Delicious and easy-to-prepare cereals can be found on the shelves of every store. How often should you eat buckwheat and how to cook it to get the most out of it?
Although buckwheat is often referred to as a grain, it is actually a “pseudo-grain”. Strictly speaking, buckwheat is a fruit seed, but due to the fact that it contains a lot of complex carbohydrates, it is often classified as a whole grain. Can you eat buckwheat often? As such, there are no contraindications, since this product is very useful, including for the work of the intestines.
100 g of raw buckwheat contains 330 kcal, proteins – 12.6 g, fats – 3.3 g, carbohydrates – 57.1 g, dietary fiber – 11.3 g. Buckwheat is an excellent source of manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamins B3 (niacin), B2 (riboflavin), B5 (pantothenic acid), zinc and iron. Buckwheat is very rich in antioxidants and is gluten free.
What is the optimal portion of buckwheat?
You cannot bring out one optimal portion for all. Serving size depends on age, gender, body weight, level of physical activity, goals (weight loss / gain, etc.). If a person consumes 2000 calories per day, where most (about 1100 kcal) should consist of carbohydrates (preferably complex ones), then a single serving of buckwheat can be 100–150 g (that is, 308–462 kcal).
Mono-diet on buckwheat: is it useful or not?
Is it useful to eat buckwheat every day? Various types of mono-diets (when only one product is used in the diet) negatively affect the state of the body, since such a diet is not able to provide a sufficient amount of nutrients, vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber. The body goes into a deficit state very quickly. And the buckwheat mono-diet is no exception, although this product itself is very useful.
How often should you eat buckwheat?
Of course, if a person does not like the taste of buckwheat, it is quite possible to do without it. However, it should be borne in mind that by excluding such a useful product from the diet, a person deprives himself of the opportunity to obtain many useful substances from one source.
Answering the question whether it is possible to eat buckwheat porridge every day, we note that buckwheat can be found in the diet of a healthy person at least every day, but it is still better to eat a variety of foods, thus providing the body not only with useful substances, but also with a variety of tastes.
What is buckwheat useful for?
Buckwheat is recommended to maintain bowel function as it contains a lot of dietary fiber.
Also, buckwheat is one of the richest plant sources of iron, and for a change it should be consumed by people prone to iron deficiency anemia (however, it should be borne in mind that iron from animal sources is absorbed by our body better).
In addition, buckwheat does not contain gluten, so if you are diagnosed with celiac disease or have a gluten intolerance, you should pay attention to green or fried buckwheat, as well as buckwheat flour products (pasta, pancakes, bread, etc.).
For breakfast or dinner?
Buckwheat can be eaten at any time of the day, depending on what goal the person pursues. Buckwheat is high in calories, and if a person is going to go to bed after eating (that is, he does not plan to expend energy), but at the same time thinks about reducing or maintaining weight, then it is better not to eat buckwheat. At the same time, buckwheat will be a great source of energy in the morning or before a workout (for example, if you plan to run).
How to cook?
Depends on what effect you want to achieve. Buckwheat, which is poured with boiling water, has a more crumbly structure and tastes different from boiled.
In addition, under the influence of high temperature, the B vitamins, which buckwheat is rich in, are destroyed. However, it is worth remembering that minerals are not destroyed by temperature. Therefore, in a balanced diet, it is permissible to use various types of buckwheat and cooking methods.
Is it possible to eat buckwheat with milk? Yes, sure. This combination should be discarded only for those who have lactose intolerance or allergy to cow protein. In addition, buckwheat can be eaten with vegetables, mushrooms, poultry, meat, cottage cheese, etc. In general, the more varied your diet, the more different protein products (meat, poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, legumes, cottage cheese), fats (various vegetable oils, lard, fatty fish), vegetables and fruits, it includes, the less processed they are (for example, you should choose an orange, not orange juice or a whole piece of meat, not sausage), the more vitamins and minerals you get from food.
Green buckwheat or regular buckwheat: which is healthier?
On store shelves, you can find raw or steamed buckwheat. Raw buckwheat has a pale green color, starchy, rather mild taste with a slight hint of earthiness, while roasted buckwheat has a reddish brown color and a pronounced toasted taste.
