Millet times template

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Understanding millets.

Millets need very little water for their production. Compared to irrigated commodity crops currently promoted by policy measures, millets and require just around 25% of the rainfall regime demanded by crops such as sugarcane and banana. Thus, they do not burden the state with demands for irrigation or power. Millets are often growing on skeletal soils that adapted to a wide range of ecological conditions are less than 15 cm deep.

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MILLET TIMES

AGRICULTURE

How millets help in Agriculture?

MILLETS CAN GROW WITHOUT SYNTHETIC FERTILISERS

Millets do not demand chemical fertilizers. In fact under dry land conditions, millets grow better in the absence of chemical fertilizers. Therefore most farmers grow them using farmyard manure under purely ecological conditions. In recent years, farmers have also started using bio-fertilisers such as vermicompost produced in their backyard and growth- promoters such as panchgavya, amritpani, etc. These practices make millet production not only ecological, but also keep it under the control of farmers.

MILLETS ARE PEST-FREE CROPS

Grown with traditional local landraces and under ecological conditions, most millets are totally pest free and hence do not need any pesticides. Even in storage conditions, most do not have any need for fumigants. E.g. The Foxtail millet acts as an anti-pest agent in the storage of delicate pulses such as green gram.

MILLETS MEAN BIODIVERSITY

Most millets grown under traditional practices constitute a farming system and not merely a crop. Most millet fields are inherently biodiverse. This is the tradition of millet farming in the country where six to twenty crops are planted in the same space at the same time. The famous Baranaja cropping systems in the Himalayas are a testimony to this. In this millet-led system, 12 different crop varieties are embedded in the same field at the same time. Saat Dhan in Rajasthan also is a host to a large variety of millets. The Pannendu Pantalu system of the South encourages growing millets in combination with pulses and oilseeds, thus making it a holistic farming system.

MILLETS CAN GROW WITHOUT IRRIGATION

Do you know how much water we use for growing a kilo of rice?

It is an incredible 3000-4000 litres of water!

Assuming that the minimum yield of rice in a chemically-grown Green Revolution model is about 2000 kilos per acre, that acre uses between six and eight million litres of water. If, on the same field you grow millets, you can save six to eight million litres of water for the nation. Even if you price this water at one paisa a litre, a millet farmer contributes nearly Rs.60, 000 per year for every acre of the farm she/he cultivates, to the national kitty.

In a sense, millet farmers are the only ones who do not demand any subsidy from the state, on the contrary subsidise the state exchequer. Consider the fact that nearly 60 million acres of land in India are under millet cultivation. This area contributes in

terms of water close to Rs. 350 billion every year to the national income as its own water cess! A contribution never discussed in the august chambers of celebrated economists at the national level.

Through such silences, the millet farmers have been completely marginalised.

MILLETS GROW ON THE POOREST OF SOILS

Millets are adapted to a wide range of ecological conditions, often growing on soils that are less than eight inches deep. They do not demand rich soils for their survival and growth. Most millets can be grown on low fertility soils, some in acidic soils and some on saline soils. Millets such as Pearl millet can be grown on sandy soils as is done in Rajasthan; so for the vast dryland area, they are a boon.

Poor farmers especially in dryland India are owners of very poor lands. Much of the cultivable fallows and low fertility farms have been handed to them through the process of land reforms and the Jajmani system of Inam lands. The only crops that sustain agriculture and food security on these lands are millets.

The capacity of millets to grow on poor soils can be gauged from the fact that they also grow in sub - Sahelian soil conditions in West Africa - which produces 74% of all the millets grown in Africa and 28% of the world production. If they grow in such zones where rainfall can average less than 500 mm, using soils that are sandy and slightly acidic, it is a testimony to their hardiness and extraordinary capacity to survive very harsh conditions. That is why millets can withstand drought-like conditions in the Deccan and Rajasthan and produce food and fodder.

MILLETS PRODUCE MULTIPLE SECURITIES

While single crops such as rice and wheat can succeed in producing food security for India, millets do more. They contribute to securities of food, nutrition, fodder, fibre, health, livelihood and ecology. Most millets have edible stalks which are the most favoured fodder for cattle. Sometimes, crops such as sorghum and pearl millet are grown only for their fodder.

Besides fodder, millets are storehouses of nutrition and hence provide nutrition security. Being hosts to diverse crops such as red gram and amaranth, millet fields produce fuel wood and fibre.

