“Over the last two decades I have lost count of the number of times I’ve heard at the clinic that “quinoa is protein” and that “you don’t need a lot of protein”, with the end result being that most women suffer from skin laxity, quite often severe. However, facts are facts: quinoa is a high carb food; skin and muscles are made of protein; and most women need more protein in their diet, not yet more carbs. Thankfully the younger generation is listening and checking their ‘macros’ - especially protein.”
Female skin: the victim of nutritional misinformation and hype about protein
Quinoa, protein and cellulite | In summary
“Quinoa is a "high-protein" food, so it must be good for skin firmness and cellulite, right”?
Forget the hype: in fact, quinoa is not a high protein food. Quinoa is “a carb”, not “a protein”.
White bread contains 4.9x more carbs than protein
Quinoa contains 4.8x more carbs than protein
Quinoa: a really low protein food
Quinoa: a yummy, gluten-free, high carb, high fibre food
Too little weight training + Too little protein + Too many carbs = Loose skin + Cellulite
Glutes are not built with carbs
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“Quinoa is a "high-protein" food, so it must be good for skin firmness and cellulite, right”?
There are different dietary approaches towards cellulite prevention and reduction, but the essentials of cellulite prevention with nutrition are based on food intake:
High in fibre (based on vegetables and fruits, not wheat bran)
High in polyphenols and carotenoids
High in protein
Low in sugar
Low in refined carbs
Low in saturated fats
As cellulite is typically characterised by skin laxity, it would definitely make sense to at least have adequate protein intake, to avoid further skin looseness.
Most women have way too little protein in their diet, which does not make their skin collagen and elastin levels any favours (both elastin and collagen are proteins).
Low protein intake is an important cause of skin laxity and cellulite, among several others.
Therefore, many women think that eating more quinoa makes sense, because “quinoa is protein, right”?
Wrong.
Forget the hype: in fact, quinoa is not a high protein food. Quinoa is “a carb”, not “a protein”.
Quinoa is a South American gluten-free grain that has become very popular in the last few years in Europe and North America.
As is common with many foods novel to Europe and the US, it was cleverly marketed as "superfood" by the media, in their quest for sensationalistic titles and internet traffic.
That clever marketing currently includes the false notion that quinoa is a protein-rich food.
This in turn resulted in misinformed health-conscious women, further reducing their already paltry protein intake.
White bread contains 4.9x more carbs than protein
To see if quinoa is a protein-rich food, let’s start with a food perceived to be “a carb”, i.e. a food rich in carbs and presumed to be low on protein.
Would you say that white bread is a high-protein food? Of course not.
WHITE BREAD, WITH 12% PROTEIN AND 54% CARBS (4.9x more carbs than protein) is not considered by anyone as a high protein food - it is a high-carb food.
Nobody says "white bread is protein". Even brown bread has 11% protein (due to more fibre contained in it) and of course nobody calls it a high protein food.
Quinoa contains 4.8x more carbs than protein
Then why on earth "nutritionists" say that "quinoa is protein", when cooked quinoa contains only 4.4% protein, almost 3x times less than white bread?
QUINOA, WITH 4.4% PROTEIN AND 21% CARBS (4.8x times more carbs than protein), quinoa is in fact a high-carb food, almost identical to white or brown bread, when it comes to carb-to-protein ratio.
The only difference is that cooked quinoa has a lot of water in it, while bread has much less. Otherwise the protein and carbs percentages would be identical to those of white bread.
Quinoa: a really low protein food
Gram per gram:
Quinoa has 50% LESS protein than beans: cooked navy beans have 8% protein, 3.25x more carbs than protein
Quinoa has 50% LESS protein than lentils: lentils contain 9% protein, 2.2x more carbs than protein
Quinoa has 50% LESS protein than tofu (if that was ever even possible!): tofu contains 8% protein and 4.2x more protein than carbs
Quinoa has 66% LESS protein than eggs: boiled eggs contain 13% protein and 11.8x more protein than carbs - that’s a truly high-protein food
Quinoa has 80% LESS protein than almonds: almonds contain 21% protein, 1:1 protein vs carb ratio
Quinoa has 82% LESS protein than sea bass: sea bass, or similar fish, contains 24% protein, 0% carbs, infinitely more protein than carbs
Quinoa has 84% LESS protein than lean beef: beef, or similar meat, contains 27% protein, 0% carbs, literally infinitely more protein than carbs
Granted, the protein is quinoa is gluten-free and of better quality than bread, but quinoa still remains a high-carb food, exactly identical in its protein to carb ratio to white bread and gram per gram it contains 3x LESS protein than white bread.
But under no circumstances one can say that a food containing 4.4% protein, such as quinoa, is a high protein food - and therefore a good protein food to aid with skin firming or cellulite.
This is absurd.
Quinoa: a yummy, gluten-free, high carb, high fibre food
Quinoa should more accurately be described as a HIGH-CARB, HIGH-FIBRE FOOD, which would do justice to its true nutritional qualities.
This would also not mislead people into thinking that they are ingesting a high protein food, good enough for muscle building, organ protein maintenance, bone health and skin health. Because it isn’t.
Too little weight training + Too little protein + Too many carbs = Loose skin + Cellulite
With such misinformation as "you don't need a lot of protein" and "quinoa is protein" touted to the public by so-called "experts", women end up having a very high carb / very low protein nutrition, i.e. the opposite of what their muscles, and especially their skin, need (as we mentioned above, skin is made of protein).
With the monthly sugar cravings and the pathetic myth that "you should only do very light weights because proper weight training will bulk you up overnight", it is no wonder that many women these days complain about poor muscle tone, loose skin, saggy bits and cellulite.
It’s simple:
Too little weight training + Too little protein + Too many carbs = Loose skin + Cellulite
Glutes are not built with carbs
Don't get me wrong, I love quinoa and I find it a quality carb food.
But when I see protein-starved clients, who have real protein foods only once a week, clinging to the brainwashing they have been fed by the media, I cannot help wanting to set the record straight.
So, in summary, if you wish to put some protein in your body that will replenish those protein stores on your skin, hair, nails, muscles, bones and organs, go for fish, lean beef, chicken and eggs and combine them with loads of vegetables.
Or, if you are vegan, go for beans, lentils, tofu and even almonds* - and again combine them with loads of vegetables.
(* Keep in mind, though, that almonds and other nuts contain way too much fat for the protein they provide, usually 2-3x times more fat than protein)
A quality, non-legume* vegan protein powder is essential, if you don’t want to eat beans and chickpeas every day.
(* Did you know that chickpea food intolerance is on the increase these days, due to people eating several portions of highly processed chickpeas every week?).
But don't raise your hopes too high with fake "high protein foods" like quinoa, in the same way you would not expect bread to give you proper protein after that squat session in the gym.
Glutes are not built with carbs.
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