John Myers
Contents
show
A property of amaranth is that the pseudo-cereal is gluten-free. The small grains also bring a lot of healthy ingredients. Find out why amaranth is so popular for a healthy diet in this article.
Gluten-free amaranth – what is it actually
Amaranth is a pseudocereal.
- These pseudocereals include plants whose grains are used in a similar way to cereals, but which do not belong to the sweet grass family, i.e. real cereals.
- Amaranth is not one of these sweet grasses but is part of the foxtail family.
- Like other pseudocereals, such as quinoa or buckwheat, amaranth is also free of gluten protein. So you can easily include amaranth in your diet even if you have celiac disease, i.e. gluten intolerance.
- The small grains can be used in many ways in the kitchen. For example, cooked amaranth is a good side dish. Alternatively, you can pop amaranth, similar to what you can do with corn in popcorn.
- In addition to being gluten-free, the pseudo-cereal also has a number of other benefits that can promote your health.
- Amaranth is a very old crop. It was planted around 9000 years ago in what is now Mexico.
Amaranth for healthy eating
Amaranth is often referred to as a superfood because of its healthy ingredients.
- Fiber: It is important for good digestion. With around 10 grams per 100 grams, amaranth provides sufficient fiber.
- Protein: The grains not only contain a relatively large amount of protein, but they are also the high-quality protein that the body can utilize well.
- Minerals: Amaranth is a good source of minerals. Especially the amount of potassium, calcium, and magnesium is worth mentioning.
- Vitamins: The small grains also bring vitamins B1 and B2.
- Carbohydrates: With 56 grams of carbohydrates per 100 grams, amaranth has a slightly lower value than real grains such as rye or wheat.
- However, the oxalic acid content in amaranth is relatively high. For this reason, the pseudo-grain is less suitable for nutrition in the case of existing kidney problems.
- If you want to benefit from the healthy components of amaranth, you should soak and cook the grains before consumption.
- This removes the phytic acid contained in amaranth, which makes it difficult or even completely prevents the absorption of the ingredients in the body.