The legume crops that are companion crops for millets are also prolific leaf shedders. The fallen leaves act as natural manure and maintain soil fertility. Thus, millet farms do not just use soil fertility for their growth, but also return this fertility to the soil. Ultimately, their energy balance sheet stays clean. All the energy they import for their cultivation is returned by them to the soil

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MILLET TIMES

AGRICULTURE

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If there is any single factor that should tilt the scales in favour of millets in the food and farming landscape, it is nutrition. By any nutritional parameter, millets are miles ahead of rice and wheat.

In terms of their mineral content, millets dwarf rice and wheat. Each one of them has more fibre than rice and wheat - some millets have as much as fifty times that of rice. See the table below and you will discover this amazing quality of millets.

Finger millet has thirty times more calcium than rice, while every other millet has at least twice the amount of calcium compared to rice. In their iron content, foxtail and little millet are so rich that rice is nowhere in the race. While most of us seek a micronutrient such as Beta Carotene in pharmaceutical pills and capsules, millets offer it in abundant quantities. The much privileged rice, ironically, has zero quantity of this precious micronutrient.

In this fashion, nutrient to nutrient, every single millet is extraordinarily superior to rice and wheat and therefore is the solution for the malnutrition that affects a vast majority of the Indian population. Remember in the Global Malnutrition Index, India occupies a position far below that of sub Sahelian Africa, a region known as the poorest in the world. Therefore, experts say that India is in a state of Nutritional Emergency.

Apart from the poverty-induced malnutrition in the disprivileged rural belts, the nutritional crisis that the urban world faces is also a matter of grave concern. Obesity, diabetes, heart diseases among the urban populations of the world can be traced back to their dietary imbalance and the presence of carbohydrates and absence of other nutritional elements in their diet. To overcome these problems, increased use of millets in our diets can be the answer. In fact, with their low glycemic index millets can be a dietary panacea for the diabetics.

TASTY, VERY VERSATILE:

A question that always arises is that millets are surely nutritious, but are they also tasty? The answer is an emphatic yes. Millets are extremely tasty foods.

The rotis from jowar and bajra cooked in North Karnataka and Maharashtra are a gourmet’s delight. Some of the upmarket restaurants in Pune in Maharashtra shun rice and serve only millet. In Rajasthan Dal-bati-churma, made with Jowar is the traditional food and people relish its taste. Some of the most popular food joints such as Vishala in Ahmedabad and Dhola ri Dhani in Jaipur serve the most delicious millets.

Café Ethnic nestles in the small town of Zaheerabad in Medak District of Andhra Pradesh. This is the only all-millet organic restaurant in India. The café has proved that using millets one can cook

every single recipe that one cooks using rice. Foxtail millet Khichdi, Vada, Idli, Muruku, Bhajiya, Payasam, Ragi Ambali, and rotis from multiple millets are the specialities of the café. The café has also experimented successfully with snacks such as traditional Guntaponganalu to modern spring rolls to sweets such as Badushah.

Millets are not just food; they are an integral part of the culture of thousands of communities all over the country. In South India, the sorghum-growing Deccan areas of Telangana, Marathwada and North Karnataka use sorghum to bless the newlyweds. In many rites of worship across castes and religions, sorghum is revered as the principal ritual grain.

In the Endlagatte Punnam, the panicle festival of the Deccan, freshly cut crop panicles from the field are offered to the village goddess and then hung as decoration on the door front. Sorghum occupies a place of pride in this array of crops. Any food that is so deeply integrated into the culture of communities cannot be taken away from them.

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The majority of the world’s commercial millet crop is produced by India, China and Nigeria.

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STOREHOUSES OF NUTRITION:

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MILLET TIMES

FUTURE

Millets: Future of Food and Farming

Millet grows in stalks 1 to 10 feet high, and ripens in 60 to 90 days. It will grow in relatively infertile areas, is drought resistant and matures in such a short time; great for growing in less agriculturally developed areas A ONE-STOP SOLUTION TO CLIMATE CRISIS : “Experts warn us that Climate Change will confront us with three challenges” • Increase in temperature between two and five degrees celsius • Increased water stress • Severe malnutrition And millets have the capacity to meet these challenges.

• Since they are already capable of growing under drought-like conditions, they can withstand higher heat regimes.

• Millets grow under non-irrigated conditions in such low rainfall regimes as between 200 mm and 500 mm. Thus, they can also face the water stress and grow.

• Every one of the millets is a storehouse of dozens of nutrients in large quantities. They nclude major and micro nutrients needed by the human body. Hence they can help people withstand malnutrition.

When the climate crisis deepens, two of the trusted crops for India’s food security viz., rice and wheat will face a severe setback. The pro-

jected 2 degree Celsius temperature rise might force wheat to disappear from our midst since it is an extremely thermal-sensitive crop.

