Updated June 08, 2015.

Amaranth (Amaranthus spp) is increasingly being included in a variety of health foods, largely due to its healthy properties and studies suggesting its ability to lower cholesterol levels. Not only are there more commercially prepared foods available containing amaranth, there are also more recipes that are including this heart-healthy whole grain. If you are looking for ways to include amaranth in your cholesterol-lowering diet, try some of these healthy recipes and tips:

How to Prepare Amaranth

Breads and Cereals

Cereals and breads are the more common foods that will include amaranth. There are a variety of ways to prepare these foods, including adding other grains along with it, such as quinoa or oats, or even adding chopped nuts or fruit to give your bread or cereal a little more flavor. When preparing your breads, you should use fruit, a low-fat or phytosterol-rich spread so that you are not adding an increased amount of saturated fat to your meal.

Multigrain Muffins with Quinoa, Amaranth, and Bran

Whole Wheat Amaranth Bread

Amaranth Fruit and Nut Cereal

Soups and Sides

Whether you want to prepare a small meal or a side dish, amaranth is a flexible ingredient that can be used in practically any soup or side. You can prepare it to consume plain or add your favorite vegetables to give amaranth additional flavor. Although there are plenty of recipes to try, you can substitute amaranth for other grains in your current recipes that call for rice, barley, or quinoa.

When preparing your amaranth sides, you should make sure that you use low-fat alternatives to any full-fat ingredient that you use, such as milk or cheese. For example, if the recipe calls for sour cream, you can use a low-fat version or plain Greek yogurt instead. Looking to spice up your amaranth even more? If so, try adding pepper or spices such as rosemary or sage instead of reaching for the salt and butter.

Amaranth Chicken Stew

Cream of Vegetable Soup with Amaranth

Tomato Bean Soup with Amaranth

Main Course

Because amaranth is chock-full of protein and soluble fiber, it will leave you full and satisfied after your meal. Amaranth can be included anywhere, whether you are in the mood for stir fry or just using it as an addition to your main course. During your meal preparation, use healthy oils high in unsaturated fat, such as olive oil or vegetable oil, if you are cooking your amaranth with other foods in a pan. In preparations that call for egg, you can use an egg substitute instead to avoid adding more cholesterol to the dish. If your recipe calls for ground beef, you can substitute ground poultry instead to reduce the amount of saturated fat added. If you absolutely need to have animal meat in the meal, make sure that you use leaner cuts of meat and remove any visible pieces of fat from the meat before cooking. The following recipes are examples of the many ways that amaranth can be used in your meals:

Weeknight Skillet Chicken with Kale, Tomatoes, Amaranth & Quinoa

Amaranth Quiche Recipe

Amaranth Scallion Cakes

Pre-Packaged Foods

Many manufacturers have gotten wind of the health

<sub>Sources:

Caselato-Sousa VM, Amaya-Farfan Jaime. State of knowledge on amaranth grain: a comprehensive review. J Food Sci 2012;77:R93-R104</sub>