"amaranth" news and stories

Tasty, less popular grains like amaranth and quinoa are the subject of a recent Associated Press article. Apparently these grains are starting to appear more often on the average American grocery shopper's radar. And with good reason, as the AP says, amaranth and quinoa both have more iron and protein than wheat. Sales of the grains rising in big was, the AP says, citing a 25 percent increase in sales last year for the well known Bob's Red Mill brand. While these grains are probably old news to anyone who's set foot in a health food store or a Whole Foods in the last decade or two, I'm looking forward to seeing more mainstream uses for them.

Amaranth is a nutrient dense, easy to grow plant that was cultivated as a staple crop by the Aztecs hundreds of years ago, though older records of the plant exist, and is enjoying a growing popularity as its nutritional profile becomes more widely know. The leaves and seeds of the amaranth plant are edible. The leaves are a green reminiscent of spinach, which can be used in salads as well as eaten steamed or added to soups.

The seeds are the more commonly found part of the amaranth plant. They are small, round, golden grains available in larger markets and natural foods stores. Amaranth is very high in protein and contains the amino acid lysine, giving it a very complete nutritional profile when compared to grains like wheat and rice. Lysine is necessary for protein synthesis and is quite rare in plant products. Amaranth is also an excellent source of calcium, iron, magnesium and folate.