Millets are in. Everyone seems to be eating Ragi or Kodo or Jowar. But why?
We keep hearing about millets are healthy, millets are what our ancestors ate, etc. But what are the actual benefits of milets over our far easier to obtain staples like Rice & wheat?
So, here are some of the health benefits of millets:
Regulate Blood Glucose Level
When compared to other grains like- wheat and maize, millets are high in nutrients, gluten-free, and have a low glycemic index of around 54-68. The existence of a high amount of dietary fiber and proteins with all essential amino acids, vitamins, and minerals enables the regulation of blood sugar levels. Millets can become a part of a healthy diet for diabetic patients as millets prevent blood sugar spikes and promote insulin smoothly.
Help In Weight Loss
Millets are gifts for all those who want to shed those extra kilos from their body. Taking millets in the regular regimen like millet flour or having millets for breakfast can remarkably help in lowering the weight of obese people. Switching rice with millets daily can lower the accumulation of fat, improves gut health, and promote achieving sustained weight loss.
Good for our heart
Millets have loads of impressive profiles of antioxidants that include beta-glucans, flavonoids, anthocyanidins, tannins, lignans, and policosanols. These antioxidants play a major role in lowering LDL cholesterol and also help to maintain the blood vessels healthy and clot-free. Therefore, it reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Fights with Cancer Cells
Some categories of millets like- foxtail and proso are effective in inhibiting the growth of cancerous cells in various tissues. The Phytochemicals in millets exhibit ant proliferative effects and lower the chances of formation of cancer cells in the colon, breast, and liver without causing any damage to normal cells.
Naked Grains
The main features of millets are they don’t require any processing after harvest and can be consumed right after threshing - whereas wheat etc have to undergo special operation to dehusk them before threshing. This means Millets are closer to their raw form when they come to us with most of their nutrients intact.