Are you also of the opinion that instant khichdi for babies is the healthiest food? Well, let us introduce you to millets. One of the world’s first cereals to be cultivated, millet has been grown for thousands of years throughout Southeast Asia and all over Africa. You can produce bread, cereal, and other foods out of millet. Millet is still a typical food in many parts of the world today.
Millet is regaining popularity due to how adaptable and straightforward it is to grow. Each millet has minor differences in appearance, but they all come with the same health benefits. The darker kinds of millet are excellent sources of beta-carotene. This organic pigment supports the health of your eyes and functions as both an antioxidant and a precursor to vitamin A, assisting your body in fending off free radicals.
We have enlisted down a few benefits of millet to help you understand this food item better:
- Millets are loaded with protein
Millets are a great source of plant-based protein which is beneficial for developing and growing muscles, especially in kids.
- Millet has a low simple sugar content and smart carbs, including a lot of fibre
As a result, it has a lower glycemic index than wheat or rice and has been demonstrated to result in lower blood sugar levels. Owing to this factor, children’s obesity risk is reduced.
- Fiber-rich
Millets are high in fibre and hydrate the colon, preventing children’s constipation.
- Millets contain prebiotics
Prebiotics found in millet are abundant and contribute to gut health.
- Magnesium is abundant in millet
Additionally, millets are a good source of magnesium, which is important for healthy neuromuscular function. It aids in regular muscle contraction and is necessary for developing teeth and bones.
- Millets contains NiacinĀ
Niacin, a coenzyme for oxidative reaction, helps to lower cholesterol in millet, which lowers the chance of heart disease in the future.
- High antioxidant levels
High antioxidant activity is present in all millet types.
- Millets don’t contain gluten
Since millet is free of gluten and allergens, it can be consumed by babies or kids with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity.
- Millets naturally have an alkaline pH
Infants and young children can readily digest millet since they are alkaline.
How to Prepare Millet
Ground millet is a fantastic replacement or addition to whole wheat flour when baking. You can use puffed millet instead of puffed rice as a snack food or in recipes.
Any millet variety can be a beneficial supplement to most diets. Try incorporating some of these ideas for millet into your diet:
- In a pilaf, swap rice for millet.
- Try using ground millet when making bread.
- Make your subsequent batch of waffles with ground millet.
- Replace popcorn with puffed millet as a snack.
- Add puffed millet to your cereal for breakfast.
- As an alternative to rice dosa batter, make millet dosa.
If you are worried about how to start with this superfood, try the millet dosa mix from SlurrpFarm. It is easy to make and easily available online.