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

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.

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24 replies	Author	Time	Post
Sigh. You might want to think twice about quinoa ... (Original post)	Flaxbee	Jan 2013	OP
Thanks for the info. Now I don't have to feel so bad about avoiding it because I didn't like it.	libdem4life	Jan 2013	#1
Damn! My favorite lunch is Chick Peas, Quinoa, fresh herbs & garlic, lemon and scallions....	Walk away	Jan 2013	#2
Buy Fair Trade quinoa.	silverweb	Jan 2013	#5
that sounds delicious! I'll have to buy some of the fair-trade stuff mentioned below	Flaxbee	Jan 2013	#6
Somehow, I manage with rice and pasta.	mzmolly	Jan 2013	#3
People like me, who have Celiac,	tavalon	Jan 2013	#9
I've heard it's really	mzmolly	Jan 2013	#14
too many carbs for me	obamanut2012	Jan 2013	#10
LOL.	mzmolly	Jan 2013	#13
There are solutions.	silverweb	Jan 2013	#4
thanks for the links!	BlancheSplanchnik	Jan 2013	#12
+1	freshwest	Jan 2013	#15
Well thanks! That was easy!	Walk away	Jan 2013	#16
Thanks. nm	rhett o rick	Jan 2013	#18
Anything wrong	customerserviceguy	Jan 2013	#7
It's "finicky" about where it will grow.	Chan790	Jan 2013	#11
Buy the Colorado grown stuff....	Bluenorthwest	Jan 2013	#17
Uh Oh, I guess vegans like me will just have to go without protein :(	Tombiag	Jan 2013	#8
There is more protein in plants anyway.	leftyladyfrommo	Jan 2013	#20
Here's an interesting rebuttal to that article	Matariki	Jan 2013	#19
Great points. Of course they missed the simplest truth nothing drives up grain prices like meat.	Exultant Democracy	Feb 2013	#23
kick for later	antigop19667	Jan 2013	#21
welcome to du	otherone	Feb 2013	#24
Message auto-removed	SquirrelHill4444	Feb 2013	#22