Can You Talk About Buckwheat?

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Can you talk about buckwheat? This is JJ Virgin, four time New York Times best selling author, celebrity nutrition expert and Fitness hall of Famer. I've been on a lifelong quest for answers to the toughest health questions and now I'm sharing what I found with you.

Welcome to Ask the Health Expert.

Mati Matab from Instagram asks, can you talk about buckwheat? I'm thinking it's a good source of protein and fiber. Do you agree? Hey, it's JJ and I've got my pal, health coach and healthy chef Maru Davila here to answer this question. So, Maru was born in Mexico City and immigrated to the US to go to Harvard undergrad and B school. A few of her many business ventures included co founding two banks in San Diego. And then she made this big career change when she realized she needed to turn her health around and started competing in triathlons and learned to cook at age 40. Now she's known as the Healthy Mexican Food Chef and her Healthy Mexican food recipes are so delicious you will feel like you are cheating.

Seriously.

One of my favorites is her guacamole ice cream. Yep, that's a thing. And I'm still dreaming of it. We'll be right back to answer this question. Stay with me.

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JJ I love this question. Let me tell you how I discovered buckwheat. Seven years ago I found that I had a non celiac gluten sensitivity and an allergy to corn, among many other bad things. Avoiding gluten and corn became a must for me. It was affecting me in so many ways. For example my weight, my mood, my gut, my health. And sadly, I had to cut off all breads, pasta, tortillas, pitas and all the things I love. After several years I realized I missed them all. So I went on a mission to find gluten free alternatives that were healthier, not just gluten free junk. I first discovered buckwheat at a local vegan gluten free restaurant where they used it to make pizzas and breads and pitas and tacos. I loved it. However, I thought I would not be able to eat it this often. I knew that buckwheat has a high carb content and I'm predisposed to high blood sugar, so I have to watch my carbs. Fortunately, through my research, I discovered that buckwheat, despite the high carbs, can actually help control blood sugar. Can you imagine that? That was very happy. I found out that it also has more nutrients than most other grains. So it's really a great alternative for people like me who can't eat gluten or need to watch their carbs. Buckwheat is not related to wheat. I first thought it was, but it's not. It is gluten free, but it can be Cross contaminated. So if you have a problem like me with gluten, it is necessary to look for the gluten free certification in any buckwheat products you buy. Buckwheat is used to produce flours which are then used to prepare things like the tacos. I love the pita breads, pancakes, cookies and noodles. They use it for soba noodles which are popular in Japanese cuisine. And again, you gotta be careful because soba noodles can also contain wheat. The buckwheat grain can be cooked and served like oatmeal and it is called kasha when it's prepared this way. As I said, it is high in carbs. But as you know, not all high carbs are created equal. And as I will discuss, buckwheat has powerful nutrients that provide you with a variety of benefits. It is a much healthier option compared to rice, corn and wheat. So let me share you seven of the many benefits that buckwheat has. First, a small 3.5 ounce serving gives you 13 grams of high quality plant based protein with all the essential amino acids. Second, this size serving has 10 grams of fiber including some resistant starch. I do know that I've heard you talk a lot about the many benefits of resistant starch which is great for gut health and beneficial for helping you get to a healthy weight. Now if you're interested in the resistant starch, the boiled grain would have the highest levels versus like the flour. Third, buckwheat has high levels of powerful antioxidant called dichiro inositol. This antioxidant can help lower blood sugar and increase insulin sensitivity. In fact, buckwheat is the richest source available or known of this plant compound. I learned that in animal studies, a single dose of a buckwheat concentrate was able to lower glucose by 12 to 19% when it was fed to lab animals with diabetes and there was no reduction in the control animals. The fourth benefit is that buckwheat has high levels of powerful antioxidants that protect cells from the damage of free radicals and they can also help prolong the activity of vitamin C. This will provide you with a lasting boost in your immune system and protection from the damage of free radicals. Fifth, buckwheat has high levels of several B vitamins that are essential for maintaining good health and for many key things like energy, brain function and cell metabolism. 6 Buckwheat is a good source of important minerals like magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, zinc, iron and selenium. These minerals support the immune system, blood sugar balance and energy production, among many other benefits. Buckwheat has a higher content of these key minerals compared to rice, wheat and corn, and it is lower in phytic acid, a substance in grains and seeds that inhibits mineral absorption and could lead to mineral deficiencies. Seventh, buckwheat provides important benefits that support heart health. For example, in it has this compound called rutin that prevents the formation of blood clots and reduces inflammation and blood pressure. It also has a type of protein that prevents cholesterol from entering your blood, which could improve your cholesterol profile. And on top of these, buckwheat's antioxidants appear to protect the bad cholesterol LDL from oxidizing, and that's the way it becomes a damaging compound. As you can see, jj, Buckwheat can be a great option for anybody and especially for people on a gluten free diet who will feel much better when they avoid those corn or rice based gluten free products.

This is JJ with Ask the Health Expert.

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