Quinoa is whole grain-rich in protein and essential minerals like magnesium and phosphorus. Regarding the nutritional values of quinoa, it contains a considerable amount of carbohydrates and is rich in vitamins B.
Quinoa is mainly prepared boiled, and the nutritious values will slightly change. We will find a more water content, 72%, and fewer carbohydrates 14%.
Quinoa is consumed mainly by people that are constrained to consume gluten-free foods, and at the same time, they want to consume foods rich in protein. But what about the potassium content of quinoa? Is quinoa good for people that have to follow a low potassium diet?
Potassium is an essential mineral for our body; it carries out the tasks of regulating the heartbeat and the correct functions of muscles. Quinoa is usually integrated with success in many healthy diets, and the amount of quinoa to consume will depend upon the diet you are following.
How much potassium is in a cup of quinoa?
If you are willing to consume one cup of quinoa, the amount of potassium you will assume will be pretty high. It is a general rule to consider foods rich in potassium when they are higher than 200mg.
If you are following a specific diet, such as a low potassium diet, renal dieticians usually suggest consuming less than 200 mg of potassium for a meal. Anyway, it is important to consider that the amount of potassium to integrate will depend upon your health condition.
Is uncooked quinoa high in potassium?
Uncooked quinoa is not a common way of consuming it, but some people consume it in raw form. The nutritional values between cooked and uncooked quinoa will be slightly different; in fact, the first visible thing is undoubtedly the amount of potassium in them.
Uncooked quinoa contains much higher amounts of potassium if compared to the cooked version, and in case you are following a low potassium diet, it will be best to consume the quinoa in cooked form.
If you are following a low potassium diet, you might be interested to know:
Is quinoa good for kidney patients?
If you have to follow a kidney-friendly diet, your dietician has already advised you about the amount of potassium you have to consume daily.
For those people, it is important to measure the amount of quinoa to be consumed, avoiding an excess amount that could lead to side effects on the correct working of kidneys.
Opposite discussion for people with hypokalemia. People with hypokalemia have to consume foods rich in potassium, and quinoa may be a good source of potassium and other important nutrients such as protein, iron, zinc, and phosphorus.
Final thoughts
Quinoa is gluten-free; it has the advantage of containing a good amount of nutrients and minerals, such as iron, manganese, phosphorus and zinc. The regular consumption of quinoa helps prevent and treat anaemia, support muscle health and increase calcium absorption in bones. The amount of potassium in quinoa is medium to high when cooked, while in the raw version, it is very high. Suppose you are affected by chronic kidney disease. In that case, you have to pay particular attention to its consumption since the high amount of potassium may alter the regular following of your diet.
