Millet is a storehouse of nutrients, but how to eat it?

 Millet is a storehouse of nutrients, but how to eat it?

Millet is considered a nutritious grain. When it comes to nutrients, it contains calcium, carbohydrates, phosphorus, iron, protein, fat, thiamine, and fiber.

It contains 35 times more calcium than rice and corn and 8.73 times more iron than wheat. It contains 3.7 times more iron than corn, 2.3 times more iron than rice, and 1.5 times more iron than wheat. Millet is considered a crop that fills the stomach and provides a lot of nutrients even with a small amount of food.

Millet, which is used as a food, is also used to make alcoholic beverages. The biggest misconception is that drinking millet alcohol also contains the nutrients found in millet. However, millet contains all the nutrients. Nutritionist Ayush Adhikari says that these nutrients are not found in alcohol made by processing it.

‘Millet itself is a grain rich in many nutrients. "When you make dishes like roti, dhindo, and khole from it, you get all the nutrients found in it," says the official, "but if you process it and make strong alcohol, the nutrients in millet are reduced."

The United Nations had declared 2023 the 'International Year of Millet'. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, this was announced 'to spread awareness about the benefits of millet and to have a direct policy impact.'

Nowadays, millet has changed its profile in recent times, as it is sold in various dishes in big hotels and restaurants in the city markets.

According to nutritionist Bhupal Baniya, millet is a rich source of minerals such as iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium. It contains abundant calcium. Millet, which is rich in fiber, contains various vitamins (beta carotene, niacin, vitamin B6, folic acid). The high amount of lecithin in it helps strengthen the nervous system. It also helps to eliminate malnutrition.

Are millet biscuits healthier than others?

Millet biscuits are somewhat better for health than other biscuits. They contain protein and fiber. However, they also contain salt, sugar, and transfat. Which, according to nutritionist Baniya, do not have a very good effect on health.

‘Transfat, salt, and sugar in millet biscuits also increase the risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease,’ he says. ‘Like other biscuits, preservatives are added to millet biscuits to make them last longer. They also contain high sodium.’

If you have to choose between flour biscuits and millet biscuits, you can choose millet biscuits. But Baniya says that the nutrients found in naturally made millet dishes are not as much as in biscuits.

Not only biscuits, millet bread can also be seen in the market today. Even when millet is processed into bread, its natural elements are destroyed and its nutrients are reduced.

Millet flour

Millet flour is also available in the market today. In 2078 BS, the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control conducted a research on millet flour. The department's research showed that millet flour is comparatively more beneficial than flour made from flour.

The department's Senior Food Research Officer Dr. Huma Kumari Bokhim says, "Millet cannot be made from millet alone, it can be made by mixing 30 percent millet with flour."

According to Bokhim, millet has less carbohydrate content, more fiber, minerals, and less energy.

Compared to flour made from pure flour, flour mixed with 50 percent millet is digested slowly by the body, and millet flour has more calcium, minerals, and fiber than flour, making it good for health, according to the department's research.

Research on the benefits of millet

According to a fact sheet from the Indian Institute of Millet Research (IIMR), Hyderabad, India, millet has many benefits.

Epidemiological studies have shown that the use of millet reduces the risk of heart disease, protects against diabetes. It improves the digestive system, reduces the risk of cancer, and detoxifies the body.

It increases respiratory immunity, increases energy levels, and improves the muscle and nervous system. Since it is rich in magnesium, it helps to reduce blood pressure, reduce the risk of heart attack in atherosclerosis, and also protects against some types of cancer and heart disease.

The high amount of fiber found in millet also helps to reduce cholesterol. It reduces LDL cholesterol and increases the effect of HDL cholesterol.

The fiber, magnesium, vitamin E, phenolic compounds, and tannins in it reduce the risk of diabetes. Which slows down the sudden increase in blood glucose and insulin levels in the blood.

Millet is also considered useful in digestive disorders. This also reduces the risk of gastric ulcers and colon cancer. The fiber in it relieves constipation and excessive gas.

This fiber also reduces the risk of esophageal cancer compared to those who consume wheat and corn flour. Regular consumption of millet can also reduce the risk of cancer.

A recent study showed that the fiber in millet reduces the risk of breast cancer in women. By consuming 30 grams of fiber daily, the risk of breast cancer can be reduced by 50 percent. The useful elements in millet reduce the risk of various cancers.