Nutrition through Nature’s Miracle Grains

With the world battling a pandemic, it would be impossible to ignore nutrition through nature particularly with immunity being the buzz word. Local food is all about nutrients, including nature’s wonder food - millets with plenty of immunity boosters. Millets are coarse grains that have been cultivated in Indian subcontinent in the last 5000 years and are a repository of protein, fibre, vitamins and a lot more. Being a Low-Glycemic Index food and gluten-free naturally, they significantly help in lowering the risk of diabetes. They are moreover an antioxidant powerhouse that slows down the ageing process and is confirmed by studies. High levels of magnesium help millets lower blood pressure and improve the delivery of nutrients. Being rich in potassium levels, they help in lowering the risk of a heart attack or a stroke and effectively reduce hypertension. In addition to the above goodness, foxtail millet and proso millets are rich in protein when compared to wheat and rice and the amount of dietary fibre present in millets is at least 5X the amount of fibre present in rice/wheat aid in making digestion easier. Besides in case of minerals, ragi has 3440% more calcium than rice, while every other millet has at least 2X the amount of calcium compared to rice and barnyard’s iron content is 1033% more than rice. The essential amino acids like L-lysine and L-proline in millets helps to form collagen in the body, a substance that gives structure to skin tissue and enhances the elasticity of the skin, making it less prone to wrinkles and Tryptophan in millets raises the serotonin level in the body, helping to reduce stress. With increased awareness about the various benefits, its high time to make millets an essential part of our diet. Without ado, let’s bring millets back into our everyday dishes and explore new flavours and textures with millets this year.