What Are the Nutritional Values of Amaranth?

Amaranth, also known as Qingxiang amaranth, red amaranth, red vegetable, and rice amaranth, is a herbaceous plant originating in China. It is resilient and easy to grow, tolerant to drought and wetness, and has relatively few pests and diseases, making it a popular vegetable among many people. Amaranth is also highly nutritious, rich in iron, calcium, and other minerals. Let's take a closer look at its nutritional value.

First, amaranth has various nutritional benefits, including promoting blood coagulation, increasing hemoglobin content, and enhancing oxygen-carrying capacity. It contains protein, fat, carbohydrates, various vitamins, and minerals, including easily absorbed calcium. Every 100g of amaranth contains 178mg of calcium, which promotes tooth and bone growth, maintains normal myocardial activity, and prevents muscle spasms. Amaranth is also rich in iron and vitamin K, which can promote blood coagulation, increase hemoglobin content, enhance oxygen-carrying capacity, and promote hematopoiesis. Additionally, it is a staple on weight loss diets, as regular consumption can aid in weight loss, detoxification, and the prevention of constipation.

Amaranth is also known as Qingxiang amaranth, red amaranth, red vegetable, and rice amaranth. It is an annual herbaceous plant belonging to the Amaranthaceae family, with tender stems and leaves used for consumption. Native to China, it is widely cultivated in the Yangtze River Basin. Due to its resilience, easy growth, preference for warmth, drought tolerance, wetness tolerance, and low pest and disease incidence, it is one of the main summer green leafy vegetables preferred by the masses.

Amaranth is a vegetable with extremely high nutritional value, especially rich in minerals such as iron and calcium. It also contains a high amount of carotenoids and vitamin C. There is a folk saying that "In June, amaranth is as valuable as eggs; in July, amaranth is worth its weight in gold."

There are many varieties of amaranth, which can be classified based on leaf shape into round-leaved and pointed-leaved types. Round-leaved amaranth has round or oval leaves, often with wrinkled surfaces, slower growth, later maturity, higher yields, better quality, and later flowering. Pointed-leaved amaranth has lanceolate or long oval leaves with pointed tips, faster growth, earlier maturity, lower yields, poorer quality, and earlier flowering. Additionally, amaranth can be classified based on leaf color into red, green, and colored varieties.