At all times, buckwheat has been a favorite food product for many nations. For the first time, buckwheat began to be cultivated in North India more than 5 thousand years ago. Thanks to its amazing nutritional properties, buckwheat has conquered almost all continents. Buckwheat porridge has become traditional in various national cuisines.
Composition and calorie content
In terms of chemical composition, buckwheat can be called the natural periodic table. Moreover, the combination of some minerals and vitamins is so unique that it is not found in any other cereal.
The benefits and harms of buckwheat porridge
Buckwheat groats are famous for their high content of elements:
- gland;
- phosphorus;
- potassium;
- zinc;
- iodine;
- magnesium.
It also contains such rare elements as molybdenum, cobalt, selenium. B vitamins (B1, B2, B9), vitamins E, A, PP are present in large quantities. In terms of protein-fat balance, buckwheat wins over other cereals. The presence of essential amino acids: arginine, methionine and lysine – allows proteins to be absorbed up to 80%. The fiber content is very high and the carbohydrates do not exceed 60%.
Carbohydrates determine the calorie content of cereals: in 100 grams of dry product – 312 kilocalories, in boiled form – only 110 kilocalories per 100 grams. Although this figure is significant, starchy carbohydrates take a long time to be absorbed and do not participate in the formation of body fat.
Taking into account that one serving of buckwheat is prepared from 50 grams of dry cereals, the calorie content is halved. At the same time, the energy value of the product allows you to get enough of this amount.
Why is buckwheat porridge useful?
The correct ratio of nutrients makes buckwheat a very useful product for adults and children.
For men
If a man wants to stay in good shape for many years, buckwheat dishes in the form of cereals, soups, side dishes should be introduced into his daily menu. The polyunsaturated acids and rutin contained in it protect the walls of blood vessels. Flavonoids, such as quercetin, vetexin, cleanse the body of toxins and bad cholesterol. And clean blood vessels of a man means good blood circulation, which ensures stable potency, the production of the male hormone testosterone, which means that health and longevity are guaranteed.
Often, athletes use buckwheat dishes in their diet. Eaten for breakfast, they give energy, help develop endurance, strength, and, thanks to amino acids, enhance metabolism. This has a beneficial effect on the formation of protein compounds, which increases muscle mass.
For women
Women also need to eat buckwheat. In addition to cleaning blood vessels, it helps to improve digestion, removes toxins. As a result of such cleaning, the hair becomes better, the skin is cleaner, excess weight is actively removed.
Those ladies who have pronounced PMS, with the help of buckwheat porridge, can alleviate their condition due to the potassium, calcium and magnesium contained in it.
During menopause, when a woman suffers from hot flashes, buckwheat dishes will reduce discomfort and help cope with depression.
Breastfeeding and pregnancy
Buckwheat is very popular among nursing mothers. This has a scientific basis. Buckwheat contains no gluten, which means that it is hypoallergenic and is considered safe for both the nursing mother and the baby. The boiled unground is well absorbed, which helps all useful substances to enter the body without loss. Calcium, magnesium and B vitamins increase lactation and improve the quality of breast milk. A baby, if his mother regularly eats buckwheat meals, receives all the necessary micro and macro elements during breastfeeding. A large amount of iron in buckwheat prevents anemia, which is especially dangerous for both the mother and the baby when breastfeeding.
During pregnancy and preparation for it, doctors recommend using buckwheat as often as possible. The presence of folic acid (vitamin B9) in considerable amounts makes cereals indispensable for pregnant women. It is the pharmaceutical preparations of folic acid that are prescribed to pregnant women to strengthen the walls of the uterus with the threat of termination of pregnancy.
Natural vitamin B9 from the kernel is better absorbed and prevents the risk of miscarriage, especially in the first trimester. The balanced chemical composition helps the expectant mother to receive vital micro and macro elements, which in turn has a beneficial effect on the formation and development of the baby.
For kids
Buckwheat is also useful for children. Due to the lack of gluten with porridge on the water, pediatricians recommend starting feeding babies up to one year old. Fiber helps the gastrointestinal tract, normalizes peristalsis. Useful substances help prevent anemia. The basic rule for mothers is not to feed a child up to a year old with buckwheat porridge in milk. This impairs the absorption of nutrients, can develop flatulence, diarrhea.
Older children need a lot of energy, because they learn the world, grow, develop. And for this, the child’s diet must be enriched with vitamins and minerals in sufficient quantities and at the same time cover all energy costs. And then buckwheat comes to the aid of mothers. The calorie content of the product allows you to replenish the spent energy, and the vitamin and mineral complex supports the growing child’s body in a balanced state.
Useful properties of buckwheat porridge for weight loss
Nutritionists definitely prefer buckwheat among all existing cereals. With its beneficial properties, it not only cleanses the body qualitatively, but also helps to reduce excess weight. Although it contains a small amount of fat, they are all vegetable polyunsaturated. These fats speed up metabolic processes.
Buckwheat diets are very popular. On such a diet, it is possible to reduce weight by 8-10 kilograms in a short time. The diet can be mono, when buckwheat is the only food consumed during the day. Or it can combine the use of buckwheat with kefir or vegetables.
The mono diet is very effective. But she has her own rules. You can stick to such a diet no more than one or two days a week, while you need to increase the amount of fluid you consume. Buckwheat with such a diet can be boiled or poured with boiling water and let it brew for at least 8-10 hours. Usually, cereals are steamed overnight before a fasting day. The volume of buckwheat eaten per day is a glass of dry product. This is quite enough, because in a swollen form the croup increases in volume 3-4 times.
The second diet option is buckwheat porridge with kefir. The principle of preparing cereals is the same as in the first case. Only instead of hot water, you need to pour kefir into buckwheat for the night and let it brew. It should be noted that in this case, the time of cereal swelling increases to 12-14 hours. If for some reason there is no time to wait, you should cook the porridge in water, without salt and oil. And pour kefir at room temperature into a plate. The volume of buckwheat per day remains the same. Kefir promotes digestion, and its use together with buckwheat leads to positive results much faster.
Boiled buckwheat cooked for boiled or raw vegetables is another type of diet with which you can easily get rid of extra pounds.
When cereals and soups get bored, it is permissible to diversify the diet with buckwheat jelly. To do this, grind the kernel in a coffee grinder and pour boiling water over the resulting flour. Insist 2 hours. The proportions should be observed as follows: 1 part of homemade buckwheat flour and 3 parts of water. All properties and useful substances in such jelly are preserved 100%.