Amaranth seed (rajgira): nutrition per 100 g

1. 01

   The most iron of any grain

   Black rajgira has 9.33 mg iron per 100 g, 1st of 14 cereals and millets and 15th of 242 foods in IFCT 2017. That meets about 49 per cent of a man's daily requirement and 32 per cent of a woman's. Plant iron is absorbed less readily, so add lemon or amla to the meal.

2. 02

   Magnesium near the top of the table

   At 325 mg per 100 g, rajgira ranks 10th of 242 foods for magnesium. 100 g covers 74 per cent of a man's daily need and 88 per cent of a woman's, more than any other grain in the group.

3. 03

   Protein that actually counts

   With 14.6 g protein per 100 g, rajgira leads its group, ahead of quinoa. It supplies 27 per cent of a man's daily protein and 32 per cent of a woman's, which matters on fast days when dal and wheat are off the plate for many families.

4. 04

   Calcium strong, thiamine weak

   Calcium is 181 mg per 100 g, 3rd in the group, and vitamin B6 is 0.5 mg, about 21 per cent of a man's requirement. Thiamine is the weak point: 0.04 mg, the lowest of the 14 cereals and millets.

Values per 100 g of the edible portion. Source: Longvah T, Ananthan R, Bhaskarachary K, Venkaiah K. Indian Food Composition Tables 2017. National Institute of Nutrition, Indian Council of Medical Research, Hyderabad. Daily-need shares use the ICMR-NIN 2020 recommended dietary allowances for a 65 kg man and a 55 kg woman doing sedentary work (ICMR-NIN brief note). Nutrients IFCT did not analyse for this food are left out rather than shown as zero.

• Rajgira ladoo and chikki: popped seeds folded into melted jaggery and pressed into balls or bars, the classic fasting-day sweet.
• Rajgira puri or paratha: the flour kneaded with mashed boiled potato, since on its own it cracks when rolled.
• Rajgira sheera: the flour roasted in a little ghee, then cooked with milk and jaggery into a soft pudding.
• Popped ramdana stirred into curd or milk for a quick breakfast, or sprinkled over a bowl of fruit chaat.
• A handful of rajgira flour mixed into wheat or jowar roti dough adds iron and protein without changing the taste much.

Rajgira carries 5.7 g fat per 100 g, the most of any grain in its group, so the flour turns stale and bitter faster than wheat atta. Buy small packs and keep them airtight. Like other seeds it contains phytate, which holds back part of its iron and calcium; sprouting the seed lowers it, and eating it with a source of vitamin C helps the body take up more. Fasting versions are often fried or heavy with jaggery, so the ladoo is a treat rather than an iron plan. The seed has no gluten, but flour ground in a shared chakki can pick up wheat.

Food composition is general information, not a diet plan. Anyone managing a medical condition should plan their diet with a doctor or a registered dietitian.

• Quinoa

  Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.

• Ragi (finger millet)

  Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.

• Bajra (pearl millet)

  Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.

• Jaggery

  Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.

• Amaranth leaves (chaulai)

  Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.

All Indian foods · Nutrient tables · Food comparisons