Kaoutar
Couscous is one of the traditional foods common in the Maghreb countries and the Arab world in general.
It is tiny grains of dough made primarily of flour of a particular type of wheat (Durum wheat), usually the same flour used to make healthy pasta.
It has a special place due to its delicious taste and its high nutritional value.
Couscous has many positive qualities for our health, and its benefits are numerous. Of course, attention to celiacs because it is a food that contains gluten because it is a carbohydrate. This food also contains B vitamins and vitamin E and is considered a natural antioxidant. Couscous also stimulates the regeneration of vitamin C and vitamin E, which have a vital role in the body’s defense mechanisms. That is, they affect the benefit of our immune system.
Its benefits will boost your health.
Couscous contains a large number of carbohydrates, the fuel that provides significant energy to our body. In addition, its high fiber and low-fat content help us fight constipation.
One of its most essential components is selenium, a mineral challenging to find in food and at the same time necessary for the human body. In just one serving of couscous, we will see 60% of the suggested daily selenium intake.
Couscous also helps us develop muscle mass thanks to its high protein intake, which also helps us heal both internal and external wounds.
On the other hand, this food is also an excellent ally for losing weight because it is low in calories, sodium, cholesterol, and saturated fat. So that you can start incorporating it more often in your diet, here we leave you a few straightforward and delicious recipes.
What’s in the couscous?
- Durum wheat semolina.
Rich in complex carbohydrates, it is a food that will provide energy to the body.
They are slow absorption hydrates, therefore interesting to maintain that energy contribution over time.
Semolina is a low-fat food. It is a food that contains gluten. Therefore it is not suitable for people with celiac disease or gluten intolerance.
It will also provide us with minerals: magnesium, manganese, iron, and phosphorus mainly.
- Vegetables.
Another component of couscous is vegetables.
They will provide us with vitamins, minerals, and also fiber. And they are also low in calories because their main component is water.
We can add a great variety of vegetables to our semolina when we prepare the couscous. We can also vary them and thus eat all kinds of vegetables … aubergines, zucchini, onion, red pepper, green pepper, yellow pepper, carrot …
- Chicken or turkey
This is a variation of the original recipe … usually, couscous has lamb, but it is a very fatty type of meat and, therefore, caloric.
In addition to eating healthy, is to lose weight, we will replace lamb with another type of meat that is less fat and provides good quality protein: chicken.
It is a type of meat with waistbands of high biological value and very low calorie, ideal for our menus … foods with high nutritional value and low energy load.
Remember, before cooking, remove the skin from the chicken; it is where it has practically all the fat.
- Chickpeas
Chickpeas are not always added to couscous, but it is part of the traditional dish.
They provide us with many complex hydrates, a large amount of fiber, vitamins of group B, minerals, and vegetable proteins in large quantities.
If we add chickpeas to our couscous, the association of chickpea with wheat semolina will give us a vegetable protein of high biological value; that is to say, with all the essential amino acids, therefore, in this case, we would not need to add animal protein, chicken or turkey.
- Parsley
This aromatic herb is usually added to couscous.
It is very rich in vitamin K and flavonoids with high antioxidant power that reduce the damage of free radicals.
- Healthy fats
At first, we would not need to add fat; But if a tablespoon of olive oil is added as a dressing to the couscous, it is looser and with better flavor.
And so, we complete the supply of nutrients with healthy fat with essential fatty acids.
We are going to remember some delicious couscous recipes that we saw a while ago.
In short, couscous is a genuinely healthy and nutritionally complete dish. By itself, it provides us with all kinds of nutrients: proteins that can be of animal origin or, if you prefer, vegetable proteins, fiber, complex hydrates, vegetables with their vitamins and minerals.
And for dessert, yogurt, or fruit, you already have a complete meal—Delicious, light, and nutritious.
