Reason for more Quinoa in Recipes 10: Magnesium

Hello everyone. I hope that you have tried various quinoa recipes this week, and that you have enjoyed them immensely. Today, we are going to examine the nutritional value of magnesium. Each cup(170g) of quinoa contains 357mg of magnesium, or 89% of the daily recommended allowance for a 2000 calorie diet. Here are some of the benefits of magnesium from The Office of Dietary Supplements:

"Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in the body and is essential to good health. Approximately 50% of total body magnesium is found in bone. The other half is found predominantly inside cells of body tissues and organs. Only 1% of magnesium is found in blood, but the body works very hard to keep blood levels of magnesium constant [1].

Magnesium is needed for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body. It helps maintain normal muscle and nerve function, keeps heart rhythm steady, supports a healthy immune system, and keeps bones strong. Magnesium also helps regulate blood sugar levels, promotes normal blood pressure, and is known to be involved in energy metabolism and protein synthesis [2-3]. There is an increased interest in the role of magnesium in preventing and managing disorders such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. Dietary magnesium is absorbed in the small intestines. Magnesium is excreted through the kidneys [1-3,4]. ..

Who may need extra magnesium?

Magnesium supplementation may be indicated when a specific health problem or condition causes an excessive loss of magnesium or limits magnesium absorption [2,7,9-11].

• Some medicines may result in magnesium deficiency, including certain diuretics, antibiotics, and medications used to treat cancer (anti-neoplastic medication) [12,14,19]. Examples of these medications are:
  
  • Diuretics: Lasix, Bumex, Edecrin, and hydrochlorothiazide
  • Antibiotics: Gentamicin, and Amphotericin
  • Anti-neoplastic medication: Cisplatin
• Individuals with poorly-controlled diabetes may benefit from magnesium supplements because of increased magnesium loss in urine associated with hyperglycemia [21].
• Magnesium supplementation may be indicated for persons with alcoholism. Low blood levels of magnesium occur in 30% to 60% of alcoholics, and in nearly 90% of patients experiencing alcohol withdrawal [17-18]. Anyone who substitutes alcohol for food will usually have significantly lower magnesium intakes.
• Individuals with chronic malabsorptive problems such as Crohn's disease, gluten sensitive enteropathy, regional enteritis, and intestinal surgery may lose magnesium through diarrhea and fat malabsorption [22]. Individuals with these conditions may need supplemental magnesium.
• Individuals with chronically low blood levels of potassium and calcium may have an underlying problem with magnesium deficiency. Magnesium supplements may help correct the potassium and calcium deficiencies [19].
• Older adults are at increased risk for magnesium deficiency. The 1999-2000 and 1998-94 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys suggest that older adults have lower dietary intakes of magnesium than younger adults [6,23]. In addition, magnesium absorption decreases and renal excretion of magnesium increases in older adults [4]. Seniors are also more likely to be taking drugs that interact with magnesium. This combination of factors places older adults at risk for magnesium deficiency [4]. It is very important for older adults to consume recommended amounts of dietary magnesium.
  

Doctors can evaluate magnesium status when above-mentioned medical problems occur, and determine the need for magnesium supplementation." As always, we are not health professionals, consult a qualified medical professional if you have any concerns about this mineral and you current levels, especially if you are affected by any of the above circumstances. For the rest of this article you may click here.

Now, lets have our quinoa recipe for today:

Quinoa, Flax and Oat Soda Bread

This is not like bread made with wheat; it's soft, and a little crumbly, with the satisfying taste of quinoa.
1 cup (250 mL) quinoa
3/4 cup (175 mL) buttermilk
2 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon (1 mL) sea salt
2 cups (500 mL) quick cooking rolled oats (not instant)
1/2 cup (125 mL) flax seed meal
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 mL) baking soda
11/4 teaspoon (6 mL) baking powder

Wash the quinoa, place in a bowl and cover with 2 cups (500 mL) water. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6, or up to 10 hours. Drain and place in a blender with the buttermilk, eggs and salt. Puree until smooth.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF (175ºC). Combine the oats, flax, baking soda and powder. Add the quinoa mixture and mix well. Pour into an 8 x 3-inch (20 x 7.5 cm) bread pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for 1 hour. Remove from the pan and cool before slicing. Store wrapped and refrigerated.

Note: Flax seed meal is also known as ground flax seeds. You can buy the seeds and grind it yourself in a coffee grinder. If purchasing the ground meal, make sure that you buy it from a refrigerated case as ground flax can go rancid quickly.

This recipe was found at The Vancouver Sun.

A great resource for cooking quinoa is The Art of Cooking With Quinoa: A Complete Vegetable Protein. Have a wonderful day and enjoy this "super grain!!"