work a muscle eccentrically.  

·       The water turbulence requires you to be more balanced and so results in greater postural gains.

·       Working against the eddy flow or turbulence is very difficult and so increases intensity – for example, when you’re running in a circle and are then required to change direction. This principle can be used a lot in aqua exercises. The turbulence is increased when there are more people in the pool, working in opposite directions, and when the pool wall is higher than the water level, as the water rebounds back off the wall.

·       It’s an ideal complement to a weight-based routine as you’re using muscles differently. The body adapts to exercise, so there are diminishing returns if you’re constantly doing the same thing. In addition to a varied exercise regime, you should change your routine every 6–8 weeks to prevent de-training.