I first heard about amaranth back in the 1970s in the context of the “back-to-the-land” movement. It was one of those exotic-sounding foods you’d never find at the local Safeway. Hippie chicks in their flowing tie-dye skirts talked of baking bread with amaranth flour and adding the grains to oats and dried fruit in granola cookies. In other words … not exactly something you’d find next to the Frosted Flakes in the average American home.

Today we can find amaranth cereal and even whole-grain amaranth in the aisles of any well-stocked supermarket, alongside quinoa and other once-rare commodities. It’s often lumped into the “grains” category, but it is in fact the seed of a cereal-like herb. It’s amazingly versatile and deserves its place as a highly regarded “superfood.”

The Aztecs greatly revered amaranth, and used it not only as a dietary staple, but also in their worship rituals. They must have recognized the extremely concentrated nutrition in this compact, gluten-free seed, which in recent years has experienced a resurgence in popularity.

When it comes to fulfilling our protein and calcium nutrition requirements, amaranth is hard to beat. Pregnant women, infants, children, senior citizens, and athletes especially can greatly benefit by making this tasty seed a part of their regular diet.

Vegetarians, too, would do well to make amaranth a pantry essential. Amaranth has an extremely high protein complex, with unusually concentrated amounts of lysine, an amino acid rarely found in plants. A combination of amaranth and other low-lysine grain, such as wheat, creates a very high amino acid profile, even higher than those found in meats and other animal products.

Do you avoid dairy products, due to allergies or a vegan diet? A daily serving of amaranth is the perfect way to get the calcium you need to build and maintain bone health – it contains more calcium, and the supporting calcium cofactors (magnesium and silicon), than milk. The calcium found in amaranth is therefore highly absorbable and easily utilized by the body.

Why Amaranth is Considered a Superfood

Nutrition profile of a 1-cup serving of amaranth (cooked):

• 9 grams protein and 5 grams dietary fiber
• Low-sodium – 15mg (1% Daily Value)
• Estimated glycemic load of 21 (target total is 100 or less per day)
• Percent Daily Values of the following essential nutrients: 105% manganese, 40% magnesium, 36% phosphorus, 29% iron, 19% selenium, 18% copper, 12% calcium, 14% Vitamin B6, 14% folate.

 The Story of Amaranth

Amaranth was eaten by pre-agricultural hunter-gatherers in both North and South America. In Mexico, amaranth was domesticated circa 5,000 B.C. along with maize, beans, and gourds. The plant was domesticated independently in the Andes, despite their being relatively little contact between the Mayans and Aztecs, the two great centers of civilization in the New World.

Amaranth was the centerpiece for the winter festivities honoring the Aztec deity Huitzilopochtli, a blue hummingbird god. (Hummingbirds feed on amaranth flowers.) The Aztec month of Panquetzaliztli (December 7-26) was dedicated to Huitzilopochtli. This was one of the more important festivals, and the people prepared for the whole month. They fasted while a statue of the god was constructed of amaranth (huautli) seeds and honey, and at the end of the month, it was cut into small pieces so everybody could eat a little piece of the god.

After the Spanish conquest, cultivation of amaranth was outlawed in the New World. But it continued to thrive and today it is part of the traditional festivities surrounding Christmas; grains are toasted much like popcorn and mixed with honey, molasses or chocolate to make a treat called alegria, meaning “joy” in Spanish.

 How to Prepare Amaranth

Amaranth is delicious when combined with other grains such as millet and quinoa to make a light and fluffy pilaf. Try it in tabouli as a replacement for couscous. Add it to a salad, or stir it into soups or stews for a boost of high-quality protein. You may have seen amaranth sold in puffed form, as a cereal or granola ingredient; this is very easy to make yourself at home. Simply heat a skillet on the stove, add a couple tablespoons of uncooked amaranth, place a lid on top and swirl the pan until the seeds pop. You can combine puffed amaranth with nut butter and honey to make a delicious and simple energy bar.

To cook amaranth seeds: Boil 1 cup seeds in 2 1/2 cups water for 18-20 minutes. Don’t overcook them as they will become gummy!

For easier digestibility, soak amaranth seeds for 8-10 hours in cold water prior to cooking. You don’t need to do this, but some nutritionists say this extra step improves absorption of nutrients.

Amaranth has a mild, sweet, nutty flavor and you can enhance the flavor by gently sautéing the cooked seeds, as with quinoa.

“Feed your head!” may have been the rallying cry of the counterculture ’60s generation … but “Feed your brain!” is the new mantra for middle-aged baby boomers.

As I finished up the last blog post, Cognitive Decline High On List of Fears As We Age, and prepared to write Part 2 on nutrients for cognitive health support, suddenly I heard the topic being discussed everywhere!

