✦ Exceptional plant iron content ✦ High calcium and magnesium ✦ Good lysine in protein ✦ Gluten-free with resistant starch

Teff is the smallest grain in the world and the foundation of Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine, used to ferment and bake injera. It is naturally gluten-free and nutritionally exceptional: very high in iron (one of the highest of any grain), excellent calcium, magnesium, zinc, and resistant starch. Its protein profile includes good lysine, unusual for a grain.

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Preparation note

Cook 1 part teff in 3 parts water for 15-20 minutes to a porridge-like consistency; or ferment into injera batter over 2-3 days. Teff's small size means it cooks quickly without soaking.

Sources: CoFID 2021

Macronutrients per 100g

367
kcal
Energy
13.3
g
Protein
73.1
g
Carbs
8.00
g
Fibre
2.40
g
Fat
1.50
g
Sugars

How to read GI & GL

GI (Glycemic Index) rates how fast the carbohydrates in a food raise blood glucose compared to pure glucose (= 100). Low GI ≤ 55 means a slow, steady rise. But GI says nothing about how much carbohydrate you're actually eating.

GL (Glycemic Load) fixes that. It multiplies GI by the actual grams of carbohydrate per typical serving: GL = GI × carbs per serving ÷ 100. This makes it the more useful number for real-world blood sugar management.

Why they can disagree — a food with low GI can still carry a high GL if the serving is large and carb-dense. Conversely, watermelon has a high GI (72) but a low GL (4) because a normal portion contains very few carbs. Always read both together.

Low GL ≤ 10 Modest total glucose impact per serving.
Medium GL 11–19 Moderate impact — manageable for most.
High GL ≥ 20 Significant carb load per serving. Consider a smaller portion.

Source: Atkinson et al., International Tables of GI & GL Values 2021, Am J Clin Nutr.

Glycemic Index & Load

57
GI Score
🟡 Medium GI
26
GL / Serving
High Load

Medium GI food — moderate effect on blood sugar. Pair with protein, fat, or fibre to lower the overall meal GI.

Glycemic Load (GL = GI × carbs ÷ 100) accounts for portion size. A high GL — keep portions modest.

Source: Atkinson et al., International Tables of GI & GL Values 2021, Am J Clin Nutr

Vitamins & Minerals

Nutrient Per 100g % Daily Value* Level
Glutamic acid 3.99 g —
Aspartic acid 0.998 g —
Leucine 0.918 g —
Proline 0.732 g —
Valine 0.678 g —
Arginine 0.665 g —
Phenylalanine 0.652 g —
Serine 0.599 g —
Isoleucine 0.532 g —
Alanine 0.532 g —
Glycine 0.466 g —
Tyrosine 0.466 g —
Threonine 0.439 g —
Lysine 0.399 g —
Methionine 0.346 g —
Histidine 0.319 g —
Cysteine 0.239 g —
Tryptophan 0.160 g —

* % Daily Value is the proportion of an adult EU Nutrient Reference Value (NRV) supplied by 100g of this food. NRVs are the labelling standard — the same basis as the “%RI” figures printed on food packaging — so these percentages are directly comparable with a shop label. They are a single adult figure and do not vary by age or sex, which is why they sometimes differ from UK dietary reference values: the NRV for vitamin C is 80mg where the UK RNI is 40mg. When Nutriofia assesses your own intake in the reports and trackers, it uses the age- and sex-specific UK values instead.

Fibre is shown without a percentage. Our fibre values use the UK Englyst NSP method, while the published 30g daily goal is an AOAC figure — the two are measured differently and a single percentage would mislead. How we source and normalise our data →

Sources: CoFID 2021
Grains & Cereals Ancient Grains High fibre High protein 🇬🇧 CoFID 2021