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The purpose of our blog is to make the public aware of unbiased information on healthy food.

What are millets?

Millets are traditional grains, grown and eaten in the Indian subcontinent for at least the past 5000 years. They are rain-fed, hardy grains that have low requirements of water and fertility when compared to other popular cereals.

Millets can be split into two broad categories: Naked grains and Husked grains.

“Naked grains” are the three popular millets (Ragi, Jowar, and Bajra) that don't have a hard, undigestable husk. These millets don't need to be processed after harvest – they just need to be cleaned and can be used. Because of this reason, they are still popular in our country and are widely cultivated (they are also called major millets because of this reason).

“Husked grains” are the other millets, like Foxtail Millet (navane), Little Millet (saame) and Kodo Millet (haarka), which have an undigestable seed coat. This husk needs to be removed before the grain is fit for human consumption. This used to be done by hand in the centuries past and so was rice. However, the mechanization of the processing of these minor millets did not keep pace with rice and other cereals so they soon became unpopular.

Why should I eat millets?

Millets are highly nutritious, rich in fiber and gluten-free, making them easy for the body to absorb. They are rich in a huge spectrum of micronutrients, including calcium, iron, phosphorus, etc. They are slow-digesting foods that don’t cause a huge spike in blood sugar which is caused by eating polished rice, therefore, millets help with preventing and controlling diabetes. Click here for the nutrient composition of millets as compared to wheat and rice.

Millets should ideally be an integral part of your daily diet. They add variety and balance to your food. They can replace white rice in all your meals. You can start by mixing millets into the rice and slowly make one meal a day a Millet meal. Some people have found enormous benefits, especially in controlling weight and diabetes, by switching completely from a rice and wheat diet to a millet based diet.