Ten months on, Chloe is full of questions about little Belle’s arrival. “Did Belle just grow and grow and grow and then pop out of your tummy?” Hmmm, I am not sure “pop out” is quite the phrase I would choose. Later, after a battle over a Tinkerbell doll and a round of time-out on the stairs, came, “Can you put Belle back mummy?” (Not likely.)So it seems that while Chloe loves her little playmate, we are having a delayed reaction to the arrival of her sister. And I can’t really blame her. A friend of mine once put it this way: Imagine that your husband comes home one day with another wife and says, “This woman has come to live with us too, will be in my arms when you need me and will take up at least 50 percent of my time. Don’t worry, I still love you. Oh, and by the way, you have to share all your things with her.”Suddenly, adjusting to the arrival of a sibling seems rather difficult. In a moment of empathy, I was trying to imagine how I would feel if the lovely husband arrived home with another wife. Would I break down in tears and let out a string of profanities? Maybe. Right now, at the end of a long day, I’d probably greet her with “Welcome! Please unload the dishwasher.”No matter how you look at it, adjusting to something new can be hard. Whether it’s a sibling, another wife (I like to think I have readers in Utah), a new home or wait for it healthy eating, learning a new way of life can be hard. When it comes to food, the key is giving something a chance. At the office, we’ve been busy introducing our staff to new healthy foods. Wholewheat muffins, lentils, healthy mash, quinoa… you get the idea. Of the lot, the quinoa has been the biggest hit. It does look alarmingly healthy, but it’s really delicious. Getting people to try it was the hard part. Getting them to love it was easy!But what is it? Although quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is in the same food-family as leafy green vegetables like spinach, it actually looks and tastes like a whole grain. In fact, it’s often referred to as an “ancient grain” as it was a staple for the South American Inca civilisation more than 5,000 years ago.Quinoa looks very similar to couscous when raw, but when cooked it releases a small coil from the inside of the grain. The result is a really attractive side dish and tastes like a cross between rice and couscous. It has a subtle, nutty flavour but also takes on the flavour of stock or tumeric if you want to liven it up a little.Despite being part of the leafy green veg family, quinoa is actually best used as a starch when planning a meal. It’s easy to get into a boring three-day rotation of potatoes, rice and pasta, so adding quinoa to your store cupboard adds variety. I’ve served it with stir-fry, curry, chili and bolognaise. It’s also great cold and can be the base for fantastic salads over the summer. One of my favourite recipes comes from a co-worker the sweet dried cranberries and the tangy balsamic vinaigrette complement each other perfectly. I’ve listed the recipe and some quinoa facts for you. It’s easy to find in Bermuda. Down to Earth, Harrington Hundreds, Lindo’s, Supermart, White’s and MarketPlace all have it usually a brand called Ancient Harvest, which is in a turquoise (white variety) or red (red variety) box and normally found in the organic food section.By the way, I’m off on holiday today for a few weeks, but I’ll be back in these pages on July 8!Quinoa facts:1. It’s a slow-releasing carbohydrate. Because it hasn’t been refined, quinoa releases its natural sugar nice and gently. This means that it provides lots of energy over a sustained period of time, without disrupting blood sugar.2. It’s high in protein. There’s almost as much protein in one serving of quinoa as in one egg. This makes it a great source of protein for vegetarians, especially when mixed with other vegetarian proteins like nuts, beans or lentils. The protein in quinoa is also extremely well-balanced, containing all nine essential amino acids. This means that not only is it high in protein, but the protein is easily, and well-utilised, within the body.3. It’s gluten-free. This makes it a great choice for those with wheat or gluten intolerance, or for those who are celiac. If you find that pasta or couscous make you feel heavy or bloated, give quinoa a try instead.4. It’s alkaline. Most other grains are fairly acidic. Including quinoa in your diet is a great way to help maintain the acid-alkaline balance within the body.5. It’s rich in magnesium, manganese and copper. Magnesium helps to combat stress and relaxes blood vessels great for combating migraines and heart disease. Manganese and copper are both co-enzymes for something called superoxide dismutase, a powerful antioxidant that helps to minimise free radical damage.6. It’s rich in lignans. Lignans are nutrients that are converted by friendly bacteria in the digestive tract, into substances that protect the body from breast and other hormone-related cancers.7. It’s rich in Lysine. Lysine is critical for tissue growth and repair.Quinoa, Cranberry and Almond salad with balsamic vinaigretteIngredients (per person)1 c cooked quinoa (red or white)1 tbsp dried cranberries1 tbsp sliced almonds1 large handful arugulaA little olive oil and balsamic vinegarMethod:Rinse and then cook the quinoa according to directionsAllow to coolStir in cranberries and almondsDrizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegarServe with arugula. While this can be a meal in itself, it also makes a fantastic side for grilled salmon or chicken.The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Always consult your GP if you have any health concerns. Catherine Burns BA Hons, Dip ION is a fully qualified nutritional therapist trained by the Institute for Optimum Nutrition in the UK. Please note that she is not a registered dietitian. She can be contacted at nourishbda[AT]gmail.com.