It is well known that buckwheat has useful properties: its use helps to normalize blood sugar levels, enrich the body with important amino acids and increase stamina. But many mistakenly believe that adding it to the daily diet gives an increase in weight. Where did such a wrong look come from?
The fact is that people are used to putting butter in porridge, mushrooms or milk, kefir fried in vegetable oil, and season them with various sauces. Although this increases the taste and energy value of such dishes, it turns them from healthy, dietary to harmful, and difficult for the stomach. Also, buckwheat porridge is often eaten with bread, meat, sausages, which increases the load on the digestive system.
To draw the right conclusions regarding the benefits of buckwheat, let's find out how many calories are in 100 grams of buckwheat. Since there are different types of this product, their energy value is slightly different. Usually it depends on the buckwheat variety, type and degree of processing. As a rule, 100 grams of dry cereal contains from 308 to 346 kilocalories.
Heat treatment
To find out how many calories are in boiled buckwheat on water, it is necessary to take into account the energy value of dry cereals. If you want to make an approximate calculation of the calorie content of the finished porridge, then focus on 88-114 kcal. These are generally accepted meanings. To find out more precisely how many calories are in buckwheat on the water, buy cereal in a package, since it always indicates the energy value. What to do after that?
Arm yourself with a pen and notebook. If you monitor your health, then you should always have an electronic scale at your fingertips for weighing products. To get started, find out the weight of the cooking pot. Since water by itself does not contain calories, its exact amount is not so important. But it kind of dilutes the products, therefore, in order not to make calculations every time, it is better to add it in the same volume. Measure out 100 grams of cereal, add 220-260 ml of water (depending on the desired result), then boil the porridge and weigh the finished product.
Now you have everything you need to get accurate data on how many calories in buckwheat on the water. How to make calculations correctly?
We carry out calculations
Look at the packaging with cereals, write down the energy value of 100 grams of dry product. Subtract the weight of the pan from the total weight of the finished porridge. Then multiply the number of calories indicated by the manufacturer by 100 and divide by the mass of the finished product.
Thus, you will find out how many calories in buckwheat on the water, taking into account the initial indicators of cereals and the degree of humidity of the finished porridge. Consider the example of the correct calculation based on the following parameters:
- groats (308 kcal per 100 g);
- pan (300 g);
- water (250 ml);
- finished porridge with tara (600 g).
We carry out the calculations:
- 600 g - 300 g = 300 g;
- 308 g × 100 kcal: 300 g = 102.67 kcal.
As a result, you will get accurate data on how many calories in buckwheat on the water specifically in your case. It would be nice to remember that water does not have energy value, and when cooking only the volume of the finished product increases. It is this property that is very important to consider when dieting. Indeed, thanks to him, a person experiences a feeling of fullness from the amount of food and does not consume extra calories.
The nutritional value
This article will provide static data on the content of substances useful for the body in the nucleus (the most common buckwheat groats). 100 grams of dry product contains:
- proteins (12.6 grams);
- carbohydrates (71.5 grams);
- fats (3.2 grams);
- fiber (2 grams).
The remainder is water, minerals, vitamins, and trace elements. We already learned how many calories in boiled buckwheat, let's now consider, due to which so much energy is released when it is consumed. The lion's share in this product is carbohydrates, but along with them there are in sufficient quantities of proteins and fats.
100 grams of boiled buckwheat contains:
- proteins (4.2 grams);
- carbohydrates (20 grams);
- fats (0.8 grams);
- fiber (2 grams).
Chemical composition
After reviewing how many calories are in buckwheat boiled on water, we now turn our attention to the content of substances that are very useful for the body. Consider first the amount of some trace elements present in this cereal:
- iron (6.7 mg);
- iodine (3.3 mcg);
- manganese (1.56 mg);
- zinc (2.05 mg);
- copper (640 mcg);
- selenium (8.3 mcg);
- fluorine (23 mcg);
- boron (350 mcg).
Also, let's find out the content of macronutrients:
- potassium (380 mg);
- phosphorus (298 mg);
- magnesium (200 mg);
- sulfur (88 mg);
- chlorine (33 mg);
- calcium (20 mg);
- sodium (3 mg).
