Consuming quinoa might help people shed weight. Besides being very nutritious, the alkaline grain speeds up the metabolism, burn fat and is loaded with fiber, which can contribute to weight loss.
Each serving of quinoa is very high in fiber. Eating at least 30 grams of fiber a day is an easy way to lose weight, according to Harvard Medical School. A single cup of quinoa provides 5 grams of fiber.
A 1-cup serving of cooked quinoa can help with weight loss because it offers significant amounts of nutrients important for boosting the metabolism. It also contain essential minerals, like phosphorus, that the cells use to make DNA, magnesium, copper, manganese, zinc and iron.
Researchers have linked quinoa to weight loss. In one study, which was published in the Journal of Food Science and Technology in 2015, the scientists found that the lab rats fed quinoa consumed less food overall than the rats who didn’t eat quinoa.
Another report suggested that 20-hydroxyecdysone, one of the compounds found in quinoa, might help to control weight. In this study, published in Physiology & Behavior, the mice that were fed a quinoa extract high in 20-hydroxyecdysone, burned more calories throughout the day. Those same rats also absorbed less fat from their diets.
