Sigh. You might want to think twice about quinoa ...

[Flaxbee]

I love the stuff, but of course, there are always repercussions:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jan/16/vegans-stomach-unpalatable-truth-quinoa
Can vegans stomach the unpalatable truth about quinoa?

Not long ago, quinoa was just an obscure Peruvian grain you could only buy in wholefood shops. We struggled to pronounce it (it's keen-wa, not qui-no-a), yet it was feted by food lovers as a novel addition to the familiar ranks of couscous and rice. Dieticians clucked over quinoa approvingly because it ticked the low-fat box and fitted in with government healthy eating advice to "base your meals on starchy foods".

Adventurous eaters liked its slightly bitter taste and the little white curls that formed around the grains. Vegans embraced quinoa as a credibly nutritious substitute for meat. Unusual among grains, quinoa has a high protein content (between 14%-18%), and it contains all those pesky, yet essential, amino acids needed for good health that can prove so elusive to vegetarians who prefer not to pop food supplements.

Sales took off. Quinoa was, in marketing speak, the "miracle grain of the Andes", a healthy, right-on, ethical addition to the meat avoider's larder (no dead animals, just a crop that doesn't feel pain). Consequently, the price shot up – it has tripled since 2006 – with more rarified black, red and "royal" types commanding particularly handsome premiums.

But there is an unpalatable truth to face for those of us with a bag of quinoa in the larder. The appetite of countries such as ours for this grain has pushed up prices to such an extent that poorer people in Peru and Bolivia, for whom it was once a nourishing staple food, can no longer afford to eat it. Imported junk food is cheaper. In Lima, quinoa now costs more than chicken. Outside the cities, and fuelled by overseas demand, the pressure is on to turn land that once produced a portfolio of diverse crops into quinoa monoculture.

[libdem4life]

1. Thanks for the info. Now I don't have to feel so bad about avoiding it because I didn't like it.

[Curmudgeoness]

26. You and me both. I didn't like it

and now I have a good excuse for not eating it. Not that anything to eat seems to be safe from adverse consequences.

[Walk away]

2. Damn! My favorite lunch is Chick Peas, Quinoa, fresh herbs & garlic, lemon and scallions....

add chopped cucumbers, red peppers or cherry tomatoes and it's a fantastic power lunch! It's not going to be the same with Bulgar. Seriously.

[silverweb]

5. Buy Fair Trade quinoa.

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]See my post #4 below.

[Flaxbee]

6. that sounds delicious! I'll have to buy some of the fair-trade stuff mentioned below

and try it.

[mzmolly]

3. Somehow, I manage with rice and pasta.

[tavalon]

9. People like me, who have Celiac,

have also fueled the quinoa explosion. Wheat and Barley, among others are off my menu.

[mzmolly]

14. I've heard it's really

tasty. But I haven't gotten around to trying it yet. Not sure I will, now.

[obamanut2012]

10. too many carbs for me

[mzmolly]

13. LOL.

Good point!

[silverweb]

4. There are solutions.

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]The main problem here is the usual culprit: profit-driven agri-business that has no regard for the land or people it exploits.

It shouldn't be all that difficult for the governments of Bolivia and Peru to help people develop agricultural co-ops so they can make a decent living growing traditional crops in a sustainable way.

They could borrow a page from organic/fair trade coffee and chocolate growers, and put pressure on big agri-business to not decimate local lands or populations.

There are already some doing this; they just need more attention and cooperation.

Pick a link from this list: [font face="Arial"]http://tinyurl.com/bxlc57r[font face="Verdana"]

[BlancheSplanchnik]

12. thanks for the links!

Fair Trade is the best.

[freshwest]

15. +1

[Walk away]

16. Well thanks! That was easy!

Nothing like having a problem and then solving it immediately!

[rhett o rick]

18. Thanks. nm

[Curmudgeoness]

27. But that doesn't solve the problem

of prices that are now so high that the people who depend on quinoa in their diet are unable to afford it.

But it is a good way to buy it and keep the profits out of the hands of agri-business.

[customerserviceguy]

7. Anything wrong

with just trying to grow more of it?

[Chan790]

11. It's "finicky" about where it will grow.

When they say "miracle food of the Andes" they're not kidding...it likes high-elevation and a narrow temperature and precipitation band...there's not a lot of land it could grow on, where it will grow it's already pushing out crop diversity. Growing more of it would likely mean geo-engineering artificial conditions.

In all likelihood, demand will die down over the next half-decade and we'll find a responsible and stable price-point. Increasing demand for fair-trade crop from diverse fields will insure the well-being of farmers.

[Bluenorthwest]

17. Buy the Colorado grown stuff....

http://www.frontrangeliving.com/cooking/quinoa.htm

[Tombiag]

8. Uh Oh, I guess vegans like me will just have to go without protein :(

I guess the several years that I have gone without meat, quinoa, or supplements must be a lie, because the scientisticians in this article say so

[leftyladyfrommo]

20. There is more protein in plants anyway.

Eat lots of green veggies. They have more protein and the package they come in lots better for you.

I'm learning to live on veggies and fruits and oatmeal.

[Matariki]

19. Here's an interesting rebuttal to that article

http://bearwitnesspictures.blogspot.com/2012/11/an-open-letter-to-npr-regarding-quinoa.html

[Exultant Democracy]

23. Great points. Of course they missed the simplest truth nothing drives up grain prices like meat.

[Scootaloo]

29. I don't think quinoa is used as livestock feed

I could be wrong, of course, but llamas - the most common livestock animal in the region - do great just off of grass, and aren't raised in the massive enclosures that prevent grazing, like the American beef industry does.

[Exultant Democracy]

30. We live in a global market, if we didn't feed too many cows and pigs we could afford to feed more

people.

[Scootaloo]

31. True

Though at the moment, we certainly have more than enough food for the world population - it's access that's the problem, not production.

As a global body, humanity probably wastes more food than it consumes.

[antigop19667]

21. kick for later

[otherone]

24. welcome to du

:

[kestrel91316]

28. If you consume legumes (and not necessarily at the same meal)

in addition to grains, nuts/seeds, and a wide variety of veggies, you will get plenty of all the amino acids you need.

Quinoa and amaranth are nice, but optional.