Get keen for quinoa

Some words are universally hard to pronounce: the Irish girl's name Siobhan (Shivone), as in Siobhan Dervan, a fourtime Irish National Road Race champion; Worcestershire (worster-sheer) sauce, which left New Jersey chef Pasquale Sciarappa tongue-tied in a cooking video viewed more than 1 million times on YouTube; and the latest trendy pseudo- grain, quinoa ( pronounced keen-wah).

No matter how you say “quinoa,” its nutritional virtues are loud and clear.

One study, done by Rutgers University and international partners, reports that quinoa contains a lot of health- beneficial phytochemicals, including amino acids, fiber, polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamins, minerals (and say these next ones correctly) phytoecdysteroids, phenolics and glycine betaine. Plus, the researchers cited four clinical studies that say supplementing your diet with quinoa “exerts significant, positive effects on metabolic, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal health.”

Protein

Quinoa has more than barley, oats, rice and maize, and it delivers more than 180 percent of the daily recommended intake of 10 essential amino acids.

Fiber

It has 10 percent dietary fiber, and fiber boosts your digestive health, lowers lousy LDL cholesterol and helps control your appetite.

Healthy Fats

Quinoa delivers anti-inflammatory omega-3 and omega-6 in a good ratio.

Vitamins and Minerals

You'll get a good dose of vitamins A, Bs, C and E. Plus more minerals, such as calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and zinc, than in rice or wheat.

Odd Stuff

Contains phytoecdysteroids, which might help build muscle; phenolics, which have anticancer, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity and cardio-protective effects; and glycine betaine, an amino acid which helps manage diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease.

Now, that's a mouthful.