We all know from childhood what buckwheat is and we have a good idea of the cereal from which it is made. It is believed that this is a very healthy and useful product, but it turns out that in order for buckwheat grains to last longer, they are subjected to such severe heat treatment that you can forget about the many properties that this cereal is famous for. Many may be surprised, but the real buckwheat is green! This is exactly what this cereal should look like if it is not fried, as most manufacturers do, but simply peeled using a special technology that does not involve exposure to high temperatures.
Today, the fashion for naturalness is back, and green buckwheat is already available in many stores. It is sometimes even more expensive than the usual brown cereals, this is because it is much more difficult to process such a product (try peeling raw and roasted peanuts - and you will understand what this is about), but in this case the additional costs are exactly justified! Green buckwheat is a “living” product, it has a milder taste and, moreover, it can germinate, as a result of which it becomes even more beneficial for the body.
Did you know? Back in the middle of the last century, the Soviet industry did not apply heat treatment to buckwheat and sold a green natural product. The technology of roasting was borrowed during the time of Nikita Khrushchev from the Americans, which made it possible to store the cereal much longer, but had a detrimental effect on the beneficial qualities of the final product.
Calorie and composition of green buckwheat
Green calorie in calories almost does not differ from the usual roasted or steamed cereals: 100 g of the product contains 310-340 kcal.
Compared with other cereals, the product is thus quite high in calories.
Important! When cooking sprouted green buckwheat caloric content of the product is reduced three times!
Green buckwheat in its composition looks much more attractive than croup, which has undergone heat treatment. This is easily verified by comparing the following parameters:
| Composition, %: | Green | Brown |
| Squirrels | 15 | 13 |
| Fat | 2,5 | 3,6 |
| Carbohydrates | 62 | 58,2 |
| Starch | 70 | 61 |
| Mono - and disaccharides | 2 | 1,1 |
| Cellulose | 1,3 | 1,1 |
| Ash elements | 2,2 | 1,3 |
"Live" buckwheat groats are rich in vitamins of group B, it contains iron, calcium, iodine, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, fluorine, sulfur, necessary for the human body. The quality of the protein contained in buckwheat allows you to replace meat, fish and eggs.
In addition, natural buckwheat has about 18 different amino acids, including linolenic, maleic, malic, oxalic, citric and others. Green buckwheat contains flavonoids, which also compares favorably with roasted. Lysine, which is part of green buckwheat, is absent in other cereals.
What is useful "live" buckwheat for the body?
Green buckwheat has, without exception, the beneficial properties of roasted cereals, but, given the lack of heat treatment, these indicators in the "live" product is much higher.
Green buckwheat is a natural antioxidant, has a beneficial effect on the state of the circulatory system, strengthens blood vessels, prevents cardiovascular diseases, improves the composition of the skin and hair, prevents premature aging of the body. The product is recommended for high blood pressure and diabetes, as well as ischemia, leukemia, anemia, atherosclerosis.
In the green buckwheat there is no gluten, in connection with which it is shown to people predisposed to celiac disease.
Vitamin P contained in untreated buckwheat has a beneficial effect on the gastrointestinal tract, improves the functioning of the liver, intestines, and pancreas. Green buckwheat contributes to the tightening of gastric and duodenal ulcers, removes heavy metals and other toxic substances from the body, as well as cholesterol, improves metabolic processes.
We should also mention the indispensable role of green buckwheat for weight loss. Included in buckwheat complex carbohydrates have the ability to split for a long time, so that the body receives a large amount of energy, but at the same time long felt satiety. That is why nutritionists use porridge from natural buckwheat as a basis for the diet of people who want to lose weight.
Did you know? High calorie buckwheat is not an obstacle to its use for those who are going to lose weight, because the product is very well absorbed due to the unique characteristics of the protein, unsaturated vegetable fats and fiber, which is almost twice as much in buckwheat than in other cereals.
And finally, since today green buckwheat is sold as an environmentally friendly product, this is a guarantee that when it was grown, no pesticides and genetically modified organisms were used - everything is only natural and natural.
As stated above, The main difference between green buckwheat and brown is the ability to germinate it. It is in the presence of buckwheat seedlings that the benefit of this product is best disclosed. When germinating in the composition of buckwheat, the amount of vitamins of group B and E increases, and ascorbic acid is synthesized, which is practically absent in un-grown buckwheat. Sprouted green buckwheat is recommended to be used by athletes, as well as people leading an active lifestyle and experiencing serious physical exertion.
Sprouted buckwheat included in the menu can greatly benefit the exhausted body and help it cope with the negative impact of various external factors (poor ecology, stress, etc.), as far as harm to this product is concerned, today it is practically not revealed.
How to germinate green buckwheat
It is quite easy to sprout green buckwheat, and the whole procedure takes no more than a day.
So, we wash the croup well, changing water several times and getting rid of foreign particles and grains that float to the surface (a grain that does not drown will not give a germ).
We put on the horizontal surface folded gauze in several layers, spread the wet croup on one half, cover it with the other half.
We leave for some time (from 14 to 24 hours), but every 7-8 hours we additionally moisten the top layer of gauze so that the croup remains moist.
Before use, sprouted groats should be gently rinsed, however, if you are not confused by light mucus and not very pleasant smell, you can not do this.
Important! You can store sprouted green buckwheat in the refrigerator for three days, but it is better to use the product at once, for which you should soak just as much cereals as you need at one time.
How to cook green buckwheat
Green buckwheat can be cooked the same way as roasted cereals (only it will be ready a little faster - ten minutes is enough), but, in addition, you can cook more original dishes from this product.
For cooking buckwheat porridge (we already know how to germinate green buckwheat) the prepared cereal is poured into boiling water (2.5 cups of water for 1 cup of buckwheat), brought to a boil, removed from the heat and infused for a quarter of an hour. During this time, the croup absorbs water and at the same time retains all its beneficial substances as much as possible. If you want to get a hot, nutritious and very healthy lunch at work, in the morning you can pour boiling water into a thermos in the morning, where the germinated seeds are pre-filled, and after a few hours enjoy the result, without departing from the workplace.
Porridge made from green buckwheat for variety of taste and enhancement of useful properties can be combined with raw or stewed vegetables and fruits, adding to the dish favorite spicy herbs. For this purpose, perfect carrots, all kinds of cabbage, apples, pears. Try adding prunes, raisins, dried apricots and other dried fruits to buckwheat - and the dish will not seem so boring to you.
Contraindications and possible harm
Strange as it may seem, there are certain contraindications for the use of buckwheat. In fairness it should be said that they relate to buckwheat in general, and not just green buckwheat.
Do not abuse the buckwheat people suffering from increased blood clottingas the rutin contained in croup will only exacerbate this problem.
There are cases of constipation in children of preschool age, who were constantly given dry buckwheat.
The protein contained in buckwheat may not be tolerated or poorly absorbed by a specific person - this is an individual property of the organism that must be considered.
Finally, if in pursuit of a slender figure there is only buckwheat for weeks, you can get serious health problems.
As you can see, the harm and contraindications to the use of buckwheat are minimal and boil down mainly to the basic respect for the sense of proportion. The rest of the green buckwheat - a very useful product, use it always instead of the usual roasted cereals, especially since it is much tastier!
