Couscous is the most famous side dish, which is a familiar cuisine in Middle Eastern and North Africa. Generally, couscous is made through granules of pasta, which often accompanies vegetables, meat, or stew. Have you ever thought how can add couscous to your diet help in providing you with nutrition?
Well, the calories or the nutrition content of couscous depend on the preparation method of couscous. However, it is a healthy addition if you wish to add couscous to your meal.
When you are cooking 1 cup of plain couscous without adding salt, then you can get 13 mg of sodium, 2 g of fiber, 6 g of protein, 36 g of carbohydrates, and 0 g of fat. In addition to it, you can get 36 grams of carbs when you add couscous to your diet.
Plain couscous contains low fat when you cook it without adding additional butter or oil. If you want to increase the fat content, then you can add any oil or source of fat to couscous recipes. In addition to it, couscous helps in providing you with several essential minerals and vitamins.
Nutritional and Health Benefits
Many people enjoy couscous as a fantastic alternative to brown or white rice. By eating couscous in a limited amount, you can get various nutritional benefits along with the incredible health benefits. Some of the first health benefits of consuming couscous by adding it to your meals include:
Benefits of Couscous
1. High in Fiber Content
The right amount of fiber present in couscous salad helps in providing calories and carbohydrates in a low amount. Though couscous contains the proper amount of fiber, brown rice contains fiber in extreme amounts.
[Read: Awesome Couscous Benefits]
2. Boosts Digestive Health
You can enhance the digestive functioning of your health by adding couscous into your meal. Adding couscous to your meal is a compelling way that helps in promoting the robust immune system and a healthy digestive system.
3. Weight Loss
Couscous contains a high amount of fiber, which helps in keeping you to feel fuller for a long time. The nutritional benefits offered by couscous(1) benefits help in reaching and maintaining a proper weight(2). Along with it, a protein present in couscous helps in losing the weight.
4. Strengthens Muscles
The presence of protein in couscous helps in building strong muscles. By adding couscous to your meal, you can maintain strong body muscles. Along with it, you can ensure a healthier body weight by consuming couscous properly.
[Read: Foods to Relieve Muscle Cramps]
Health Considerations for Couscous
If you have a wheat allergy, then it is better to avoid the addition of Greek couscous salad to the meal. According to Food Allergy Research and Education, it becomes crucial to stop the intake of couscous if one experiences the symptoms like hives or severe reactions.
[Read: Benefits of Semolina]
Ways to Consume Couscous
The preparation methods of couscous food make a big difference in the addition of nutritional benefits to your meal. There are various recipes which you can follow for preparing a healthy snack along with couscous:
- You can boil couscous with a small amount of olive oil or butter in the water. It helps in increasing the calories amount to your meal. If you prefer to sprinkle toppings on couscous, then you are increasing the number of calories in your diet.
- You can serve couscous as the base of the nutritious foods along with the healthy and well-balanced meal.
- Some of the traditional dishes of vegetable couscous get served with high-fat sauces along with creamy taste. However, you can avoid the addition of seasoning and focus on the fresh ingredients for eating the low-fat meal.
- It is creative to try preparation of roast chicken with couscous or with toasted couscous, mint, and peppers for vegan couscous recipes.
Bottom Line
Couscous carbs serve as many health benefits when you add them to your meal. However, you first need to check if you have a wheat allergy or not or you might not having any symptoms which makes it irrelevant to add couscous.
FAQ’s
1. Is Couscous Gluten-Free?
Couscous food is not gluten-free. Anyone who has a gluten sensitivity or suffering from celiac disease need to avoid the use of couscous.
2. Is It Couscous Healthy?
Though couscous calories are healthy, which provides you with several nutrients and vitamins, still, anyone who is having a wheat allergy needs to avoid the consumption of couscous.
3. Is Couscous Pasta?
Quinoa vs. couscous explains that couscous is not the whole pasta; instead, it is made from small granules of pasta or semolina.
4. Is Couscous a Grain?
Regular couscous gets prepared from processed semolina, which is not a source of whole grains. Usually, couscous provides you with 5 gm of fiber, and you can buy couscous, which is made from full-grain flour easily.
5. Does Couscous Have Gluten?
Usually, couscous nutrition contains gluten because couscous is not a gluten-free food. If you have any issue or allergy regarding the consumption of gluten, then you need to avoid the use of couscous.
6. Is Couscous Healthier Than Rice?
One can enjoy a couscous meal as an alternative to brown or white rice. Though brown rice contains a high amount of fiber and protein, eating couscous is healthier for your health.
