Can you eat amaranth seeds

One of the best ways to make amaranth is to boil it for around 20 minutes and use it as a breakfast cereal. Or you can even add it to other dishes to work with texture and improve a dish's nutritional benefits.

For example, try adding amaranth to homemade granola for a bit of crunch, use it when baking bread, or add amaranth to your vegetable salad. When you're confused about how to make soup or gravy thicker, use amaranth for a texture that's easy to achieve and might just leave you feeling satiated and happy.

Here's Why. Buckwheat — I am working on a dessert recipe using buckwheat and will post it soon. Chia — Having chia seeds on this list makes me really happy.

Have you tried my Mandarin Oranges or Peanut Satay sauce? I put chia seeds in them and they made the recipe taste incredible! Quinoa — I have so many delicious recipes that use Quinoa. I would love to make some vegan waffles out of them. Farro — I discovered farro about 6 years ago at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Queens. I have to say that I loved how delicious it tasted and try to eat is often.

You have to try my Farro salad which is beyond delicious. Teff — Of all the grains on this list, Teff is the one that has given me the biggest challenge. I would love to make vegan bread out of it someday. Teff is not easy to find in stores, but you can easily find it on affiliate link Amazon.

Source: The Chopra Center. There are more ancient grains like rice, spelt, millet and others. The Ancient Grain council has the complete list of grains it considers ancient. Both grains look so much alike and they are easy to confuse. They have the same color, shape, and texture! The main visual difference, however, is that quinoa is slightly larger and a little lighter in color.

Even with a clear visual difference, it is easy to mix those two up. I label them with the brand and type of grain. I am sure I could have put fancy labels or even printables with the name of grains written in calligraphy.

Quinoa has 8g of protein and amaranth has 9g. I will take that extra gram of protein any day. Amaranth has cal and quinoa has cal.

Source: LiveStrong. The biggest difference is when you cook them. At that point, there is no confusion as to which one is quinoa and which one is amaranth. Remove from heat and use in recipe. Its normal for the cooked amaranth to be sticky and clumpy. You can crumble it in the recipe you put it into. I tried for the first time this morning to make a porridge — 2 cups water to 1 cup amaranth with some chopped apples — and simmered 20 minutes.

Thank you, Jen. I am glad to hear you tried it. I think you may have made an slight error in the ratios. It should be 3 cups water to 1 cup Amaranth. Follow the rest of instructions as listed and that should work. Let me know if you have other problems. Love that you added apples to your recipe. Thank you for your informative and good natured post. Can you post a picture of the Amaranth plant that you get these seeds from? I found an article that stated the plant is also called pigweed, which I seem to have an abundance of.

I am wondering if I can harvest these seeds. Thank you for your knowledge of this grain. Hello Patrea, here is the link to the whole grain council. They have images of the plant which is purple in color. I am not sure if it is similar to pigweed.

Pigweed is an actual weed, I think. It tends to grow in my garden and take away nutrition from my plants, lol. Amaranth is actually purple whereas pigweed is green. They are classified as ancient grains by many sites. Maybe spend your time doing research on ancient grains and Aztecs instead of trolling websites. Sorry for the delay, Tomass. I am slow at responding to comments????. I did reply to your previous comment. Let me know what you think. Thank you. One cup grams of cooked amaranth contains the following nutrients 2 :.

Amaranth is packed with manganese, exceeding your daily nutrient needs in just one serving. Manganese is especially important for brain function and believed to protect against certain neurological conditions 3. Antioxidants are naturally occurring compounds that help protect against harmful free radicals in the body.

Free radicals can cause damage to cells and contribute to the development of chronic disease 7. One review reported that amaranth is especially high in phenolic acids, which are plant compounds that act as antioxidants. These include gallic acid, p -hydroxybenzoic acid and vanillic acid, all of which may help protect against diseases like heart disease and cancer 1 , 8. In one rat study, amaranth was found to increase the activity of certain antioxidants and help protect the liver against alcohol 9.

Antioxidant content is highest in raw amaranth, and studies have found that soaking and processing it may decrease its antioxidant activity 10 , Inflammation is a normal immune response designed to protect the body against injury and infection.

However, chronic inflammation can contribute to chronic disease and has been associated with conditions like cancer, diabetes and autoimmune disorders In one test-tube study, amaranth was found to reduce several markers of inflammation Similarly, an animal study showed that amaranth helped inhibit the production of immunoglobulin E, a type of antibody involved in allergic inflammation However, more research is needed to measure the potential anti-inflammatory effects of amaranth in humans.

Cholesterol is a fat-like substance found throughout the body. Too much cholesterol can build up in the blood and cause arteries to narrow.

Interestingly, some animal studies have found that amaranth may have cholesterol-lowering properties. Despite these promising results, additional research is needed to understand how amaranth may affect cholesterol levels in humans. Amaranth is high in protein and fiber , both of which can aid your weight loss efforts. In one small study, a high-protein breakfast was found to decrease levels of ghrelin, the hormone that stimulates hunger Another study in 19 people showed that a high-protein diet was associated with a reduction in appetite and calorie intake Meanwhile, the fiber in amaranth may move slowly through the gastrointestinal tract undigested, helping promote feelings of fullness.

One study followed women for 20 months and found that increased fiber intake was associated with a lower risk of gaining weight and body fat To maximize weight loss, be sure to pair amaranth with an overall healthy diet and active lifestyle. For those with celiac disease , eating gluten triggers an immune response in the body, causing damage and inflammation in the digestive tract Those with gluten sensitivity may also experience negative symptoms, including diarrhea, bloating and gas While many of the most commonly consumed grains contain gluten, amaranth is naturally gluten-free and can be enjoyed by those on a gluten-free diet.

Other naturally gluten-free grains include sorghum, quinoa, millet, oats, buckwheat and brown rice. Before cooking amaranth, you can sprout it by soaking it in water and then allowing the grains to germinate for one to three days. Sprouting makes grains easier to digest and breaks down antinutrients , which can impair mineral absorption