Both types of buckwheat can be used in the diet of a healthy person and have many benefits for the body. In terms of nutritional value, green buckwheat practically does not differ from ordinary buckwheat. However, green cereals can be germinated. Green buckwheat sprouts are a source of vitamins C, B, P (rutin), trace elements (iron, magnesium, potassium), minerals, enzymes, lysine. They have a beneficial effect on the work of the cardiovascular, circulatory, and immune systems.
How to germinate buckwheat at home?
Rinse the green buckwheat and cover with cold water. Throw away the floating “dead” grains, they will not germinate. Leave it on for 2-3 hours, then rinse again. Line a food container with damp gauze, put buckwheat in one layer, cover with damp gauze, leave for 24 hours at room temperature. A day later, small white sprouts will appear on the buckwheat. If this does not happen, sprinkle the cereal with water and leave for a while. Germinated buckwheat can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 days.
5 мифов о гречке
МИФ № 1. ПРАВДА ЛИ, ЧТО ГРЕЧНЕВАЯ МОНОДИЕТА ОЧЕНЬ ПОЛЕЗНА?
– Многие «знатоки» основ здорового питания активно агитируют людей садиться на гречневую диету – монодиету, подразумевающую прием гречки в пищу утром, днем и вечером. Но могу сказать с уверенностью, что любая монодиета наносит организму вред! Такой способ «оздоровления» является несбалансированным рационом питания и не рекомендован официальной медициной. Любое злоупотребление, пусть даже и таким полезным продуктом, как гречка, может привести к негативным последствиям. В данном случае, например, монотонное питание углеводной пищей может дать обратный результат – вызвать весовую прибавку (и это несмотря на то, что углеводы, содержащиеся в гречневой крупе, относятся к разряду сложных, то есть полезных).
MYTH # 2. IS IT TRUE THAT GREEN BUCKWHEAT IS HARMFUL than BROWN?
– It’s true. Green buckwheat is unboiled buckwheat, and brown buckwheat is steamed. In terms of nutritional value, green buckwheat practically does not differ from ordinary buckwheat. However, green cereals can be germinated. Green buckwheat sprouts are a source of vitamins C, B, P (rutin), trace elements (iron, magnesium, potassium), minerals, enzymes, lysine. They have a beneficial effect on the work of the cardiovascular, circulatory, and immune systems.
MYTH # 3. IS IT TRUE THAT CHILDREN SHOULD EAT BUCKWHEAT WITH A LOT OF LIQUID?
– Some mothers believe that their children should eat buckwheat every day. This is relevant only in the case of the child’s boundless love for buckwheat porridge! Do not forget that the baby’s diet should be varied: buckwheat should be alternated with other cereals. There is also a myth that it is better for children to eat porridge with a lot of liquid. Official medicine has no such data! By the way, attacks on buckwheat porridge with milk are absolutely in vain. It is dangerous only for people with individual lactose intolerance. In any other case, the combination of buckwheat and milk does not promise any problems.
MYTH № 4. IS IT TRUE THAT BUCKWHEAT HAS CONTRAINDICATIONS FOR USE?
– The fact that buckwheat can cause headaches and ailments (this information is found on the Internet) is certainly a myth! However, such manifestations can really occur with individual intolerance to buckwheat. It has no other contraindications to use. On the contrary, due to the high content of plant fibers, buckwheat improves the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, and due to the contained folic acid, calcium, potassium, sodium and magnesium, it normalizes the work of the cardiovascular system. The fact that this cereal is contraindicated for diabetics is also a myth. In the diet of a diabetic, this is one of the basic products, because buckwheat contains a large amount of amino acids and plant fibers that slow down the absorption of carbohydrates in the intestine – blood sugar rises slowly and smoothly after eating buckwheat.
MYTH # 5. IS IT TRUE THAT BUCKWHEAT LOSES ITS USEFUL SUBSTANCES WHEN BOKING?
– Any product loses its beneficial properties during prolonged heat treatment. Buckwheat will lose them in about 20 minutes after the start of cooking, so it is better to reduce this time to five minutes (and then infuse the porridge for about an hour). And even better, when cooking buckwheat, to preserve its useful substances, use not even boiling, but the method of “steaming” the cereal (with water or milk). It is also possible to use kefir or drinking yogurt, but in this case, the dish should not be warmed up at all, and its infusion will take about a day.