One of the first times I tasted buckwheat was travelling through Uzbekistan and given the other food types on offer it was one meal I really looked forward to each day. The buckwheat was served as a creamy porridge called Kasha, which is made with roasted buckwheat. These days I tend to use unroasted buckwheat in my recipes, which comes in the form of buckwheat groats – small golden triangles (hulled) that can also be soaked and activated to maximize their nutritional value.
Buckwheat is a nutrient-dense food with a huge range of health benefits. Although buckwheat contains wheat in its name it is not part of the wheat family and it is in fact a seed, making it a wonderful gluten-free alternative to wheat and other grains. You will often see buckwheat flour used to make gluten-free pancakes, muffins or porridge. You can also cook buckwheat in the same way you cook the quinoa and add its salads.
Health Benefits of Buckwheat
Buckwheat is a good source of manganese, copper, magnesium, phosphorous and dietary fiber. Furthermore, it contains all of the 8 essential amino acids and powerful phytonutrients. Below are just a few of the health benefits that can be obtained from buckwheat.
Blood Sugar Management + Lowers the Risk of Diabetes
Buckwheat is an excellent food to satisfy hunger while keeping blood sugar under control. Research has shown that when comparing bread made from buckwheat to bread made from refined wheat, buckwheat significantly lowered blood glucose and insulin levels.
Buckwheat has been shown to lower blood glucose levels by 12 – 19% according to a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
Improved Cardiovascular Health
Buckwheat is rich in B vitamins, including vitamin B6, niacin and folate – all of which are important vitamins to help reduce cholesterol in the blood and hence improve cardiovascular health. The minerals contained in buckwheat can help to reduce blood pressure and oxygenate the blood.
Beneficial for Weight Loss
Buckwheat has fewer calories compared to wheat and other many other grains. It is also free from saturated fat and cholesterol. It is an excellent source of high-quality protein and dietary fibre and plays an important role in suppressing appetite.
For Glowing Skin
Buckwheat contains antioxidants and flavonoids that aid in the anti-aging process. It is also rich in magnesium, which helps blood circulation, helping to give skin that glowing look.
Cacao Buckwheat Slice
If you are needing some inspiration for ways to use buckwheat try my Chocolate Buckwheat Slice. I love that it makes a generous number of tasty bites, plus it’s gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, refined sugar-free, raw, nut-free and yummy!
One more thing from me
If you are thinking about improving your eating or looking at becoming a healthier version of yourself this year I highly recommend Alexx Stuart’s Real Food Rockstars 20-day course starting on the 2nd of February. I was fortunate to attend another of Alexx’s courses last year and I learnt an enormous amount – I was hugely impressed. You can do this course from any location and the online support group is a wealth of knowledge in itself.
This course is your ’20 day ticket to food freedom’. You’ll be covering everything from pantry allstars, to what you want to ditch pronto, to detective work with labels, psychology and empowerment, how to get your family and friends on board, and how powerful food is in healing and preventing various diseases. There will be oodles of bonus materials with recipes, reinvention tricks, video interviews from inspiring Real Food Rockstars such as Costa Georgiadis, Sally Fallon, Jo Whitton and many more.
Check out the full details via this link and register. Registration closes midnight Saturday, so get in quick! It will be the best $65 you spend next month. Read more and book here.
Have a beautiful weekend!
Simone XX
