Millets Science

What are Millets?

Millets are amazing in their nutrition content. Each of the millets is three to five times nutritionally superior to the widely promoted rice and wheat in terms of proteins, minerals and vitamins.

Millet is one of the oldest foods known to humans and possibly the first cereal grain to be used for domestic purposes. Millet has been used in Africa and India as a staple food for thousands of years and it was grown as early as 2700 BC. In China where it was the prevalent grain before rice became the dominant staple. There is a mention in Bible that millets during those times were used to make bread. It is documented that the plant was also grown by the lake dwellers of Switzerland during the Stone Age.

Benefits of Millets:

In comparison with the grains like rice, wheat and jowar, the millet grains are nutritionally superior to many cereals, and have medicinal value because of their high fibre content, higher amount of protein, including all the essential amino acids, good cholesterol, and the same amount of calcium and iron. Because of its inherent low glycaemic value, these grains are ideal for combating obesity, diabetes, cancer and cardio vascular disorders.

The fibre in millets is in two forms - soluble and insoluble fractions. The soluble fibre fraction delays gastric emptying and helps in slow digestion and slower release of glucose. Thus, the blood glucose levels rise slowly. The insoluble fraction is an inert component metabolically, absorbs water and helps bowel movement, preventing constipation.

Millets with high dietary fibre take longer to chew and thus our eating time increases. Since the brain registers that it is full only after 20 minutes, the increased eating time gives the body a chance to know that the stomach is full, and reduces our chances of overeating. As the fibre nutrient moves in the intestine, it picks up wastes, and adds bulk to the stool ingredient and it makes going to the toilet a pleasurable experience too.

Nutritional value of millets:

Millet has high content of nutrients, including impressive starch levels, very high B-vitamin content, as well as calcium, iron, potassium, zinc, magnesium, not to mention of its being a healthy source of essential fats in the body. Furthermore, there are significant levels of protein and dietary fibre in millet as well, which contribute to further health benefits of this important grain!

Finally what is “Siri Dhanya”?

Grains are classified as Positive, Neutral and Negative. And the Millet range of grains constitute as Positive and Neutral grains. Among the Positive Millet Grains, which have dietary fibre from 8 % to 12.5 % are Foxtail (Navane), Barnyard (Oodalu), Araka (Kodo), Little (Samai) and Brown Top (Korale). Whereas Pearl (Sajje), Finger (Ragi), Proso (Baragu), Great Millet (White Jowar) and Corn classified as neutral grains, having a little lesser fibre and other nutrients. The millet foods are considered as miracle grains, that’s why we call them “Siri Dhanya” millets.

Does Positive Millets Got Medicinal Properties ?

To find out the health giving properties and the extent of medicinal qualities food items possess, the fiber and carbohydrates they contain need to be looked at. Fibre and carbohydrate contents in paddy rice are 0.2 percentage and 79 percentage respectively. In other words their ration is 395. Even in whole/raw paddy rice, the ration of fibre to carbohydrates does not differ much. Whereas in the five siridhanya grains, fibre content ranges from 8 to 12.5 percentage and carbohydrate content is in the range of 60 to 69 percentage. Their ration varies between 5.5 and 8.8 those foods in which carbohydrates to fibre ratio is below 10 are have shown medicinal properties. Glucose is released into the blood in a regulated manner between 6 and 8 hours after eating such foods. The ability to not release glucose more than the required quantity into the blood, the presence of many micro nutrients and proteins make siridhanya extraordinary. When people with persistent diseases like diabetes, cancer, obesity, etc eat siridhanya rice for 6 months to 2 years depending on the condition of their ailments they can get rid of them totally. Besides supplying nutrients in good amounts, siridhanya remove the disease causing elements from the body and make it clean.

Why Should we consume Siridhanya ? How do they fill our life with health and happiness?

Let us understand why we should eat siridhanya in a scientific and brief manner. Many changes have happened to our present day paddy rice and wheat. Owing to the Hybridization of paddy and wheat crops for the past few generations, the Nutrient content in them has reduced. Paddy rice and wheat devoid of the usage of chemical fertilizers and pesticides have gone scarce. Moreover the use of poisonous herbicides has also risen

The Natural dietary fibre present in the food regulates the release of glucose into the blood whether a large quantity of glucose be released suddenly or a little quantity of it be released over a long period of time is determined by the fibre contained in the food grain.

The fibre content in paddy rice and wheat is down to 0.20 – 1.2 percentage. Therefore just within 15 to 35 Min of eating foods made of paddy rice and wheat, they are converted into glucose ( Sugar – the end product of Digested food) When 100 grams of such food is eaten 35 gram of glucose( sugar ) from it would suddenly enter into blood. Imagine what would happen when this happens three to four times a day when sweets are also eaten in addition to this and when biscuits, burgers pizza naan made of maida (refined wheat flour ) are eaten furthermore! Huge quantites of glucose would suddenly enter blood and cause harm. Fat quantity in the blood would shoot up. Diabetics would get into serious trouble. Moreover it would lead to many other complications as well as disease.

Glucose is released into blood horribly in just about 15min when Maida based foods are consumed the chemicals used in making maida adversely affect the pancreas

The total quantity of glucose contained generally in blood (4-5 Liters in all ) is only 6 to 7 grams. The food getting digested after eating. The digested food being converted into glucose before entering blood and then the glucose getting circulated throughout the body is a very normal phenomenon but high quantity of glucose entering the blood abruptly in just about 10-30 minutes is never good for health. This is particularly harmful for elders diabetics and other kind of patients with the following ailments constipation fits epilepsy piles haemorrhoids triglycerides hypertension/ blood pressure kidney heart etc.

It is for this reason fibre less foods should be avoided and instead fibre rich siridhanya should be incorporated into our daily diet. These release glucose into blood slowly and a little at a time over a long period of 5 to 7 hours.