藜麦是什么？
虽然看起来像一种谷物，但藜麦实际上是种子，而且与菠菜和苋菜同科。藜麦与谷物有着相似的营养，经常可以替代谷物作为主食。但藜麦实际上比大多数谷物都更健康。
藜麦富含纤维、B族维生素以及许多矿物质，并含有丰富的蛋白质。营养学家将其称为“超级谷物”，是大米和小麦产品的健康替代品。藜麦不含麸质和胆固醇！
因为藜麦不仅能够为食用者提供非常丰富的营养，而且可以让种植者得到实惠，联合国大会将2013年设为“国际藜麦年”。美国国家航空航天局也正在考虑将其用于长途太空旅行。太空藜麦！
这种神奇的食物来自哪里？
藜麦最早的种植者是5,000多年前的南美人。它一直是安第斯山脉高山居民的重要主食。在当地语言中，藜麦的意思就是“百谷之母”。在印加帝国时期，印加皇帝会亲自用金铲播种当季的第一粒藜麦种子！藜麦是一种神圣的食物，极受重视。
可惜的是，若干世纪以来藜麦几乎被人所遗忘。20世纪50年代，当世界各国在寻找其他食物来养活不断增加的世界人口时，植物学家在玻利维亚的高山地区“重新发现”了藜麦，但真正看到其潜力的人却不多。美国最初在1981年开始种植藜麦，从此藜麦便很快作为一种健康的食物在世界各地流行开来。西藏农学家贡布扎西于1988年成功种植了中国最初的藜麦。西藏自治区的海拔、气候和土壤非常适合这种来自南美安第斯山脉的植物。
藜麦如何使藏民得到实惠？
几个世纪以来，藏民几乎没有大麦的替代品，因为这是少数能够在世界屋脊的高海拔和恶劣气候下生长的植物之一。但是藜麦就喜欢青藏高原这种寒冷、干燥和碱性的土壤环境。藏民现在有了另一种几乎可以在任何地方种植的作物。
西藏的佛教信徒崇敬一切生命，所以藏民从不使用农药。而藜麦本身的种皮上就有一种天然的皂苷能抵抗鸟类和昆虫，所以藜麦不需要任何化学物质。只需使用如绵羊或牦牛粪便等天然肥料，藜麦就可以长得很好，这就减少了农民的投资，也可以让他们的土地免受污染。
农民种植藜麦可以获得极大的经济效益。尽管藜麦每年的收成会有差别，但农民种植藜麦获得的收入至少会是大麦或其他谷物的两倍。所以，每当您吃下一碗藜麦时，您不但让自己的身体得到营养，而且也在帮助那些勤劳栽种这种神奇食物的藏民！
WHAT IS QUINOA?
Although quinoa looks like a grain, it is actually a variety of seed, related to both spinach and amaranth. Quinoa shares nutritional similarities to grain and often replaces grain as a staple food. However, quinoa is actually a healthier option than most grains.
Quinoa is rich in fiber, B vitamins, many minerals, and contains abundant protein. It is considered a “superfood” by nutritionists, an extremely healthy alternative to rice and wheat products. Quinoa is gluten-free and cholesterol free!
The United Nations General Assembly pronounced 2013 as “The International Year of Quinoa” due to the nutritional value of quinoa to those who eat it, and the benefits to farmers who grow it. NASA is considering it for long distance space travel. Quinoa in outer space!
WHERE DOES THIS AMAZING FOOD COME FROM?
Quinoa was first grown by the peoples of South America over 5,000 years ago.[51] It has always been an important staple for the high mountain people of the Andes Mountains., The word quinoa means “Mother of All Grains” in the native language. During the Inca Empire, the Inca emperor himself would sow the first quinoa seeds of the season using a golden shovel! Quinoa was a sacred food and highly valued.
Sadly, quinoa was nearly forgotten for centuries. In the 1950s, the world was looking for other food sources to feed the world’s growing population, and quinoa was “rediscovered” by botanists in the high mountains of Bolivia, but few saw its potential. It was first planted in the US in 1981, and soon began to gain popularity as a health food around the world. Gongbu Tashi, a Tibetan agronomist, successfully grew the first quinoa in China in 1988. Tibet Autonomous Region’s altitude, climate, and soil were a perfect match for this plant from the Andes Mountains of South America.
HOW DOES QUINOA HELP TIBETAN FARMERS?
For centuries, Tibetan farmers have had few alternatives to barley—one of the few plants that grow in the high altitude and hostile climates of this corner of China. But quinoa loves the cold, the dry, and the alkaline soil of the Tibetan Plateau. Tibetan farmers now have another crop that can grow nearly anywhere.
Tibetan Buddhists revere all living things, so Tibetan farmers never use pesticides. Quinoa seeds are covered with a natural substance, saponins, that resists both birds and insects, so quinoa requires no chemicals. Quinoa grows well with natural fertilizers such as sheep or yak dung, reducing farmers’ investments and keeping their land free from pollutants.
Farmers profit financially from growing quinoa. Although harvests vary from year to year, farmers normally receive at least twice as much income from a field of quinoa than barley or any other grain. So when you eat a bowl of quinoa, you are benefiting yourself and the hard-working Tibetan farmer who grew this amazing plant!