Growing and eating amaranth leaves also called bitekuteku, rau den, or callaloo, in our Austin area food forest
During the hot summer months we love to grow and eat amaranth leaves. To be honest they are quite a weed here. Once you grow this summer staple , it comes back year after year.
Amaranth leaves are also called callaloo in Jamaica, bitekuteku in Congo, rau den in Vietnam. This green goes by many names around the world. It is a nutrient rich green. It is a storehouse of essential phytonutrients, minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants which help reduce inflammation in the body and provide a boost of nutrition to ones health.
Fresh 100g of leaf amaranth contains 29% of the Daily Recommended Intake (DRI) of iron.
Fresh amaranth leaves are one of the richest sources of vitamin C. 100g of fresh leaves carry 43.3 mg or 70% of the recommended daily intake of this vitamin.
Amaranth contains several vital antioxidant vitamins like vitamin A (2917 IU or over 97% of daily recommended levels per 100g) and flavonoid polyphenolic antioxidants such as lutein, zeaxanthin, and β-carotene. Together, these compounds act as protective scavengers against oxygen-derived and reactive free radicals oxygen species (ROS), playing a healing role in aging and various disease processes.
Amaranth greens perhaps have the highest concentrations of vitamin K of all the edible green-leafy vegetables. 100g of fresh greens provides 1140 μg or 950% of daily vitamin K requirements. Vitamin K plays a vital role in strengthening bone mass by promoting osteoblastic activity in bone cells. Additionally, it has an established role in patients with Alzheimer's disease by limiting neuronal damage in the brain.
Amaranth greens also contain ample amounts of B-complex vitamins such as folates, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), riboflavin, thiamin (vitamin B-1), and niacin. A folate-rich diet helps prevent neural tube defects in newborns.
Moreover, its leaves contain more potassium than spinach. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that help regulate heart rate and blood pressure.
Additionally, it has higher levels of other minerals than spinach, such as calcium, manganese, magnesium, copper, and zinc. The human body uses manganese and copper as co-factors for the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase. Copper is also required for the production of red blood cells. Zinc is a co-factor for many enzymes that regulate growth and development, digestion, and nucleic acid synthesis.
Similar to other greens like spinach and kale, amaranth in the diet helps prevent osteoporosis (weakness of bones) and iron-deficiency anemia.
