Health Benefits- Buckwheat is a good source of protein needed to build and maintain muscles and other tissues throughout the body. The protein contains eight essential amino acids, which includes lysine, needed to produce antibodies, hormones, enzymes, and collagen in the body. Buckwheat is also a good source of dietary fiber which is needed for colon health and assists with balancing healthy cholesterol levels by binding to cholesterol in the digestive tract and efficiently removing it from the body. In addition, buckwheat provides manganese, a trace mineral essential to the body’s enzyme’s systems which helps keep bones healthy and helps synthesize fatty acids. Buckwheat also contains magnesium, which has been shown to help maintain relaxed, normal muscle function and stabilize blood sugar and blood pressure, suggesting it may be effective in managing cardiovascular disease and disorders involving airway constriction and hypertension. Buckwheat contains various flavonoids including rutin, which may have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic properties. It also contains quercetin, shown to halt the growth of tumors in animals and protect colon cells from certain cancer-causing substances. Quercetin may also act as an anti-inflammatory and protect against allergic responses.

Preparation- Generally, you can find buckwheat in grocery stores or specialty natural food stores in the same manner you would find rice, oats. Keeping it in an air-tight container in the fridge will preserve its freshness the longest. You can use it to make a hot cereal just as you would oatmeal, add some buckwheat to a soup or stew, or use buckwheat flour the next time you make bread or dough for pizza crust.