Amaranth, welcome!!
Guys, have you ever heard about it??
Now it's not popular, though in the past our ancestors used it in different ways, especially as super food.
Amaranth is one of the oldest cereal crops; it was grown by the Inca, Aztec and Mayan tribes 8 thousand years ago and used as a food and medicinal plant. They ate seeds, leaves and roots of amaranth.
WOW
100 g of amaranth contains about 14 g of protein, 70 g of carbohydrates, 7 g of fat, 7 g of fiber and 370 kcal. Its seeds and leaves contain 30% more protein than oats and 50% more protein than soybeans!!
The rich composition endowed amaranth with unique beneficial properties.
Due to the content of squalene, which saturates cells with oxygen, the plant improves immunity and helps to recover faster from colds and inflammatory diseases.
It prevents the development of diabetes mellitus, diseases of the pancreas, veins, joints and oncological pathologies. Amaranth leaves are rich in peptides that slow down inflammatory responses and prevent cell mutations.
The plant improves digestion, normalizes cholesterol levels and provides the body with building materials, contributing to the restoration of damaged tissues and the formation of new ones.
The hydrocarbon squalene deserves special attention, the main biologically active component of amaranth oil, one of the intermediates in the biosynthesis of cholesterol.
What is the uniqueness of squalene?
It helps to normalize high blood cholesterol levels, activates the immune system, the body's defenses, has antitumor, antimicrobial and antiviral properties. It is called the "oxygen vitamin" as it actively participates in oxygenation of all cells and tissues of our body.
I discovered amaranth long ago and now I try to use it much. Though it's rather expensive, so for now I can't do it as much as I wished to.
So how do I cook it?
there're different ways but I like amaranth as sweet porridge.
At first we need to wash it in water rather long, otherwise it will have dirty taste
Then we cook it for about 20 min, and it will have nice nut taste.
Yummy!;)