Amaranth spinosus: nutrition per 100 g

1. 01

   Top leafy green for magnesium

   At 202 mg per 100 g, spiny amaranth ranks 1st of 26 leafy vegetables and 24th of 242 foods for magnesium. 100 g of raw leaves covers 46 per cent of a man's daily requirement and 55 per cent of a woman's.

2. 02

   Iron that ranks 2nd in its group

   The 6.37 mg iron per 100 g ranks 31st of 242 foods. That is 34 per cent of a man's requirement and 22 per cent of a woman's, whose need is higher. Eating the leaves with lemon or tomato helps the body absorb more of it.

3. 03

   Zinc, rare in a leaf

   Its 1.57 mg zinc per 100 g ranks 1st among leafy vegetables, though at 9 per cent of a man's requirement it is a supporting source. Zinc is needed for wound healing, growth and the sense of taste.

4. 04

   Calcium and vitamin C

   100 g supplies 359 mg calcium, about 36 per cent of the adult requirement, and 82.6 mg vitamin C, 103 per cent of a man's daily need. Short cooking keeps more of the vitamin C than long stewing does.

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.

• Mulla thotakura pappu: the young tops stripped from their stems and cooked into toor dal with tamarind and a garlic tempering.
• A dry saag with garlic and dried red chilli, eaten with pakhala or plain rice in Odisha.
• Mixed into a monsoon saag of several wild greens, the way village kitchens in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh cook them together.
• Chopped fine and kneaded into bajra or jowar roti dough with green chilli and salt.
• Folded into besan for a quick pakoda, using only the tender leaves at the tip.

Spiny amaranth is usually foraged, so where it grows matters more than with a market green. Avoid plants from roadsides, drain edges or fields that have just been sprayed, since the leaves can take up whatever is in the soil and on the surface. Wear gloves or pinch carefully, use only the soft top leaves, and wash them well. Like other amaranths, it carries oxalate, so people with a history of kidney stones should ask their doctor how often to eat it.

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 leaves (chaulai)

  Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.

• Bathua leaves

  Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.

• Ponnaganni

  Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.

• Spinach

  Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.

• Gongura (gogu) leaves

  Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.

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