amaranth
Grains
Is amaranth high in nickel?
Is amaranth high or low in nickel? See its exact rating, how much counts as a portion, and its FODMAP, salicylate, oxalate and diet compatibility in one place.
Related checkers
Compare amaranth across criteria
Sensitivity notes
Why nickel food checker matters
Nickel is a metal found in many foods including chocolate, nuts, and leafy greens. People with nickel allergy (often showing as contact dermatitis) may also react to dietary nickel, causing skin and digestive symptoms.
- Avoid cooking acidic foods in stainless steel cookware
- Canned foods often have higher nickel content
- Chocolate, nuts, and legumes are common high-nickel foods
- First-draw water from taps may be higher in nickel - let it run
- Vitamin C may help reduce nickel absorption
Sensitivities
What amaranth contains
FODMAPs
Histamine & Amines
Plant compounds
Irritants
Additives
Allergens
Diet fit
Where amaranth fits
Therapeutic diets
Lifestyle diets
Religious diets
What to know about amaranth
Amaranth is two foods sharing one name. The plant is grown for its leaves across the Caribbean, West Africa, India and Southeast Asia, where it is cooked down as callaloo, chaulai, efo tete or bayam, and it is also grown for a tiny seed used as a pseudocereal. This entry covers amaranth as the plant and the leafy vegetable; the seed is tracked separately as amaranth grain and carries its own, different grades. As eaten here, amaranth is graded D for total FODMAPs, which is the high band, while it stays clean at A on histamine, histamine liberation, salicylates, nickel, gluten, lactose, free glutamates, sulfites and nightshade chemistry. That combination makes it unusually easy to place in an elimination diet as long as the portion is controlled.
Watch for
- Graded D for total FODMAPs, the high band, even though every individual FODMAP subgroup (fructans, GOS, excess fructose, polyols) is graded A.When the total is flagged but no subgroup is, portion size is doing the work: a side of greens behaves very differently from a bowl of callaloo
- Amaranth greens are almost never cooked plain.Callaloo, chaulai and efo tete are built on onion, garlic and sometimes coconut milk, and for most people with IBS the aromatics in the pot are a bigger FODMAP load than the leaves. Log the dish, not just the vegetable, or you will blame the wrong ingredient
- Oxalate is unrated for amaranth in our data.Do not read that as cleared. The separately graded amaranth grain entry sits at D for oxalate, so if you are on an oxalate-restricted diet treat the greens as untested rather than safe
- Clean at A on histamine and histamine liberation, so amaranth greens are one of the more usable leafy vegetables if you are managing histamine intolerance and have already cut spinach and tomato
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Nickel Guide
Everything you need to know about nickel sensitivity and smart food choices.
Nickel is a metal found in many foods including chocolate, nuts, and leafy greens. People with nickel allergy (often showing as contact dermatitis) may also react to dietary nickel, causing skin and digestive symptoms.
Sensitivity varies widely. What triggers one person may be fine for another. Track your reactions to find your personal threshold.
These foods are generally well-tolerated for Nickel sensitivity:
View all safe options
These foods are high in nickel and may trigger symptoms:
View full list
If you're sensitive to Nickel, consider these strategies:
- 1Avoid cooking acidic foods in stainless steel cookware
- 2Canned foods often have higher nickel content
- 3Chocolate, nuts, and legumes are common high-nickel foods
- 4First-draw water from taps may be higher in nickel - let it run
- 5Vitamin C may help reduce nickel absorption
Pro tip: Keep a food diary to track your reactions. The Triggerbites app makes this easy with automatic pattern detection.
Want personalized tracking?
Download Triggerbites to log meals, track symptoms, and discover your unique triggers.
Get the AppFAQ
Is amaranth high in Nickel?
Nickel: low signal for most people.
Can I still eat amaranth if I'm sensitive to Nickel?
Usually fine in normal portions.
What else should I check?
Check Lectin, Inflammation, and AIP next for a fuller picture.