All the good reasons to keep couscous in your pantry

Couscous is convenient and goes well with everything – two qualities that make it an essential part of every household’s pantry. Although some people consider this grain product to be a type of pasta, the similarity is only superficial — couscous is made of crushed durum wheat semolina and not the ground type used for pasta.

Because couscous is less refined – this is actually good news for health-conscious cooks who count their couscous calories; better yet, whole wheat couscous is now more accessible thanks to varied product ranges like the one offered by Martino. This version has even more fibre than the regular variety and respectable amounts of such nutrients as manganese, tryptophan and magnesium.

Unlike pasta, couscous should never be boiled, which cuts the time for preparation to less than half of what’s needed for cooking rice and pasta. This is especially convenient when you have to prepare something quickly for unexpected guests or after a long day at work and are pressed for time. If you wish to know more on how to prepare couscous check out our recipe section for quick, easy and nutritious meal ideas! Or keep reading and find out all about couscous health benefits.

Couscous Benefits

Couscous has many health benefits over rice, pasta and even quinoa. It has fewer calories than quinoa and is much healthier when it comes in the whole wheat variety. At the same time, both white rice and white pasta are pretty much the same in terms of nutritional content. One third of a cup of cooked rice and cooked pasta (which is one carb serving) contains about the same amount of calories, carbohydrate, protein, fat, sodium and potassium. However, white rice and white pasta are considered to be refined carbohydrates, because they’ve been stripped of their whole grain “goodness.” Refined grains may lead to more of a spike, or increase, in your blood glucose levels after eating them. You’re better off choosing brown rice or whole grain pasta, which will give you slightly more calories, but a bit more fibre and the nutritional benefits of eating a whole grain food.

Why choose couscous over pasta and rice?

In addition to having higher nutritional value than rice and pasta, couscous benefits extend to the fact that it also feed more people with smaller portions. And thanks to new technology used by Martino in the preparation of couscous, we can now obtain a greater couscous rehydration up to 2,6 times. Our signature method that has taken decades to perfect in keeping with the proud traditions on which the company was founded have allowed us to perfect our couscous range. Now, Martino’s couscous has more volume and fragrance, and it’s dramatically softer, fluffier, and lighter.

Couscous can also be prepared quicker then pasta by simply by pouring over hot (not boiling) water over it and leaving it for less than 10 minutes to fluff up. Each grain is fluffy and swollen, yet in no way soggy. It is the perfect foil to your favourite chicken broth scented with ginger and saffron. Naturally, there is a certain charm to the lazy five-minute preparation of couscous and that’s something we can’t say about a lot of foods. It’s certainly convenient and easy to have an alternative for a healthy dish that doesn’t take hours to prepare and is tasty and nutritional. Still curious? Click here and get to know more on the difference between couscous and pasta!

Couscous is nutritional and versatile

It comes in several varieties, but couscous isn’t always a whole grain, so make sure to check the label. Regular couscous has 6 grams of protein, while whole-grain couscous has 9 grams. Rice, for example, contains less protein, with 1 cup of cooked white and brown rice supplying 4 and 5 grams respectively.

At the same time, white and brown rice have 45 grams of total carbohydrates in a 1-cup serving. The same serving of regular couscous has 37 grams, and whole-grain couscous has 49 grams, of carbohydrates. Glycemic scores indicate whether carbohydrate-containing foods have a low, medium or high impact on levels of blood sugar right after they’re consumed. Brown rice and whole-grain couscous both have low glycemic scores, indicating they do not spike blood sugar; regular couscous rates a medium score. White rice has a high glycemic score, so it significantly boosts your blood sugar.

Couscous is high in fibre and vitamis

Another nutrient couscous is rich in is fibre. Fibre helps keep blood sugar balanced by slowing down the absorption of sugar from carbohydrates. Whole-grain couscous retains the natural fibre from the bran. With 3.5 grams of fibre in a 1-cup serving, has 8 grams of fibre, compared to 2 grams in regular couscous.

Whole-wheat couscous delivers essential B vitamins, iron and magnesium. The bran and germ layers retained in whole-grain products, but not in processed grains, contain a variety of phytochemicals that contribute to your health through their antioxidant abilities. White rice and regular couscous are often fortified with nutrients, but the amount will vary depending on the brand. Fibre, however, is not added during fortification, but you may find brands of white rice and regular couscous that have the same amount of vitamins and minerals as the whole grains.

And these are just a few of the many nutritional values that couscous has and you should know about. Couscous is one of the most versatile and easy-to-prepare foods that you can easily integrate into your daily diet.

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