Amaranth is a familiar food in Vietnamese meals, but few people know that if eaten properly, this vegetable can provide a very abundant amount of calcium, even in some cases more effective than milk.
This makes amaranth a noteworthy choice for people who are lactose intolerant or want to supplement calcium from plant sources.
Amaranth contains relatively high levels of calcium, especially red amaranto and rice amaranto. In addition to calcium, amaranto also provides many other minerals such as iron, magnesium and vitamin K - factors that help the body absorb and use calcium better. Meanwhile, although milk is rich in calcium, not everyone digests it well, especially those with lactose intolerance. Therefore, amaranto can become a useful alternative source.
Much calcium is added from amaranth when processed properly
To absorb more calcium from amaranth, the way of processing and combining food plays a very important role. One of the effective ways is to cook amaranth just right, instead of boiling it too thoroughly. When cooked for too long, a part of the minerals may dissolve in the water and be discarded. Therefore, if boiling amaranth, you should also use the boiled water to make soup to retain the dissolved calcium.
In addition, amaranth should be combined with foods rich in vitamin C because vitamin C helps increase the body's ability to absorb minerals.
Eating amaranth along with protein sources such as tofu, small shrimp or fish also helps improve calcium absorption. In particular, small shrimp and fish eaten with bones also supplement natural calcium, creating a very good nutritional combination.
Another factor to note is to limit eating amaranth at the same time as foods high in oxalate or drinking strong tea immediately after meals, as these substances can reduce calcium absorption.
Eating amaranth in a balanced, diverse meal will help the body maximize the mineral resources in this vegetable.
