I recently tried a few new foods that my sister would call "Hippie Foods." While I would encourage others to try them for themselves, here's my take on Kombucha and Quinoa.
Kombucha
"Kombucha tea is a fermented drink made with tea, sugar, bacteria and yeast. Although it's sometimes referred to as kombucha mushroom tea, kombucha is not a mushroom — it's a colony of bacteria and yeast. Kombucha tea is made by adding the colony to sugar and tea, and allowing the mix to ferment. The resulting liquid contains vinegar, B vitamins and a number of other chemical compounds." - Mayo Clinic
When I tried this drink the other day, I didn't drink enough to feel any effects, good or bad. I did however walk away with a good taste in my mouth. Like many things, the reports online are conflicting.
Some claims go as far to say that drinking this tea daily will prevent cancer or the exact opposite direction saying that the ceramic jars this drink is often made in can give you lead poisoning.
Personally, I'm not sold either way but it's on my list of things to try once I get back in the states and have a permanent place to live again.
Quinoa
Quinoa, one of the newest "Super Foods" has been on my foodie list for a while, but it wasn't until this week that I actually got to try it. It has a rather high protein content, contains all nine essential amino acids, and is gluten free.
When I cooked my quinoa, I followed the basic instructions, two parts water, one part quinoa. While I wouldn't say I loved it enough to go on an all quinoa diet, I did enjoy it. It was rather bland cooked and served this way, but could be easily used as a base for other recipes or spiced up to be eaten on its own.
My concern with quinoa goes back to the economic problem that seems to be arising from the rapid increase in first world consumption of a less developed country staple crop.
"As the price has risen quinoa is consumed less and less in Bolivia. It's worth more to them [the producers] to sell it or trade it for pasta and rice. As a result, they're not eating it any more." In other words, farmers are starting to see quinoa as a product that's too valuable to eat—they can use the proceeds from selling to buy cheaper, but less nutrient-dense, staples like white rice. There's also a status issue—quinoa was once a subsistence product, and when people pull out of subsistence mode, there's a tendency to switch to higher-status foods, even if they're less healthy. (See the full article here. )
In my World Agriculture and Economics class at Colorado State University, we talked about this. Is it ethical to help drive up the prices of staple foods in less developed countries to bring these super food here? Does the economic advancement from the rising prices count for more than the effect of making it harder on the poor to purchase this staple?
When it comes down to it though, eating Quinoa is a personally decision. Where do you stand?
