Stop Believing This Common Myth About Quinoa - Tasting Table

"You may think of quinoa as a reliable, hearty grain. But quinoa, in all its hippie, whole food popularity, is misunderstood. Popping up everywhere, quinoa can be found throughout the grocery store mixed into oatmeal packages, prepared and added to salads on grab-and-go deli shelves, and in the pantry goods aisle. One of the most common places you will see it is servings as the base ingredient of what are marketed as "grain bowls," but quinoa is, in fact, not a grain at all."

"It can be confusing, but remember one thing: Some seeds are also grains, but all grains are seeds. A grain is the small, edible, hard-shelled fruit of a grass. Grains grow in clusters at the tops of mature plants, such as barley, rice, and corn. According to For Dietitians "the most commonly consumed grains include wheat, rice, corn, and oats." Depending on the type, grains may have low levels of nutrition and digestibility."

"Meanwhile, a seed is a plant embryo, capable of developing into another plant. Merriam Webster defines a seed as "the grains or ripened ovules of plants used for sowing," and "the fertilized ripened ovule of a flowering plant containing an embryo and capable normally of germination to produce a new plant." Whereas grains are defined as "the seeds or fruits of various food plants including the cereal grasses and in commercial and statutory usage other plants (such as the soybean).""

Quinoa is the seed of a goosefoot plant and should not be classified as a grain. Quinoa commonly appears in grocery products such as oatmeal mixes, prepared salads, and grain bowls. Some seeds function as grains, but all grains are seeds. Grains are the small, edible, hard-shelled fruits of grasses that grow in clusters atop mature plants, including barley, rice, and corn. Commonly consumed grains include wheat, rice, corn, and oats, and grains vary in nutrition and digestibility. A seed is a plant embryo capable of germination; Merriam Webster defines seeds as ripened ovules containing embryos that can develop into new plants.

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