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Know Your Food: Dos And Don’ts Of Incorporating Millet In Your Diet

According to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), there is a family of eight types of millets. They are classified into major millets and minor millets based on their grain size

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Know Your Food: Dos And Don'ts Of Incorporating Millet In Your Diet
The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) has declared 2023 as the “International Year of Millets”

New Delhi: Name a food crop that is climate-resilient, easy to grow, packs in protein, fiber, key vitamins, and minerals and is also known as a superfood. Well, it is the oldest food known to humankind and this good-old grain is Millet. Jowar, Bajra, and Ragi are some of the grains we might have seen our grandparents consuming. Well, they are all types of millet. Today, as this humble grain has gained international importance for its nutritional benefits, it is making a comeback on food plates.

Also Read: Here’s All You Need To Know About The Superfood ‘Millet’ That Is Good For Consumption, Planet And Farmers

Briefing on the health benefits of millets, Rupali Datta, Registered Dietician and Founder of Diet Decisions said,

Millets have high fibre content which helps control diabetes; they are high in protein as compared to the traditional grains; rich in minerals like iron; a good source of B vitamins; they are gluten-free.

Let us understand the different kinds of millet and which ones to eat when and why.

Types Of Millets – The Superfood

According to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), there is a family of eight types of millets. They are classified into major millets and minor millets based on their grain size.

The three major millets are:

  • Jowar (Sorghum)
  • Bajra (Pearl Millet)
  • Ragi (Finger Millet)

The five minor millets include:

  • Foxtail Millet (Kakum)
  • Kodo Millets (Kodon)
  • Barnyard Millet (Sanwa)
  • Little Millet (Kutki/Shavan)
  • Proso Millet (Chenna or Barri)

There are two pseudo millets as well – Amaranth which is called Ramdana or Rajgira in Hindi and Buckwheat, also known as Kuttu in Hindi.

Also Read: Mann Ki Baat: PM Modi Makes A Clarion Call To Join The Fight Against Malnutrition

In its guidance note on millets, the FSSAI has said,

Amaranth and Buckwheat are called pseudo millets because they are not part of the Poaceae botanical family, to which ‘true’ grains belong. However, they are nutritionally similar and used in similar ways to ‘true’ grains.

The eight types of millets can also be categorised based on their nature – cooling and heating or summer millets vs winter millets. In an interview with NDTV, Munmun Ganeriwal, Nutritionist, Gut microbiome Specialist and Best-selling Author, explained the nature of millets. Ms Ganeriwal said,

Jowar is a neutral millet which means you can have it throughout the year. Ragi, Foxtail Millet, Bajra and Barnyard Millet are heating millets which means they should ideally be consumed during the winter season. On the other hand, Little Millet and Proso Millet have cooling properties and can be eaten during the summer season.

Interestingly, heating millets when mixed with cooling agents like ghee, moong dal and coconut make for good summer food. In Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu, heating millets are used to prepare a summer drink.

They mix Bajra flour with buttermilk and leave it to ferment. Buttermilk is a primary cooling agent and then the process of fermentation also cools down the content, said Ms Ganeriwal.

The Consumption Of Millets – The Nutri-Cereals

Ms Datta said major millets – Jowar, Bajra and Ragi – could be used as a replacement for wheat in making wheat-based products like flatbreads, buns, biscuits and cakes.

As far as minor millets are concerned, they can be utilised in place of rice. Ms Ganeriwal explained,

When people fast, they often eat samak ke chawal. It is actually Barnyard Millet. The interesting thing about millets is that their cooking process is the same as for wheat or rice. The recipe is alike. In the case of minor millets – Kakum, Kodon, Sanwa and Kutki/Shavan – just use them as you would use rice in preparing dosa, idli, biryani, pulao, and pancake and relish them with sambhar, rasam, chutney and papad. Often I recommend my clients to have millet ladoo. Essentially, millets are not alien grains; use them like you would do any other grain.

The key is to remember which millet to have when – based on its properties. Ms Ganeriwal recommends avoiding multi-millet mix. She suggested,

Since millets are good for health, we believe that the more the merrier, but it doesn’t work like that. You can mix two types of millet – one could be a heating millet and another cooling millet. But don’t mix more than two and also of the same type as each millet has different properties.

The benefits of millet are not hidden, and it is because of the same reason that the superfood is gaining importance not only in India but internationally as well. India celebrated 2018 as the year of millets and now the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) has declared 2023 as the “International Year of Millets”.

Also Read: Honoured To Be At The Forefront Of Popularising Millets: PM Modi After UN General Assembly Adopts India-sponsored Resolution

NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ populationindigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (WaterSanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollutionwaste managementplastic banmanual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.

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