The AARP magazine this month featured Brain Health Foods on the cover. Last night Dr. Oz had a specialist on his show  who shared his favorite foods with brain-boosting nutrients.

Great! People need to know this stuff, because cognitive decline is going to affect many of us as we age. The good news is that we can really be proactive in holding on to our mental acuity. All we need to do is follow the by-now familiar health mantra:

• Eat healthy foods.
• Exercise daily.
• Reduce stress.

That’s it in a nutshell.

Speaking of nuts, you’ll do well by your brain to include omega-3 fatty acids in your daily diet including walnuts, almonds and other kinds of nuts and seeds. Omega-3’s, which also can be found in olive oil, flax oil, and fatty fish such as salmon and sardines, support the healthy flow of blood to the brain.

(According to an interesting study at Chicago’s Rush Institute for Healthy Aging, eating fish once a week can slash your risk of developing Alzheimer’s by 60 percent.  Researchers followed 815 people, aged 65 to 94 years, for seven years and found that dietary intake of fish was strongly linked to Alzheimer’s risk. They found that the strongest link was the amount of DHA, a form of omega 3-fat found in fish. The higher a person’s DHA, the lower their risk of developing Alzheimer’s. )

Many vitamins including D, E and the B-complex vitamins, along with folic acid, support good blood flow to the brain – and this is likely the key to keeping your memory sharp and avoiding “brain fog.”

In addition to poor blood circulation, the enemy of healthy brain function is inflammation. Inflammatory reactions invariably mean increased production of oxidants, and hence an increased need for antioxidants such as vitamin A, beta-carotene, and vitamins C and E. Other antioxidants, including cysteine, glutathione, lipoic acid, anthocyanidins, and co-enzyme Q10 and melatonin are also important. In simple terms this means eating a lot more fresh fruit and vegetables – at least six portions a day – along with your omega-3-rich oily fish and seeds.

Sounds like the Mediterranean Diet, hmm? Read more here about the many benefits of following this fabulously healthy and delicious way of eating!

Greetings, resolute pilgrims on the journey to 2012 weight loss! Now that you’ve adopted the 9 Habits to Boost Your Metabolism, you’re in an excellent position to sidestep the pitfalls of the dreaded weight-loss “plateau”!

One more bit of advice to take along on your journey: Make sure that your shopping list includes these metabolism-quickening foods and beverages:

1. Calci-Yum: Go For It

Research shows that calcium can boost your basal metabolic rate. Green leafy veggies are ideal. And there’s no need to shy away from dairy products: studies have found that dairy lovers are less likely to develop metabolic syndrome, whose symptoms include high blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides, poor blood sugar control and increased abdominal obesity. Choose low-fat cheese when possible, and watch your portion size.

2. Spice It Up

Spicy foods contain chemical compounds that kick the metabolism into high gear. Eating a tablespoon of chopped red or green chili pepper can boost your metabolic rate. The effect is likely temporary, but if you eat spicy foods often, the benefits may add up. For a quick boost, spice up pasta dishes, chili, and stews with red pepper flakes.

3. Go Nuts

If you aren’t nibbling on a few almonds or walnuts every day, you may be missing out on some metabolism-boosting benefits. It is believed that the essential fatty acids and fiber contained in the nuts slow down digestion, therefore increasing satiation between meals. Almonds and other nuts, however, are high in calories (good calories). Just watch your portion sizes; a few could add up quickly.

4. An Apple a Day

Apples are loaded with fiber, making your body churn through more calories to digest it. Research shows that people who eat fruit while on a diet are more likely to lose weight and less likely to munch on sugary snacks than those people who do not eat fruit.

5. Protein Power

The body burns many more calories digesting protein than it uses for fat or carbohydrates. Protein may require almost 25 percent more energy to digest compared to fat. Although you want to eat a balanced diet, replacing some carbs with lean, protein-rich foods can jump-start the metabolism at mealtime. Healthy sources of protein include lean beef, turkey, fish, white meat chicken, tofu, nuts, beans, eggs, and low-fat dairy products.

6. Green Tea Benefits

Drinking green tea or oolong tea offers the combined benefits of caffeine and catechins, substances shown to rev up the metabolism for a couple of hours. Research suggests that drinking two to four cups of either tea may push the body to burn 17 percent more calories than normal for a short period of time.

7. Coffee Booster

If you’re a coffee drinker, you probably enjoy the increased energy and concentration that follows your morning ritual. Taken in moderation, one of coffee’s benefits may be a short-term increase in your metabolic rate.

Feeling SAD?

If you live in northern latitudes and your moods tend to hover at the low end of the emotional spectrum, this time of year may be especially tough to get through. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is becoming a familiar term, but there’s still a lot we don’t understand about it.

