Buckwheat: the oldest superfood that just became new again

When I used to visit my dear neighbor Tina, she would whip up a dish that was so tasty, I would dream about it each time I visited, and so easy, that when I called her to give her a 20 minute heads up, a plate of with steam arising would be at my spot as I walked through her door.

Kasha, as known by Eastern Europeans who grew up eating these classic buckwheat groats is nothing new or revolutionary, but what I didn’t know at the time, was how darn healthy it was. While her version was sautéed with some good heart healthy olive oil and prebiotic packed onions, shallots garlic, buckwheat, is well known and loved for many, many reasons.

For instance, this summer, I was reading a new book as I tackled my hormonal imbalance caused by my PCOS, when I came across the excerpt in the book praising buckwheat. Instantly, I realized it was what Tina and her ancestors grew up with and called soul food, and indeed it was. The gluten-free grain, is in fact a pseudocereal, that like quinoa and amaranth, are seeds that are consumed as cereal grains but don’t grow on grasses, making it accessible, cheap and natural.

I also discovered that the filling carb is an excellent source of fiber, and antioxidants, with plenty of naturally occurring minerals. Manganese for healthy metabolism, Copper for heart health, and Iron for your blood. But the reigning health factor, which in my mind, makes it something we should all consume for breakfast, lunch and dinner (possibly even a snack), is its ability to lower blood sugar. In a long-known study, buckwheat is credited in aiding in managing Diabetes, as researchers credit the active ingredient chiro-inositol, rarely found in other foods, to be responsible in lowering blood sugar.

So yes, the superfood is not new at all, but it has a new meaning in my eyes, and I owe Tina extra credit points for knowing how healing that dish was. So every time I start my day with some buckwheat hot cereal, or buckwheat flour pancakes, or even attempt to make Kasha as she made me all that time ago, I know to take an extra bite to good health, long life, and dear friends to share it with. Thank you Tina!