It depends, the answer is not so easy. Quinoa is one of the most popular foods today because it is a superfood, that is, a type of ingredient that provides us with a large amount of nutrients in a very small amount of it. Therefore, it is a highly beneficial product for health that helps us improve internal processes and, thus, make us much stronger and healthier.
However, there are those who claim that quinoa makes you fat, others that it thins, but it is difficult to give a definitive answer without exploring several factors to take into account. Therefore, in this article we are going to discover if quinoa makes you fat, its calories and its benefits so that you know how to consume it properly and take advantage of all its properties.
What is quinoa – calories and nutritional value
Although quinoa is currently part of the list of superfoods, the truth is that it is still a great source of protein, in addition to being very rich in carbohydrates. Therefore, we should not exceed its consumption.
First of all, it is necessary to know what quinoa is to understand its nutritional value. it is a seed that, by mistake, is confused with a cereal by its cooking method and its appearance. The greatest contribution of quinoa is protein, but it also provides us with carbohydrates and an interesting source of vitamins and minerals. Here are the calories of quinoa and its nutritional content per 1 cooked cup of food:
- 222 calories
- 39 g carbohydrates
- 8 g protein
- 6 g fat
- 5 g fiber
- 1 g sugar
Thanks to this interesting nutritional contribution, quinoa is considered a superfood and, therefore, is included in that list along with other products such as kale cabbage, coconut oil or charcoal.
But then, does quinoa make you fat? The answer to this question depends on each person's daily calorie intake and burn. On its own, quinoa does not make you fat, but if it is consumed in large quantities or the diet is not complemented by a healthy exercise routine, the carbohydrates it contains will be transformed, irremediably, into fats.
What you can be sure of is that quinoa will provide you with a valuable supply of nutrients in less food.
Does quinoa for dinner make you fat?
Much is said about whether the calories you eat at dinner are fatter than those you eat in the day, but research has not yet yielded definitive results. What we do know is that although quinoa contains fewer carbohydrates than foods like pasta, it is still rich in carbohydrates.
At this point, we must remember that carbohydrates are foods very rich in energy (that is, in calories) and, if they are not consumed by our body, they end up stored in the body as saturated fat. Let's understand that it would be something similar to the “reserve” of our body that will burn when we need extra energy during the day. But if this reserve is increasing, in the end, we will gain weight.
Whatever time of day you consume quinoa, it is important to keep in mind that all the calories you do not burn will become reserves, but this does not mean that you have to spend all day in the gym to eliminate them, because the body burns them throughout the day by itself. With a consistent exercise routine and a measured consumption of highly caloric foods, most people won't be at risk of gaining weight.
Recommended foods for dinner and not getting fat
And what can you eat at night so as not to get fat? To answer this question we have to, first, understand the relationship that our body establishes with food. The use we give to the calories ingested through food is purely energetic, that is, what we eat is what we will use to function properly both inside (our body) and outside (perform our daily tasks). The source from which we get the energy to live is from food, which is why it is so important that we give our body a healthy diet from which it can obtain quality nutrients and avoid toxins or harmful substances.
So, if we think about what we need early in the day, just up and with the whole day ahead, we will understand that it will not be the same as at dinner time, when we are going to prepare to sleep and be still for about 8 hours. For this reason, at this time of day we must consume foods that satisfy our appetite, that provide us with nutrients but that are low in calories and fats, since our body does not need this contribution to go to sleep.
That said, the foods we can take at dinner time are as follows:
- Lean meats (chicken, turkey, rabbit, etc.): basically, because they are very low in fat
- Fish: they are also very low in fat and calories
- Low-fat dairy: they are a rich source of protein
- Eggs: they are also very protein
- Vegetables: they are highly nutritious, satiating and barely provide us with calories
As you can see, in this list we have stopped mentioning other foods such as carbohydrates or fruits since, although they are very healthy, they should not be taken at this time of day because of their contribution in sugars and / or calories, something that we do not need to go to sleep. In this other article we tell you why it is bad to eat fruit at night.