Most people know SAD has something to do with winter’s weakened sunlight taxing our spirits. Increasingly, researchers are linking the season’s trademark low mood with our bodies’ diminished capacity to manufacture Vitamin D – “the sunshine vitamin.”

Indeed, low levels of vitamin D have been linked to depression in a number of clinical studies. Now, psychiatric researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center working with the Cooper Center Longitudinal Study have confirmed this connection in what is believed to be the largest such investigation ever undertaken.

According to a write-up of the study in Science Daily:

“The scientists have not determined the exact relationship — whether low vitamin D contributes to symptoms of depression, whether depression itself contributes to lower vitamin D levels, or chemically how that happens. But vitamin D may affect neurotransmitters, inflammatory markers and other factors, which could help explain the relationship with depression, said Dr. Brown, who leads the psychoneuroendocrine research program at UT Southwestern.”

This finding has special significance at this time of year. Shorter days and cold winter weather urge residents of the northern hemisphere to spend more time indoors, curtailing their exposure to sunshine necessary for Vitamin D production.

Could a Vitamin D supplement be the answer?

A daily dose of vitamin D may just be what people in northern climates need to get through the long winter, according to researchers at Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing.

Says Loyola Professor Sue Penckofer, “Vitamin D deficiency continues to be a problem despite the nutrient’s widely reported health benefits. Chicago winters compound this issue when more people spend time away from sunlight, which is a natural source of vitamin D.”

In his best-selling book “Spontaneous Healing,” natural health guru Dr. Andrew Weil advises supplementing with Vitamin D, a solution he calls effective and inexpensive. In fact, the lack of Vitamin D is, Weil believes, the second most common and serious nutritional deficiency in our population (next to omega-3 fatty acids):

“Receptors for Vitamin D occur throughout the brain, and it appears to play an important role in the development and function of that organ, including the activity of neurotransmitters that affect mood. High vitamin D levels may protect against age-related cognitive decline. Low levels are associated with impaired cognitive function (especially in the elderly), seasonal affective disorder, depression, and even psychosis.”

Choosing to supplement: How much and how often

The best possible way to boost your Vitamin D levels is through skin exposure to sunlight. However, most of us, even if we live closer to the equator, fall short of optimal exposure. Why? Many factors diminish Vitamin D synthesis: obesity, dark pigmented skin, sunscreen, time of day, degree of latitude, clothing, exposure through glass, medications.

Vitamin D deficiency can be measured only through a blood test. Many health sources peg the normal range Vitamin D serum level at 32-50 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL).  This “normal” range is extremely conservative, according to the Vitamin D Council which strongly advocates that it should begin at a minimum of 50, rather than 32.

The widespread incidence of Vitamin D deficiency has become better known in recent years, prompting more health-care providers to screen their patients.

So, when it comes to supplements, how much is enough?

The Vitamin D Council reports that a healthy human body utilizes around 3,000-5,000 IU of vitamin D per day for proper functioning. Considering that current recommended intakes are in the range of 600 IU, the Council has come out with a statement that the current recommended intakes are not high enough to raise and/or maintain the vitamin D levels necessary for proper health.

Based on the body’s indicated daily vitamin D usage, Vitamin D Council recommends the following amounts of supplemental Vitamin D3 per day in the absence of proper sun exposure.

• Healthy children under the age of 1 year – 1,000 IU.
• Healthy children over the age of 1 year – 1,000 IU per every 25 pounds of body weight.
• Healthy adults and adolescents – at least 5,000 IU.
• Pregnant and lactating mothers – at least 6,000 IU.

How much is too much?

The U.S. Government’s Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) for vitamin D is set at 4,000 IU per day. The Vitamin D Council cites the opinion of many experts in the field that advise a maximum supplementation level of 10,000 IU. The Council’s official statement is as follows:

“Current expert consensus is that the U.S. Government UL for vitamin D is too low and that it should be raised to 10,000 IU per day. Since this is the amount one would naturally produce in their skin from sun exposure, it is considered safe.”

In most cases, patients with a deficiency are advised to take 10,000 IU of Vitamin D for several weeks, tapering off to 5,000 as blood serum levels return to normal. Thereafter, a daily supplement of 2,000 to 5,000 IU is recommended.

References:

Low Vitamin D Levels Linked to Depression, Psychiatrists Report (Science Daily, Jan. 5, 2012).

Vitamin D Lifts Mood During Cold Winter Months, Researchers Say (Science Daily, March 3, 2010).

Vitamin D Supplementation, Vitamin D Council website.

Weil, Andrew M.D., “Spontaneous Happiness.”  Little, Brown and Company, 2011.