News Article: SUPER FOODS

We are all looking for those Super Foods - the ones that will give us great taste and super nutrition. For the most part, few of these foods exist if you are looking for something super-sweet and mouth watering. But if you enjoy pastas, breads and grains, you are in for a pleasant surprise.

Whole grain foods are an important part of our diet. The seeds of various grains can be used whole, sprouted, cooked, roughly milled or cracked, rolled into flakes, or ground into meal or flour. Grains are excellent sources of protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, trace elements and fiber.

The Super Foods - amaranth, buckwheat, quinoa and teff are essentially gluten-free and make a good substitution for those with an intolerance to the gluten found in wheat, rye, barley, triticale and spelt.

AMARANTH:

The valuable nutrition contained within amaranth leaves and the tiny amaranth seeds is now being appreciated in this country. It had been used for centuries in the Aztec culture and until recently, was almost unheard of. The seeds, no bigger than poppy seeds, can be dried and cooked as a hot cereal or ground into flour. Because amaranth contains more iron than any other plant and is so rich in minerals, it surpasses all other grains, including wheat.

Most cereal grains are not complete proteins because they do not contain sufficient lysine (a very important amino acid). But amaranth does contain lysine and is often used in combination with other grains to make them more nourishing for the body.

People sensitive to pigweed may experience a sensitivity to amaranth because it is in the same family.

BUCKWHEAT

Buckwheat does not belong to the wheat family but is in the same botanical family as rhubarb, dock and other weeds. It is the best source of rutin (a biolflavonoid which aids in strengthening the walls of blood vesels). Although buckwheat is essentially gluten free, many celiacs can't tolerate it if they have a sensitivity to rutin.

"Kasha" cereal is a dryish porridge the Russians make from roasted buckwheat. It has gained popularity here and can be found in most health food stores. Buckwheat groats are almost complete in the B vitamins, and are rich in phosphorous, patassium, iron, calcium and vitamin E.

The strong earthy taste of buckwheat is one you either love or hate.

QUINOA

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) belongs to the same family as spinach, beets, chard and lamb's quarters. The National Academy of Science has called quinoa the best source of protein in the vegetable kingdom. It has the nutritional value of meat and potatoes together, with an outstanding balace of amino acids.

Quinoa has a bitter flavour and has all the nutrients that buckwheat has except potassium. It is usually tolerated by those with a gluten intolerance. It comes in many forms - spaghetti, macaroni, shells, etc. and is very popular with health conscious people.

TEFF

Teff is a pleasant tasting whole grain food with a sweet flavour. The seeds are even smaller than amaranth seeds and are a good source of protein and fiber. The seeds make an interesting hot cereal or the flour can be used for baking.

You may not have heard of teff before as it was only introduced to the U.S. in the late 70's and has taken a few years to develop a market for it. It originated in Ethiopia and was brought back to the U.S. by a Peace Corp worker.

Experiment a little and enjoy these delicious new grains that are out of the ordinary.