10 Grains That Are Really Good For You

2. Quinoa

Quinoa (pronounced “Keen-wah”) and not like I sometimes call it "QUIN-oh-wa" is used as a fast-cooking meal staple with a high nutritional value. It is also gluten-free and will give you plenty of protein, calcium, and iron with each serving.

Quinoa is a crop that is cultivated for the edible seeds that it produces. Quinoa has been described as a “Superfood”—a classification of foods that are supposedly packed with a ton of healthy nutrients. The separate varieties of the crop produce different colored quinoa including red, white, black, and brown.

The red kind is my favorite because it’s color looks great in any dish that you are serving, yet all varieties of quinoa have the same nutritional value.

Be sure to check out my Avocado and Red Quinoa recipe as well as my Pan Seared Chicken Breast Over Quinoa recipe.