Healthy Foods: One of the good grains: Amaranth

If you’re pursuing a gluten-free lifestyle, you’ve probably come across amaranth on your travels.

Amaranth is a teeny tiny seed that was eaten by the ancients. Today, we’re learning that this gluten-free grain is extremely nutritious, and this wee seed is making a long overdue comeback here in the western world.

Amaranth contains a lot of protein as far as grains go. One cup of cooked amaranth contains 9.4 grams of protein, as well as 298mg of calcium, a good amount of folate, Vitamin B6, Vitamin E, and a score of minerals, including:

• Magnesium (50% DRI for women, 39% for men)
• Manganese (100% DRI for women, 91% for men)
• Phosphorus (50% DRI)
• Potassium (17% DRI)
• Zinc (19% DRI)
• Copper (40% DRI)
• Selenium (25% DRI)
• Iron (29% DRI for women, 65% for men)

Amaranth seeds can be popped like corn! All you need to do is put a couple of tablespoons of amaranth seeds in a very hot pan and stir them until they pop. Get them out of the pan as soon as they have popped and top them with fruit and milk for a healthy, gluten-free cereal.

You can also combine amaranth seeds with hot water and simmer until you end up with porridge.

Amaranth powder is a great gluten-free thickener for soups, stews, and white sauces.

Gone gluten-free? Try our 30 Day Paleo Challenge!

0 Responses

  1. I don’t agree with Amaranth being gluten free. The protein in the grain is gluten and whilst it has less gluten than our modified wheat grain, it still contains gluten. Those with gluten intolerance that want to restore their health cannot eat any grain.

  2. Gary Null egg project research
    “Our computations took into account not merely the one or two amino acids in shortest supply in each food, but all eight essential amino acids and the extent to which their proportions vary from those of the egg. As a result, vegetarians can obtain higher-quality and more usable protein, avoid excess consumption of protein or particular amino acids, and consume fewer total calories for better weight control.”
    based on our research, the two-food combinations with the highest quality of protein are:
    1. Hijiki Seaweed/Amaranth
    2. Triticale Flour/Amaranth
    3. Basmati (Long-Grain, Parboiled)/Amaranth
    4. Sunflower Flour/Amaranth
    5. Pine Nuts/Swiss Chard (Raw)
    6. Sunflower Flour/Green Pea (Dry)
    7. Sunflower (Hulled)/Amaranth
    8. Whole Wheat Flour/Amaranth
    9. Sesame Seed (Meal)/Amaranth
    10. Spinach (Raw)/Pine Nuts
    11. Buckwheat Flour (Dark)/Basmati (Long-Grain Parboiled)
    12. Walnut, Persian/Amaranth
    13. Pine Nuts/Amaranth
    14. Bulgur/Amaranth
    15. Brown Rice (Raw, Short-Grain)/Amaranth
    16. Sunflower (Hulled)/Pine Nuts
    17. Couscous/Amaranth
    18. Watermelon Seed/Amaranth
    19. Filbert (Shelled)/Amaranth
    20. Pine Nuts/Broccoli (Cooked)

  3. I grew “golden grain amaranth” this year – will also harvest some of the wild amaranth growing around the garden/yard (tiny black seeds). Now need to figure out when/how to harvest & cook. It was easy to grow (grew like a weed 🙂

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