What is Amaranth?
Its grain, which is cultivated for 8000 years, and that too it happens to be a staple food
in the Inca, Maya, and Aztec civilizations, today it is cultivated in a lot of areas of the world
It's not only very healthy grain but also at the same time very tasty, and tastier to a lot
of other grains,(1), seeds are very small, 1 to 1.5-mm in diameter, shiny, smooth seed coat
also a range of colors. about 1000-to-3000 seeds in one gram, Main producing countries are
in South America, Africa, India north America, and also Russia
Amaranth is classified as a pseudocereal, its exact meaning is it not like grains, wheat, or oats
but still, it has a very similar nutrients profile, another interesting fact is its flavor after cooking
which is nutty, earthy, sweet flavor, which can go to end-less combinations in a variety of recipes
Its extraordinary grain, extremely adaptable, very versatile, highly nutritious, rich in protein,
minerals, and antioxidants, and at the same times it is 100% gluten-free,(2)
In the Indian subcontinent its a very respected grain called by the name
RAJGIRA and RAMDANA and its demand and popularity is rising with time
let's see
What is something so unique about Amaranth?
A few very important uniqueness about this amaranth is worth mentioning and they are
-it may be very difficult to believe but it is true that it has more protein than famous wheat
protein in wheat.......... .. .12.6%
protein in amaranth..........16.5%
-it is also very rich in fibers and if you want to compare from most used grain wheat
fiber in wheat........... ..12.2%
fiber in amaranth...........20.6%
-also it is born 100% gluten-free while wheat is full of gluten
-and the last point to mention is that probably it is most tasty in comparison to almost all
type of grains
What it has?
So, let's examine what it has to offer
Nutritional values per 100-gram.3.5--oz
Energy, calories.................... 371-kcal
Carbohydrates.............. 65.25-gram
in these
Starch........ ......... 57.27-gram
Sugars...... .............. 1.69-gram
Fat........ ........... 7.02-gram
in these
Saturated ......... ........... 1.459-gram
Mono-unsaturated ........... .......... 1.685-gram
Poly-unsaturated......... ............ .. 2.778-gram
Proteins............. ........... 16.5-gram
Vitamins
Vitamin B1...thiamine....... 0.116-mg 10%DV
Vitamin B2...riboflavin..... 0.2-mg 17%DV
Vitamin B6........ .............. 0.591-mg 45%DV
Vitamin C........ ............ 4.2-mg 5%DV
Vitamin E........ ............. 1.19-mg 8%DV
Niacin........ 0.923-mg 6%DV
Pantothenic Acid........... 1.457-mg 29%DV
Folate...... ........ 82-ug 21%DV
Minerals
Manganese......... 3.333-mg 159%DV
Magnesium...... 248-mg 70%DV
Iron....... 7.61-mg 59%DV
Zinc...... 2.87-mg 30%DV
Phosphorous 557-mg 80%DV
Potassium......... 508-mg 11%DV
Calcium.......... 159-mg 16%DV
Selenium........ 18.7-ug
As you can see it's very rich in vitamins and minerals, apart from very good amounts
of proteins and fibers
So , what is the protein profile of Amaranth?
So, amino acids in 100-gram,3.5-oz amaranth seeds non-cooked
,
Histidine 0.389-gram
Isoleucine 0.582-gram
Leucine 0.879-gram
Lysine 0.747-gram
Methionine 0.226-gram
Cystine 0.191-gram
Threonine 0.558-gram
Valine 0.679-gram
Phenylalanine 0.542-gram
Tyrosine 0.329-gram
Is, Amaranth protein is a complete protein?
Yes, this is a complete protein, you need not worry about combining it with some
other plant protein, it has all the needed 9-essential proteins, what human body requires
and that too in very good amounts about double the amounts of proteins what we get in
rice and corn
It has a peptide called LUNASIN
Peptides are very short-chain proteins, made out of amino acids, and this particular
peptide has
-anti-inflammatory activities
-anti-cancer activities
What about Amaranth Glycemic Index?
Glycemic index, is a marker for food that indicates that how much that food can raise
blood pressure levels, its very basic guidelines for diabetic patients, all foods are divided in
3-categories
-Low GI foods.................GI values less than 55
-Medium GI foods........ ..GI values between 55 and 69
-High GI foods......... GI values more than 70
just for an idea
Rice............. 78+-9
Potatoes........ 78+-4
and
Amaranth......... 107, very high
and
Roasted Chapatti........ .84
Boiled Chapatti............ 111
Raw Chapatti...... 102
Popped Chapatti........ 44,
This is only good to be used, for popped grain flour,
Amaranth grains were heated 180-degree centigrade on a hot plate for 10-seconds until they popped keep stirring to prevent burning now cool them and convert them to flour, and from this flour, chapatti is made
just to have an idea
whole wheat bread............74
wheat flour bread.............75
white rice boiled...............83
So. for diabetics does Amaranth should be used?
No, its glycemic index is too high, it just can not be used,
Is Amaranth really gluten-free?
Yes, it's born naturally gluten-free.
Is Amaranth a healthy grain?
It's more healthy than most of the other grains, it's very rich in nutrients, and also its
protein has a very good composition of amino acids, which makes it a little special
Is Amaranth safe to eat every day?
It's very safe, the leaves, seed, roots all are editable, all are full of nutritional values
In Amaranth and quinoa, what is more good?
Slight, difficult question as both are gluten-free and both have very similar nutritional
values, but amaranth, has the upper hand in adaptability, it's tastier and easier to
cook.
Is Amaranth good for kidneys?
Grain Amaranth exerts its anti-diabetic activity, through improved calcium homeostasis
in blood, kidney, and liver, so we can say its good for kidney
Is Amaranth hard to digest?
No, it's the other way around its very friendly to the gut system, actually, it improves the digestion
Is Amaranth is a superfood?
Already Mexico declares it a superfood, and in India, it is considered as a very respected food
now what more somebody wants
Is Amaranth good for arthritis?
It has a very powerful combination of antioxidants, because of them it has very powerful
anti-inflammatory activities and they all provide help in the cases of arthritis.
Does Amaranth cause constipation?
No, it's the other way around, in fact, it can provide some help in constipation, because of its
high amounts of fiber
Apart from being gluten-free, what other health benefits it can provide?
Amaranth is a very healthy grain, it has a lot of ingredients that contribute to its overall
1, Very rich in antioxidants
It has antioxidants such as
gallic acid
p-hydroxybenzoic acid
vanillic acid
these all provide protection from a number of diseases
2, Very powerful anti-inflammatory effect
It inhibits the production of an antibody immunoglobulin E, this antibody involves in
allergic inflammation.
It also reduces chronic inflammation, which often occurs in diabetics, cancer, and other
autoimmune disorders.
3, It reduces, total, and bad cholesterol
Studies have shown that its very effective in reducing bad cholesterol and at the same
times it increases good cholesterol
4, Weight loss
If you are serious and wanted to shed few extra lbs from your body then don't forget
this, its high in protein and fiber at the same time it reduces the appetite, and this all
leads to weight loss
What are if any negative effects?
We have not come across any kind of allergy report from Amaranth, and also any kind
of adverse effect, already it is a superfood
Where does it stand in the Plant Source of Protein?
We don't think that any other grain can beat this even buckwheat is very close to this but still
It has an upper hand in taste from a Plant Source of Protein point of view its first choice if you
are looking for a very good protein source, and that too gluten-free, but for diabetics, it's better
to use buckwheat because that have less GI, but still better is quinoa, but for vegetarians its
any way best choice and at the same times its gluten-free diet
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