Couscous is a traditional North African dish which is served with either vegetables or meat. It is the staple food throughout the Western African Region, France and Spain. It is also common in Brazil, Italy, Middle East and South East Asia. Couscous is considered to be one of the healthiest grain products.
Couscous has a very low gylcemic load of about 25 % per gram. Further, in comparison to pasta, it is superior in terms of having a high concentration of vitamin B complex and folic acid. It contains about four times pantothenic acid and thiamine found in pasta.
Couscous is a Mediterranean dish which is prepared from Semolina wheat and coated with ground wheat floor. Mediterranean diet is considered to have a great protective effect on the heart and also helps in effective management of a wide range of other lifestyle disorders like hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, etc.
Nutritional Benefits Of Couscous
The nutritional highlights of the dish are as follows,
- A serving of one cup of whole wheat contains approximately 180 calories. This comprises of about nine percent of the daily calorie requirement of the body. This makes couscous one of the low glycemic foods.However, often vegetables, herbs and spices are added to the dish to improve the flavor, increase the calorie count, which consequently needs to be adjusted as per individual requirement
- The majority of calories are attributed to carbohydrates. One cup serving of couscous wheat contains 38 grams of carbohydrates, which is about one third of the daily carbohydrate requirement of the body, as per the Institute of Medicine. In addition, one serving of couscous provides approximately six grams of proteins.
- Couscous also contains essential minerals like iron and supplies approximately eight percent of an individual’s daily dietary requirement.
- The dish is loaded with vitamin B complex and contains about two to four times the concentration of vitamin B complex found in pasta.
- As per the Harvard School of Public Health, fiber is an integral part of an individual’s diet and an individual should consume approximately 20 to 30 grams of fiber each day. One serving of Couscous provides approximately three grams of fiber.
- The couscous wheat contains a very low concentration of fat and hence it is considered protective against health problems that are related to obesity.
Whole Wheat Couscous Nutrition Facts
One cup of cooked couscous wheat (i.e. approximately 159 grams) has the following nutritional values,
- It has a very low glycemic load, making it a very useful dish for those suffering from diabetes or cardio-vascular disorders.
- It contains all the essential amino acids except lysine, which can be acquired from the complementary foods that are consumed along with the wheat diet.
- It contains minerals like calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, copper and manganese. It is one of the richest sources of selenium and one serving provides almost 62 % of daily dietary requirement of the mineral.
- One serving also provides approximately 4.7mg of Omega-3 fatty acids and about 94.2 mg of Omega-6 fatty acids which are considered to be some of the essential fatty acids
The food is packed with vitamin B complex providing approximately 6% to 8% of the daily dietary requirement of the B complex vitamins. It also contains folate and vitamin E in relatively low concentrations.
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