All these substances are very necessary to maintain the water-salt metabolism in the body. Despite the number of calories in buckwheat steamed on water, it is an indispensable product for people who want to increase hemoglobin (high iron content), so they should regularly eat it.
Although this cereal, like cereals, contains B vitamins, their amount is not as great as, for example, in wheat, and is measured in micrograms. But buckwheat is very rich in vitamins E (6.5 mg) and PP (3.7 mg), which are involved in almost all metabolic processes of the body and are powerful antioxidants.
Diet product
Using the above information, you can easily determine how many calories are in buckwheat flooded with water. You just need to weigh the dry cereal. The volume of the swollen product will increase, but the energy value will remain the same. Due to this, buckwheat can be effectively used in diet food. If you decide to arrange a fasting day, then remember that for normal work of the body per day you need to use a minimum of 1200 kcal. Since even from 200 grams of buckwheat a rather decent amount of porridge will turn out, you will not experience a constant feeling of hunger. And if you add more vegetables to the diet, then you can easily lose a few extra pounds.
Buckwheat porridge has a positive effect on the metabolism in the body and even helps to lower cholesterol due to the content of polyunsaturated fats in it. In addition, this product after consumption causes rapid saturation and allows you to forget about hunger for a long time. This is facilitated by the fiber contained in it.
Salt effect
If you decide to lose weight, it is important to remember that salt retains fluid in the body. Therefore, it is desirable to limit its use. It also exacerbates taste buds, and you can quietly eat an extra portion. It is these properties of it, and not how many calories in buckwheat without salt or with it, you need to consider with proper nutrition. Why is this so? Because salt alone has no energy value.
It is important to mention that cooking buckwheat, like other cereals, is necessary without adding salt. The fact is that under the influence of high temperature it is salt that exacerbates the destruction of vitamins that are beneficial for the body. It is best to salt ready-made cereals.
Reviews about the benefits of buckwheat
Many people speak positively about buckwheat. The main advantages that a large part of the population notes:
- fast saturation;
- prolonged lack of hunger;
- skin condition improvement;
- normalization of the gastrointestinal tract;
- increased hemoglobin;
- strengthening the immune system.
Are there negative opinions regarding buckwheat? Unfortunately yes. What is the reason for this? And how can buckwheat harm the human body? It is worth noting immediately that such reviews are completely unfounded and, as a rule, are born from misunderstanding. For example, there are women who claim to have recovered from buckwheat. But is it really so? Of course, if you add a huge amount of oil to porridge, pour sauce, mayonnaise and also use it with meat, sausages and bread, then it really can cause an increase in weight.
Is it worth using buckwheat for weight loss?
It must be remembered that buckwheat itself is a useful dietary product.
But it is important to cook it in water and without adding salt. Also, if you add milk, kefir or sauce to porridge, then take into account the calorie content of these products.
Nowadays, buckwheat, which has not undergone heat treatment and is filled with kefir at night, is popular. When calculating the energy value of this product, do not forget about the amount and calorie content of kefir. If, for example, you take two tablespoons of the kernel (60 g), then this is about 185 kilocalories. Pouring 250 ml of kefir (1%) into cereal, which contains about 47 kcal per 100 grams, you will increase the calorie content of the finished product by 118 kcal. As a result, you will use 303 kcal instead of 185 kcal.
Therefore, if you decide to lose weight, then such a mixture should be eaten not an hour before the main meal, but instead. Those people who eat buckwheat, filled with kefir, shortly before breakfast, can only rely on the enrichment of the body with useful vitamins and minerals. There can be no question of any weight loss, because instead of reducing the daily calorie intake, you increase it by 303 kcal. Thus, every day you will eat excess, and this can provoke a slight increase in weight.
Draw conclusions
Having learned about the calorie content, nutritional value and chemical composition of buckwheat, any sane person will come to the conclusion that this cereal is not only useful for the body, but also indispensable for those who want to have good health. The only thing to consider when preparing buckwheat dishes is the calorie content of the additives, whether it is butter, kefir, milk or sauce. If you cook this cereal in water and without adding salt, then you can not only heal yourself, but also lose extra pounds. Indeed, during cooking, buckwheat significantly increases in size, and its caloric value remains unchanged.