Teff
Food · Grain · Food, Typed Supps
Teff is a tiny, gluten-free grain that's genuinely rich in iron and calcium -- but eating it alone isn't as good at raising iron levels as meat or a supplement would be.
Stage by stage
- Chewing & Breakdown (Mouth): Teff's minuscule bran-covered kernels -- the smallest of any cultivated grain -- are chewed or consumed as fermented injera, where saliva starts breaking down starch.
- Acid Digestion (Stomach): Stomach acid and enzymes dismantle the grain's protein matrix, releasing iron, calcium, and amino acids, while roughly 20-40% of its starch resists breakdown and passes on as resistant starch.
- Nutrient Absorption (Small Intestine): The small intestine absorbs the freed nutrients, though teff's non-heme iron is only partially taken up, especially when the phytic acid in its bran is still intact.
- Iron & Mineral Use (Bloodstream): Absorbed iron enters the bloodstream bound to transferrin and is delivered to bone marrow for haemoglobin production, supporting oxygen transport throughout the body.
Timing
Teff-based foods like injera are typically eaten as a base for stews and vegetables; pairing them with vitamin C-rich vegetables or using fermented batter improves how much iron and zinc get absorbed.
Time to effect
- Weeks: Because teff's iron is non-heme and only fractionally absorbed (roughly 1-10% per meal, versus 15-35% for heme iron), noticeably improving iron status through regular teff consumption typically takes several weeks of consistent intake rather than a single serving.
Allergens
None of the fourteen major allergens. Derived from what this food is, not from a product label.
Eating patterns
Fits: Vegan, Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Halal, Kosher, Low-FODMAP, Gluten-free.
Satiety
163 on the satiety index, where white bread is 100 — high. Modelled from the Holt et al. (1995) measurements.
Environmental footprint
1.6 kg CO2e and 648 litres of freshwater per kg, matched to "Wheat & rye" in Poore & Nemecek (2018), Science 360.
Cost band
Mid — roughly £7 per kg, as a band midpoint rather than a price.
Key nutrients
Nutrition per 100g
- Calories: 101
- Protein: 3.5g
- Carbohydrate: 19.9g
- of which sugars: 0g
- Fat: 0.7g
- of which saturated: 0.1g
- Fibre: 2.8g
- Sodium: 4mg
Food vs. supplement
Teff delivers iron, calcium, fiber, and a full essential amino acid profile in one gluten-free grain, but its non-heme iron is absorbed far less efficiently than iron from supplements or animal sources, so it shouldn't be relied on alone to correct diagnosed anemia.
Kitchen tip
Fermenting teff flour for a day or two before cooking it, as in traditional injera-making, reduces phytic acid and improves how much iron and zinc your body can absorb compared to eating it unfermented.
Common myth
"Teff is such a rich source of iron that eating it regularly is as effective as taking an iron supplement or eating red meat." In reality: Teff does contain more iron per 100g (about 7.6mg, roughly 42% DV) than most cereals, but all of that iron is non-heme and bound with phytic acid, so the body absorbs a much smaller fraction of it than the heme iron in meat or the iron in a supplement; fermentation, as in injera-making, and pairing with vitamin C help, but teff alone is not an equivalent substitute for supplementation in diagnosed iron-deficiency anemia.
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