Is Amaranth Paleo?

07/15/2014 by Caitlin

After quinoa – the gold of the Andes – left Peru and found its way into popular diets around the world, a variety of other unknown plants and ancient grains have begun moving into the world of American “healthy” foods. Just because traditional South American cultures have been consuming it for a few hundred years doesn’t mean its history stretches into the Paleolithic era. Let’s take a look at one such food item that is making its way into health food stores around the country: Amaranth. Is it Paleo?

What is Amaranth?

Amaranth is much like quinoa, it is a gluten-free seed that is cooked and treated like a cereal grain. It is not in the cereal family though, so cannot be classified as a grain. The common name amaranth refers to more than sixty different species of tall plants with broad leaves and bright flowers, often used as a vegetable, a grain, or an ornamental accessory. It dates back centuries as a staple grain in both Mexico and Peru, where it is still popular, often popped like popcorn and mixed with honey, or cooked into a porridge-like consistency. You often see it pop up in flour form as an ingredient in gluten-free baking.