Millet - To bring back our traditional foods

Millets are a group of highly variable small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops in the semiarid tropics of asia and africa (especially in India, Mali, Nigeria, and Niger), with 97% of millet production in developing countries. The crop is favoured due to its productivity and short growning season under dry, high-temprature conditions.

Millets area ll a rich source of magnesium, a mineral which is extreamly important for starch digestion. Researches find that magnesium-rich whole grain consumption can help lower risk of type-2 diabetes. In addition to this, low-fat dairy was also shown to reduce the risk of types-2 diabetes owing to the presence of calcium.

One of the phytonutrients amply present in millets is lignans. Lignans are known to be prebiotic fibre which is fermented in our gut by bacteria. Upon fermentation, they yield enterolactone, a product which is known to protect against heart disease and also some forms of breast cancers.