The wisdom of the Mexica: Amaranth
While traveling around Mexico it’s pretty easy to come across what we now call superfoods, ancient grains, seeds and beans - including chocolate beans - that were considered staples in the Mexica or Aztecs diet, but also the Maya and Incas. The museum of anthropology in Mexico City mentions Amaranth and Chia seeds along with other grains like quinoa, as part of those ancient populations dietary habits.
I went to a local coffee shop which caters to the younger generation of health-conscious Mexicans and found delicious breakfast gallettes made with amaranth and chia seeds (see picture).
Amaranth is highly nutritious and has a high concentration of antioxidants.
But why is Amaranth, with its earthy flavor, such a special grain?
For one thing, it has been around for over 8000 years, so it is definitely a very ancient food, part of a family of 60 different grains (some consider it a seed), it has a nutty-like after taste, it’s crunchy, but it also has lots of wonderful properties..
Here are just a few great things about Amaranth…
It’s highly nutritious. One cup contains important minerals like magnesium, manganese, but also phosphorus, selenium, copper and iron in significant amounts.
It is high in phenolic acids as such it contains a copious amount of antioxidants that protect against free radicals and slow down the aging process.
It’s also a powerful anti-inflammatory as it lowers the production of immunoglobulin E, responsible for allergic inflammations.
It lowers LDL, also known as bad cholesterol, levels while increasing HDL, good cholesterol, unclogging the arteries.
Being high in protein and fiber, it's a good food to add to your diet as it can help shed the extra pounds and ease digestion.
It’s also high in essential amino acids, the building blocks of proteins that are critical for energy, but cannot be made by the body and have to come from food.
Lastly, it’s gluten-free so if you are sensitive to gluten you may want to add this delicious grain to your diet.
There are many different ways to incorporate amaranth into your diet. My favorite way is to boil it and make a porridge-like breakfast meal adding some berries and a spoon of honey. It has a slightly hearty taste and it’s crunchy which is probably why I like it. Alternatively you can bake with it and make many other delicious and gluten-free goodies.
Try it and let us know what you think!