Similarly, the way rice is grown under standing water makes it a dangerous crop in context of the climate change conditions. Methane emanating from water-drenched rice fields is a green house gas that adds to the global warming. Millets are all-season crops cultivated round the year, whereas wheat is season-specific.

DECLINE AND FALL OF MILLET FARMING : Between 1966 and 2006, 44% of millet cultivation areas in India were occupied by other crops. Declining state support in terms of crop loans and crop insurance has significantly contributed to this decline and fall of millets in Indian agriculture.

Unless this is halted urgently through a slew of policy and financial incentives, millets might disappear from the agrarian landscape of India

over the next fifty years. This will not only be a loss for India’s food and farming systems but also a civilizational and ecological disaster.

Therefore, there is an urgent need for Indian policy makers to refocus their attention towards millet farming systems and enact policies that create an enabling environment for millet farmers.

Post Green Revolution, there has been a systematic decline in the production of millets. This is clearly evident from the production trends of millets vis à vis, other crops such as rice and wheat, that were relentlessly promoted for intensive farming in a few select resource rich areas under irrigated conditions.

Agriculturally, nutritionally and environmentally, this is quite tragic. Wheat and rice registered a whopping increase of 285 and 125 percentage points respectively between 1956 and 2006. Simultaneously, state policies pushed millets to suffer a decline of 2.4% after the Green Revolution in agriculture.

Much of the decline in production can be attributed to the way millet cultivation areas have shrunk over the last fifty years. Between

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MILLET TIMES

FUTURE

Millet was the main grain in China before rice. China, India and Niger are the world’s largest growers of millet today.

MILLETS: PATH TO THE FUTURE If India needs to secure its food and farming for this century, there is an urgent need to recognize millets as the future of this country and adopt relevant steps. It is also important to realize that for a New Age crisis such as the Climate Crisis, millets are a New Age Answer.

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Millet ranks as the sixth most important grain in the world, sustains 1/3 of the world’s population and is a significant part of the diet in northern China, Japan, Manchuria and various areas of the former Soviet Union, Africa, India and Egypt.

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1956 and 2006 nearly 42% of all millet growing areas moved away to other crops. In 1958, 36.2 million hectares were growing millets. By 2006, millets were being farmed in only 21.3 mha and during the same period wheat dramatically climbed from 12.8 mha to 26.2 mha to double its area of cultivation.

Similarly, while they occupied pride of place at 36% of all cereal-cultivated area in 1956, they dropped to a dismal 21% in 2006.

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MILLET TIMES

TYPES

Types of Millets!

English : Great Millet/Sorghum

English : Spiked Millet/Pearl Millet

Bengali : Jowar Gujarati : Jowari, Juar Hindi : Jowari, Juar Kannada : Jola Marathi : Jowari, Jondhala Oriya : Juara Punjabi : Jowar Tamil : Cholam Telugu : Jonna

Bengali : Bajra Gujarati : Bajri Hindi : Bajra Kannada : Sajje Marathi : Bajri Oriya : Bajra Punjabi : Bajra Tamil : Kambu Telugu : Sajja

English : Finger Millet

English : Italian Millet/ Foxtail Millet

English : Little Millet

Bengali : Marwa Gujarati : Nagli, Bavto Hindi : Ragi, Mandika, Marwah Kannada : Ragi Marathi : Nagli, Nachni Oriya : Mandia Punjabi : Mandhuka, Mandhal Tamil : Keppai, Ragi, Kelvaragu Telugu : Ragi Chodi

Bengali : Kaon Gujarati : Kang Hindi : Kakum Kannada : Navane Marathi : Kang, Rala Oriya : Kanghu, Kangam, Kora Punjabi : Kangni Tamil : Tenai Telugu : Korra

Bengali : Sama Gujarati : Gajro; Kuri Hindi : Kutki, Shavan Kannada : Same, Save Marathi : Sava, Halvi, vari Oriya : Suan Punjabi : Swank Tamil : Samai Telugu : Samalu

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MILLET TIMES

TYPES

English : Kodo Millet

English : Common Millet/Proso Millet

English : Barnyard Millet

Bengali : Kodo Gujarati : Kodra Hindi : Kodon Kannada : Harka Marathi : Kodra Oriya : Kodua Punjabi : Kodra Tamil : Varagu Telugu : Arikelu, Arika

Bengali : Cheena Gujarati : Cheno Hindi : Chena; Barri Kannada : Baragu Marathi : Vari Oriya : China Bachari bagmu Punjabi : Cheena Tamil : Pani varagu Telugu : