Young or old – each of us look good and feel good when we are healthy and fit. And, at the root of it is how are we providing nourishment to the body. No doubt, food provides nutrition to us but at the same time it is also necessary to eat the right food. Heeding to this, the National Nutrition Week is observed annually across India from 1 September to 7 September. Being a theme-based initiative, each year it focusses on one aspect of food, nutrition, and health. The theme for 2018 is ‘Go Further with Food’ with the objective to explore and wisely choose nutritious food options from the nature.
Though all kinds of food provide nutrition at various levels, millets are the most underrated of them all. However, recent studies on nutritional value of millets have compelled the decision makers and business community to promote millets as a mainstream food item. Termed as Smart Food and Super Food, millets have multiple benefits and can largely contribute to nutrition security of people. Here, we will explore the nutritional value and health benefits of few millets:
Ragi – Also known as Finger millet, Ragi is considered as a good replacement for rice and wheat. It is a storehouse of proteins and amino acids while also being rich source of calcium and other minerals. Including ragi in diet can be beneficial for controlling diabetes.
Bajra – Also known as Pearl millet, Bajra is referred to as a miracle millet. It is not only rich in protein, fibre, calcium, and magnesium, but its iron content is eight times higher than that of rice. Making bajra a part of your meal will constipation and digestion issues at bay.
Jowar – Also known as Sorghum, Jowar is a rich in calcium and also is a good source of protein, iron, and fibre. Adding jowar to your diet will reduce cholesterol levels and can potentially promote weight loss too.
Millet is a low maintenance and drought-resistant grain. This grain provides various health benefits, such as protecting heart health, and helping to maintain a healthy weight.
People have benefited from the nutritional properties of millet for thousands of years. The Old Testament of the Bible mentions it, as do texts from ancient Greece and Rome.
Millet grows extremely quickly and matures in almost half the time required for rice and wheat. This makes it the ideal crop, contributing to its rapid spread across Asia and into Europe.
Millet is now the sixth most important cereal grain in the world.
In the contemporary United States, millet is often used to feed pets, livestock, and birds, but it is growing in consumer popularity. This is because it is gluten free and a good source of protein, fiber, micronutrients. It also provides multiple benefits to physical and mental health, requires few inputs to grow, and is resistant to drought.
This article discusses the types of millet available, its nutritional properties and benefits, potential downsides to millet, and how to use it in cooking.
Each 100 gram (g) of cooked millet containsTrusted Source the following:
- 3.51 g of protein
- 23.7 g of carbohydrate
- 1.3 g of dietary fiber
- 44 milligrams (mg) of magnesium
- 0.161 mg of copper
- 100 mg of phosphorus
- 0.272 mg of manganese
Possible health benefits
Research indicates millet can be useful in the following ways:
Helping the digestive system
Millet contains fiber, which contributes to digestive health and helps to regulate bowel movements.
Millet also has prebiotics, which stimulate the growth of probiotics within the microbiome. This is important for gut health and the immune system in general.
Millet is very helpfulTrusted Source for people with celiac disease or gluten intolerance because it is gluten-free. People with celiac disease can eat this grain, which is nutrient-rich and high in protein and fiber, without risk of discomfort.
Supporting the cardiovascular system
Millet contains magnesium, which helps to regulate heart rhythm.
Consuming millet may alsoTrusted Source elevate levels of the protein adiponectin, which can protect cardiovascular tissues.
Millet also contains vitamin B3 or niacin. This vitamin helps reduce certain factors of heart disease, such as high levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, and is effective in lowering oxidative stress.
Improving mood
Millet can improve a person’s mood due to the high concentration of the amino acid, tryptophan.
ResearchTrusted Source from 2014 suggests that a diet rich in tryptophan can reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Reducing the risk of diabetes
A 2021 study suggests that millet can reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. It also helps manage blood glucose levels in people with diabetes.
An increaseTrusted Source in adiponectin concentration may improve insulin sensitivity.
Learn more about millet diets for people with diabetes.
Managing obesity
Another study from 2021 investigated the effectiveness of millet consumption in managing obesity and high cholesterol. The results demonstrated that this type of diet reduced BMI and, therefore, can help reduce the degree of overweight and obesity.
However, longer-term studies with larger sample sizes are required.
Reducing oxidative stress
Oxidative stress may cause various chronic conditions, including neurodegenerative disorders, arthritis, and diabetes.
A high-fat diet is also a risk factor for the development of dementia because it increases oxidative stress in the brain. Doctors consider antioxidants important in reducing oxidative damage. Diets rich in antioxidants may protect against oxidative damage.
Millet is a good source of antioxidants, which may help support the body’s ability to resist oxidative stress, a factor in illness and aging. Consuming antioxidants could decrease the risk of chronic diseases.
ResearchTrusted Source also concluded that the intake of millet could alleviate oxidative stress in the hippocampus and downregulate the expression of Alzheimer’s disease.
Other potentialTrusted Source health benefits of millets include:
- suppressing cancer cell growth
- promoting wound healing
- maintaining bone health
- supporting antifungal and antimicrobial activity
Although millet contains many vital nutrients, it also contains compounds called antinutrients. These interfere with the body’s ability to absorb nutrients. Different kinds of millet have different levels of these compounds.
Pearl millet contains phytates, which make it harder for the body to absorb nutrients, and goitrogenic polyphenols. These may playTrusted Source a role in the incidence of goiters in diets high in millet.
Finger millet also has antinutritional factors that include tannins, protease inhibitors, oxalates, and phytate.
Researchers have found that using different processing techniques can reduce levels of antinutrients, including:
- milling
- parboiling
- blanching
- dehulling
- fermenting
- germinating
