Gluten-Free Spanish Quinoa Paella

Known all over the world, Paella is a popular Spanish dish usually made with arborio rice. Our gluten-free version is a tasty and healthy twist to this Spanish classic. 

You’re going to love this plant-based, balanced, and flavorful meal. This dish brings a lot of anti-cancer benefits and is suitable for lunch and dinner. 

Generally, the AntiCancer 360 approach does not rely on only one anticancer diet. We chose one of five different diets, taking into consideration each client’s case and situation. And one of these diets is a plant-based anticancer diet.

The World Cancer Research Fund stated that people who eat more plant-based foods have a lower risk of developing cancer [1].

Plant-based foods, such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and whole grains have various natural cancer-fighting substances. A well-planned plant-based diet presents many biological components that act on different pathways in the body to help against cancer growth. 

So the recipe today is perfect for those following a plant-based diet and would like to enhance the anticancer potential of their meals. 

The best part of preparing this dish is that you have fresh and simple ingredients that bring a lot of flavor and nutrients to your day.

The quinoa absorbs all the juicy flavors. And in the end, you have a very healthy and delicious dish that looks super fancy.  

This recipe is also high in plant-based protein and fiber. And it can be served both as a main dish or as a side dish.

Here are some of the cancer-fighting ingredients that you will find in this beautiful and delicious Gluten-Free Spanish Quinoa Paella:

• Chickpeas: Butyrate, a primary short-chain fatty acid produced from the consumption of chickpeas may reduce the risk of colorectal cancers. Studies have observed its ability to suppress cancer cell proliferation and induce apoptosis (cell death). Other dietary compounds present in chickpeas, such as lycopene, biochanin A, and saponins have shown the ability to reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancers [2]. 

• Eggplant: Eggplant contains many substances that show amazing potential in fighting cancer cells. One of them is anthocyanins, a type of pigment with antioxidant properties that’s responsible for their vibrant color [3]. Anthocyanins may have the ability to prevent new blood vessels from forming in the tumor, reduce inflammation, and block enzymes that help cancer cells spread [4]. Eggplants also contain solasodine rhamnosyl glycosides (SRG’s), which in test-tube studies have shown to be able to cause the death of cancer cells and also reduce the recurrence of certain types of cancer [5].

• Quinoa: Amazing bioactive compounds such as quercetin and kaempferol are found in quinoa in great amounts [6]. These important molecules have been shown to have anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, anti-cancer, and antidepressant abilities [7]. Quinoa goes well with many foods. Is also gluten-free, tasty, and easy to prepare.

• Red Bell Pepper: Great source of antioxidants and bioactive compounds such as capsaicin. Capsaicin has been shown to alter the expression of several genes involved in cancer cell survival, growth, angiogenesis and metastasis in different tumor stages. It also exhibits the ability to induce apoptosis in many different types of cancer cell lines including pancreatic, colonic, prostatic, liver, esophageal, bladder, skin, leukemia, lung, and endothelial cells, while leaving normal cells unharmed [8].

• Turmeric: Studies have found that curcumin, the main active ingredient in turmeric, has the potential to kill cancer cells while preventing more from growing. The best results were found on breast cancer, bowel cancer, stomach cancer, and skin cancer cells [9]. Another research identified that curcumin decreased colon cancer cells viability and proliferation while also potentializing the effects of the chemotherapy treatments [10].

If you can get all the ingredients organic, that would be the ideal. But, if not… You should get ingredients like bell peppers and eggplants in their organic form since they are known to be high in toxins if bought in their conventional form [11].

This gluten-free version of the Spanish paella recipe is definitely worth the try. It is great for an easy and healthy dinner that is also satisfying and absolutely delicious.

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