Amaranth flour is good and bad

Amaranth - one of the oldest agricultural plants, which is still actively cultivated in the countries of Central and South America. He was also known in Russia under the name of Shirits. Amaranth seeds outwardly resemble poppy, but light color. They are widely used in cooking and folk medicine.

In cooking, amaranth flour is most often used, which has great benefits for the body, has excellent taste and high nutritional value.

Benefit and harm of amaranth flour

Amaranth grains have a unique biochemical composition, which in its useful properties exceeds all known cereals such as soybean, wheat, rice, corn . Baking from amaranth flour provides our body with a number of important elements and essential substances. In 100 g of flour from amaranth grains contains:

1. Ideally balanced composition of amino acids, including proteins necessary for man, which are not produced by the body. For example, lysine in amaranth flour is 30 times more than in wheat flour. Lysine is the most important amino acid involved in biochemical processes, stimulating the regeneration of the skin, bone tissues and the production of collagen. In addition, in amaranth flour there are proteins such as tryptophan (promotes the synthesis of growth hormone, serotonin insulin), methionine (protects from harmful effects, strengthens the immune system).
2. The vitamin composition of amaranth flour includes vitamins E (in the rare form of tocotriene), A, C, K, B1, B2, B4, B6, B9, PP, D, which allows enriching the diet, increasing the vitamin supply and fighting hypovitaminosis;
3. One of the unique components of grains and flour amaranth is squalene, which was previously extracted exclusively from the liver of deep-sea sharks. This element slows down the aging process, eliminates skin problems and is involved in cell repair.
4. The amaranth fatty acid complex includes stearic, linoleic, linolenic, palmitic, oleic acids that participate in the synthesis of hormones and prostaglandins, saturate the body with energy, strengthen the immune system, vessels and nerve cells.
5. Micro- and macro elements of amaranth flour provide the body with such important elements as phosphorus (200 mg), potassium (400 mg), magnesium (21 mg), sodium (18 mg), and iron, zinc, calcium, selenium, manganese and copper;
6. Amaranth flour is another source of natural plant hormones of phytosterols that participate in the vital processes of the body, reduce the risk of diabetes and cancer, reduce cholesterol, strengthen and stimulate the synthesis of new cells.

Due to this unique composition and content of rare components, amaranth flour is widely used as a dietary and therapeutic product that can help in rejuvenating the body, improving its protective functions, and also to reduce excess weight and fight obesity.

How to take amaranth flour?

Amaranth flour has an excellent taste and excellent baking characteristics, it is used for making sauces and gravy, as a food additive to cereals and stew, baking of bakery products, cookies, pancakes, pancakes.

Flour from amaranth seeds has a high stickiness, so it must be mixed with wheat, oat or rye flour in a 1: 3 ratio. When baking bread from amaranth flour, you can use a mixture of several types of flour. One of the most useful and dietary is the combination of oatmeal and amaranth flour with the addition of a quarter of wheat flour.

Dietitians warn that you can not eat amaranth flour in raw form, as in this form, the absorption of nutrients is slowed.