The vegetable known as the iron storehouse turns out to be very easy to grow. Mom's hands were tired from picking it, but the whole family enjoyed it.

Why is amaranth so affectionately called the "vegetable of longevity"?

Amaranth is a herbaceous plant that usually grows upright. Spiny amaranth is the common name for species in the genus Amaranth, all of which have everlasting flowers, and some species grow wild.

The genus *Dioscorea* is believed to originate from Central and South America, but its genera and species are now found throughout the world .

Amaranth is quite nutritious. However, this vegetable also has several side effects, and improper use can negatively impact health.

In Vietnam, common varieties of amaranth include: red amaranth (purple amaranth), common amaranth, and spiny amaranth. This vegetable is used in cooking or as an ingredient in medicine.

In Vietnam, amaranth, red amaranth, and spiny amaranth are all used as food. Amaranth can be boiled, used in soups, or stir-fried, and is delicious and good for health.

Amaranth is also a familiar remedy in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Amaranth has a sweet taste and a cooling nature, with effects such as clearing heat, cooling the blood, promoting urination, disinfecting, and detoxifying. In addition, amaranth also helps treat constipation, headaches, facial flushing, etc.

In Mexico, amaranth is used as a binder in the pharmaceutical industry. In the Americas, spiny amaranth is also used as a dye, and its dried stems are used as fuel.

According to physician Bui Dac Sang (Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi Traditional Medicine Association), amaranth is one of the vegetables with the highest iron content among fresh vegetables.

Accordingly, every 100 grams of red amaranth contains approximately 11.8 mg of iron. With this abundant iron content, consuming amaranth will help increase hemoglobin and red blood cell counts. Therefore, it is a very beneficial food for patients with anemia.

Growing amaranth in styrofoam containers is simple; you'll harvest so much you'll never run out.

Amaranth is a very healthy vegetable. It's also very easy to grow, can be planted year-round, and adapts well to all weather conditions.

To grow amaranth in a styrofoam container, you will need: amaranth seeds, potting soil, a styrofoam container, and tools: a shovel and gloves.

Step 1: Soak the seeds in warm water at about 50 degrees Celsius for 2-4 hours.

Step 2: Sow the seeds in moist soil, using approximately 1g per 1m² each time.

Sow the amaranth seeds.

Step 3: You cover the surface of the newly sown soil with a thin layer of soil.

Step 4: Lightly water the soil with a gentle spray to keep it moist, then cover the styrofoam container for the first two days to help the seeds germinate more easily and quickly.

Growing amaranth in styrofoam containers is incredibly simple.

When the plant reaches a height of about 7cm, add more urea fertilizer, and continue fertilizing the plant every 7 days.

After 20-30 days, when the amaranth has grown tall and well, you can harvest it. Use scissors to cut the stems horizontally about 10cm from the ground. However, you shouldn't wait more than 45 days to harvest because the amaranth will become old and no longer fresh and delicious.

After harvesting the spinach, you should continue to add nutrients to the soil, such as worm compost, to prepare for the next crop.

Caring for spinach is extremely easy.

This vegetable has many health benefits - it's known as a storehouse of iron.

1. Vegetables that help control diabetes

Amaranth is a very good food for diabetics. Its high fiber content helps prevent diabetes and effectively stabilize blood sugar levels.

Furthermore, spinach is rich in magnesium, a substance that plays a role in treating diabetes, and protein, which helps reduce insulin levels in the blood. It also releases a hormone that reduces hunger and prevents overeating.

Given these benefits, diabetic patients should remember to include this vegetable in their daily diet to help improve their health. However, consult your doctor to ensure safety.

2. Vegetables that help strengthen bones

Amaranth is one of the vegetables that contains a high amount of calcium, making it very good for bone and joint health. 100g of amaranth leaves contains up to 267mg of calcium, meeting 50% of a person's daily calcium requirement.

For these reasons, this food is an excellent source of calcium for the body, helping to prevent bone diseases such as joint pain, osteoporosis, and seizures caused by calcium deficiency.

3. Vegetables that help prevent cancer

Amaranth contains anti-cancer properties, including antioxidant compounds such as vitamins E and C, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and lysine.

They eliminate harmful free radicals in the body, preventing the formation of malignant cells that cause cancer. Because of these benefits, amaranth is considered a superfood that can effectively help prevent cancer.

4. Vegetables that improve digestion

Amaranth contains two main components: water and fiber, which make up 88% of its composition, and protein, which accounts for 2.11%, relatively higher than other vegetables.

Thanks to its abundant fiber content (three times more than wheat), this vegetable not only helps stabilize blood sugar but also effectively improves digestion, prevents constipation, and treats indigestion.

The water boiled from this vegetable is also effective in treating diarrhea, bleeding, and dehydration.

5. Vegetables that aid weight loss

If you're on a weight loss diet, add spinach to your meals to quickly regain your ideal figure.

The reason is that eating amaranth regularly helps eliminate bad cholesterol that is harmful to the body, while also preventing cardiovascular diseases and reducing blood fat levels.

Moreover, spinach is rich in fiber, which helps create a feeling of fullness, reduces appetite, and therefore helps you control your weight.

6. Vegetables that help improve skin complexion

Amaranth is a very beneficial vegetable for women. Not only does it help naturally "boost blood production" in the body, but it also contains compounds that help fight inflammation, prevent skin infections, and effectively improve skin appearance.

Additionally, due to its strong astringent properties, this vegetable can treat acne, shrink pores, restore skin, and address several other skin problems.

Although amaranth is extremely nutritious, to ensure the body fully absorbs its nutrients, people should note that this vegetable should not be reheated multiple times to guarantee health safety.

The reason is that when reheated multiple times, the nitrates in amaranth leaves are converted into nitrites. These are carcinogenic substances and are not good for young children.

Things to keep in mind when eating amaranth.

According to herbalist Bui Hong Minh: "Although this vegetable has many medicinal uses and is not poisonous, eating more of it is not necessarily better. The reason is that amaranth has a cooling and heat-clearing nature, so people with diarrhea should ideally avoid it. Pregnant women, whose bodies are easily susceptible to colds, are also advised not to eat amaranth for the safety of both mother and child."

According to herbalist Bui Hong Minh, if you eat red amaranth, you shouldn't combine it with blood pudding because it can cause diarrhea, and you shouldn't eat it with turtle meat because it can easily produce toxins, causing food poisoning.

Furthermore, you shouldn't eat pears when eating spinach, or even use pears as a dessert immediately after eating spinach. This can easily lead to vomiting and digestive problems.

Amaranth is a type of leafy vegetable, so if you don't finish it, don't hesitate to leave it overnight or reheat it multiple times. However, vegetable soups left overnight will produce a significant amount of nitrates. If left for too long after cooking, bacteria will decompose the nitrates, turning them into nitrites – a carcinogenic substance.

Who should avoid eating spinach?

Amaranth is delicious, refreshing, and popular in the summer, but besides its role as food, it is also an inexpensive medicine in traditional Eastern medicine. Therefore, certain groups of people should absolutely avoid eating this vegetable, or if they wish to use it, they should consult a doctor and use it cautiously.

This type of food is not suitable for some people, such as those with a cold constitution, pregnant women, people with rheumatism, gout, and kidney stones.

Additionally, you should avoid eating amaranth with pork belly and limit reheating amaranth multiple times as it can be harmful to your health.

Source: https://danviet.vn/loai-rau-duoc-menh-danh-la-kho-chua-sat-hoa-ra-lai-rat-de-trong-me-hai-moi-tay-ca-nha-an-da-mieng-2024030516211666.htm