Table 3.

Nutritional advantages of pseudo-cereals (amaranth, buckwheat and quinoa).

Nutritional Characteristics of Amaranth, Buckwheat and Quinoa
High fiber content, 7–10 g/100 g, approximately the same as wheat fiber 9.5 g/100 g.
High protein content, 10.9%–15.2% of dry mass vs. 11.7% of dry mass in wheat.
High quality amino acids: lysine, arginine, histidine, methionine and cysteine.
Source of unsaturated fatty acids, in particular, α-linolenic acid.
High content of folic acid: quinoa and amaranth, 78.1 µg/100 g and 102 µg/100 g, respectively, vs. 40 µg/100 g in wheat.
Source of vitamins: B2, B6, riboflavin, vitamin C and E.
Source of minerals: the content is twice as high as in other cereals.