Himalaya Real Organic Company

Raw amaranth grain is inedible to humans and cannot be digested. Thus it has to be prepared and cooked like other grains. Another table below suggests cooked amaranth is a promising source of nutrition comparable to wheat bread—higher in some nutrients and lower in others.

The protein contained in amaranth is of an unusually high quality, according to Educational Concerns For Hunger Organization (ECHO). The actual nutritional value of amaranth as human food is less than would be expected from raw amaranth grain data. According to ECHO, this is due to anti-nutritional factors in raw amaranth grain. Examples of anti-nutritional factors present in amaranth include oxalates, nitrates, saponins and phenolic compounds. Cooking methods such as boiling amaranth in water and then discarding the water may reduce the grain's toxic effects.

Amaranth grain is particularly high in lysine, an amino acid found in low quantities in other grains. Amaranth grain is deficient in essential amino acids such as leucine and threonine – both of which are present in wheat germ. Amaranth grain is free of gluten, which is important for people with gluten intolerance.