Buckwheat
The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that half of the grain that consumers eat should be whole grains. FDA dieticians recommend eating at least 3 ounces of whole-grain cereals, breads, crackers, rice or pasta every day. Buckwheat is one of the many grains officially identified as a whole grain by the FDA.
Buckwheat is a unique whole grain, because it can be used by people with gluten allergies. Many people that have mild and unknown gluten allergies (gluten is the protein in wheat. People can be allergic to wheat the same way they are allergic to pollen) often have a difficult time losing weight because their bodies are having a constant allergic reaction to the gluten they eat. For those that have tried everything to lose weight, it could well be that you have a mild allergies to gluten. Buckwheat is a whole grain that contains no gluten, providing necessary carbohydrates without the allergy, or possibility of it. Therefore, Buckwheat is more complete grain and offers a healthier and more efficient solution for those trying to lose weight, especially in their starch monitoring.
This gluten free herb is now being used by people with wheat allergies as a healthy starch. It also improves glucose tolerance in diabetic patients by increasing sensitivity of beta cells to glucose. Not only does it alleviate gluten and glucose allergies, but it is also found to be anti-allergenic, and its hulls are used in non-allergenic pillows.
Buckwheat also contains rutin, used to help keep arterial vessels healthy. It is also used for improving glucose tolerance in patients with diabetes by increasing the sensitivity of beta cells to glucose.
Rutin also combines with Iron Fe (2+), keeping it from binding and becoming a dangerous reactive free radical. Rutin acts as a scavenging antioxidant and has been shown to inhibit cell break down caused by these free radicals.
Finally, buckwheat has been shown to lower cholesterol in the bloodstream by binding with cholesterol molecules.