Amaranth leaves (chaulai): nutrition per 100 g

1. 01

   Magnesium near the top

   At 194 mg per 100 g, amaranth leaves rank 2nd of 26 leafy vegetables and 29th of 242 foods for magnesium. Raw chaulai at 100 g supplies 44 per cent of a man's magnesium need and 52 per cent of a woman's.

2. 02

   Calcium for a vegetarian plate

   The 330 mg calcium per 100 g ranks 20th of 242 foods, about a third of the adult requirement. Amaranth also carries oxalate, which binds part of that calcium, so the leaf supports a calcium-aware diet without replacing milk, curd or ragi.

3. 03

   Vitamin C and beta-carotene

   100 g of raw leaves gives 83.5 mg vitamin C, 104 per cent of a man's requirement and 128 per cent of a woman's. Its 8553 micrograms of beta-carotene ranks 4th of 160 foods and 4th within its group.

4. 04

   Iron, with a helper built in

   Green amaranth carries 4.64 mg iron per 100 g, 24 per cent of a man's requirement and 16 per cent of a woman's. Plant iron is absorbed poorly on its own, but the leaf's own vitamin C, if not cooked away, improves uptake.

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.

• Thotakura pappu in Andhra Pradesh: chopped leaves cooked into toor dal with tamarind, garlic and a red chilli tempering.
• Keerai masiyal in Tamil Nadu: leaves boiled soft, mashed with a wooden mathu and seasoned with cumin and shallots.
• Cheera thoran in Kerala: red or green leaves stir-fried with coconut, shallots and green chilli until just wilted.
• Chaulai aloo in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar: leaves and diced potato cooked dry with garlic and a pinch of ajwain.
• Lal math bhaji in Maharashtra: red amaranth sauteed with garlic and a handful of soaked moong dal.

Amaranth leaves, like spinach, contain oxalate. It binds some of the calcium and iron in the same meal and adds to the oxalate load for people who form calcium oxalate kidney stones. Boiling the leaves and discarding the water lowers oxalate, though it also leaches some vitamin C and folate. Anyone who has had kidney stones should ask their doctor or dietitian how often to eat high-oxalate greens. The leaves also trap soil in their stems, so wash them in two or three changes of water.

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.

• Amaranth spinosus

  Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.

• Spinach

  Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.

• Amaranth seed (rajgira)

  Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.

• Basella leaves

  Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.

• Fenugreek leaves (methi)

  Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.

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