Not being equipped with the right kind of cooking skills can definitely be a deterrent in the journey towards good health – both, mental and physical. While the challenge of this can definitely be navigated and bettered with time, using ingredients that are native to one’s specific geography is crucial in the understanding of your body working with the surrounding climate towards a sustainable food future. With conversations around millets expanding and opening up avenues for pseudo-grains to be included, the knowledge about its extensive health benefits is now known.
However, considering the conditioning we’ve all been brought up with while being exposed to a limited amount of grains and pulses, our knowledge and understanding of why millets must become an integral part of not just an occasional meal or two but in fact, make it to our plates on an everyday basis. The fibre and vitamin B-rich millets are inexpensive, easy to grow and keep the digestive tract healthy and thriving. Moreover, niacin, a type of vitamin found in millets is excellent for energy production.
Image Credits: Archana's Kitchen
Converting whole millets into flour that you can make bhakri or rotis with, is highly recommended to consume, accompanied with dal, sabzi and yoghurt. Ultimately, simple food is always sustainable and healthy – that said, eating a portion of millet everyday in place of rice or in the form of flatbread, also gives the body its dose of zinc and magnesium, making it a good choice for those who wish to regulate their blood sugar, suffer from PCOD or diabetes.
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Having millets on their own, without mixing them with other grains, is one of the best ways to consume these pseudo-grains. Depending on seasonal changes, it is suggested to keep switching the kind of millets you consume – namely jowar for the summer, bajra and makai for the winters and ragi through the year as bhakri, laddoos, halwa, etc. Using kodo millet to make pulao or biryani or even steamed on its own, combined with lentils and vegetables is a healthy mix of multiple nutrients that benefit physical health.
That said, millets have their own place in Indian diets and must not be considered a replacement to rice or whole wheat rotis for all meals. The folic acid in millets help with iron assimilation, which improves skin health and chances for fertility in women. Avoiding processed forms of millets in the form of packaged snacks or biscuits is ideal since excessive processing has chances of deteriorating its nutritional value.