Buckwheat Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits

Buckwheat Nutrition Facts

Buckwheat belongs to a group of foods commonly called pseudocereals.

Pseudocereals are seeds that are consumed as cereal grains but don’t grow on grasses. Other common pseudocereals include quinoa and amaranth.

Despite its name, buckwheat is not related to wheat and is thus gluten-free.

It’s used in buckwheat tea or processed into groats, flour, and noodles. The groats, used in much the same way as rice, are the main ingredient in many traditional European and Asian dishes.

Buckwheat has become popular as a health food due to its high mineral and antioxidant content. Its benefits may include improved blood sugar control.

Buckwheat nutrition facts ,Two types of buckwheat, common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) and Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tartaricum), are most widely grown for food.

Buckwheat nutrition facts , buckwheat is mainly harvested in the northern hemisphere, especially in Russia, Kazakhstan, China, and Central and Eastern Europe.

This article tells you everything you need to know about buckwheat.

Carbs are the main dietary component of buckwheat. Protein and various minerals and antioxidants are also present.

The Buckwheat nutrition facts, buckwheat is considerably higher than that of many other grains. The nutrition facts for 3.5 ounces (100 grams) of raw buckwheat are (1Trusted Source):

• Calories: 343
• Water: 10%
• Protein: 13.3 grams
• Carbs: 71.5 grams
• Sugar: 0 grams
• Fiber: 10 grams
• Fat: 3.4 grams

Buckwheat Nutrition Facts – Carbs

Buckwheat mainly consists of carbs, which make up about 20% of boiled groats by weight (2).

They come in the form of starch, which is carbs’ primary storage form in plants.

Buckwheat scores low to medium on the glycemic index (GI) — a measure of how quickly a food raises blood sugar after a meal — and should not cause unhealthy spikes in blood sugar levels .

Some of the soluble carbs in buckwheat, such as fagopyritol and D-chiro-inositol, have been shown to help moderate the rise in blood sugar after meals

Fiber

Buckwheat contains a decent amount of fiber, which your body cannot digest. This nutrient is good for colon health.

By weight, fiber makes up 2.7% of boiled groats and is mainly composed of cellulose and lignin.

Fiber is concentrated in the husk, which coats the groat. The husk is kept in dark buckwheat flour, giving it a unique flavor.

Additionally, the husk contains resistant starch, which is resistant to digestion and is thus categorized as fiber

Resistant starch is fermented by gut bacteria in your colon. These beneficial bacteria produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), such as butyrate.

Butyrate and other SCFAs serve as nutrition for the cells lining your colon, improving gut health and decreasing your risk of colon cancer

Protein

Buckwheat contains small amounts of protein.

By weight, protein composes 3.4% of boiled buckwheat groats.

Because of its well-balanced amino acid profile, the protein in buckwheat is very high quality. It is particularly rich in the amino acids lysine and arginine.

However, the digestibility of these proteins is relatively low because of antinutrients like protease inhibitors and tannins (5, 13Trusted Source).

In animals, buckwheat protein has proven effective at lowering blood cholesterol, suppressing gallstone formation, and reducing the risk of colon cancer (13Trusted Source, 14, 15Trusted Source, 16Trusted Source, 17Trusted Source).

Like other pseudocereals, buckwheat is gluten-free and therefore suitable for people with gluten intolerance.