Are superfoods really all they are cracked up to be?
The protein content of quinoa, for example, is comparable to everyday millets.
Quinoa has more fiber, but millet has more than twice as much iron.
Since the quinoa boom started, farmers have been pushing for maximum yields, while the scrubland has been cleared.
I was shocked by the fact that 150 to 200 thousand hectares of llama grazing land has been ploughed up for quinoa.
There are now quinoa fields as far as the eye can see.Rising demand has led to massive expansion in the plant's cultivation.
Clearing the fields has left the soil without the vegetation that had protected it from wind erosion.
And Bolivia is just one place where superfood monoculture has left the land scarred.
hype 大肆宣传,炒作
be cracked up to be 被吹捧成
protein 蛋白质
quinoa 黎麦
millet 粟，小米
be comparable to 与…相当
scrubland 灌木丛
hectare 公顷
llama 美洲驼
grazing land 牧场
as far as the eye can see 目之所及
Vegetation 植被
