Quinoa

Blood sugar regulation. Cardiovascular health. Quinoa is abundant in lignans, which are also found in sesame seeds and flaxseeds. In a Finnish study of nearly 1,900 men, those with high levels of a compound associated with lignan consumption suffered less mortality from heart and cardiovascular cardiovascular disease. Another key study, which looked at more than 40,000 African-American women, found those who regularly consumed magnesium from whole grains such as quinoa had significantly lower rates of type 2 diabetes; the reduction is even greater when calcium is added to the mix.