Is Couscous healthy?

Is couscous healthy? It is a plant-based protein that is high in selenium. The nutrient in couscous is the following:

One cup of couscous is about 60% of the recommended daily intake of selenium. Selenium is a powerful antioxidant that helps your body repair damaged cells and increase inflammation.

Is couscous healthy? iStock-photo credit: Grazziela Bursuc

Research studies have shown that selenium can lower the risk of heart disease by reducing inflammation and oxidative stress in your body. The antioxidant aspect of it can reduce the buildup of plaque and bad LDL cholesterol levels.

The selenium in couscous has been shown in research studies to boost your immune system. Selenium may be able to reduce the risk of cancer.

In over 350,000 people showed that high selenium blood levels may protect against several types of cancer. The studies showed this from selenium rich foods as opposed to dietary supplements.

Another study showed that consuming moderate amounts of selenium in combination with Vitamin C and Vitamin E has been shown to decrease the risk of lung cancer in smokers.

Couscous is a plant-based protein, and it contains about 6 grams of protein per one cup. One of the main differences between animal protein and plant-based protein is animal protein contains all the essential amino acids. But plant-based proteins don’t contain all the essential amino acids.

Studies have shown that diets that are high in plant-based proteins have been shown to reduce the risk of stroke, cancer, heart disease, etc.

It is important to understand that couscous contains semolina flour which has gluten. So essentially couscous would affect people that have celiac disease. So, if you have celiac disease, you are gluten intolerant and eating couscous wouldn’t be something you should do.

The Bottom Line is couscous is a healthy plant-based protein and some of the research studies show that it can help boost your immune system, reduce the risk of cancer because of the selenium vitamin, etc.

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