Food Spotlight - Buckwheat

Less famously known than oats but still nutrient dense buckwheat shines. It acts as a grain in daily meal prepping but is actually the seeds from a flowering species, one being called Fagopyrum esculentum. Buckwheat contains proteins, dietary fiber, vitamins, flavonoids, fagopyrins, d‐fagomine, and phenolic acids. Because of the amount of polyphenolic compounds, buckwheat has a high amount of antioxidants. The buckwheat grain is a rich source of vitamin A, vitamin B complexes, and vitamins C and E. It also has a good amount of the minerals phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and calcium. It also has zinc, selenium, and cadmium. According to the research paper Nutritional and bioactive characteristics of buckwheat, and its potential for developing gluten‐free products: An updated overview, buckwheat are good for slowing down the growth of cancer cells. And the best part about buckwheat? It is naturally gluten free! This makes it perfect for those sensitive to gluten or have celiac.

Buckwheat can be enjoyed in a variety of ways. You can eat buckwheat groats as you would oatmeal by cooking it on the stove and layering it with some creamy peanut butter or fresh fruit. You can use buckwheat flour to make a delicious fluffy pancake. For the savory food lovers, soba noodles are a great option made from buckwheat.

Citation:

Sofi, S. A., Ahmed, N., Farooq, A., Rafiq, S., Zargar, S. M., Kamran, F., Dar, T. A., Mir, S. A., Dar, B. N., & Mousavi Khaneghah, A. (2022). Nutritional and bioactive characteristics of buckwheat, and its potential for developing gluten-free products: An updated overview. Food Science & Nutrition, 11(5), 2256–2276. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsn3.3166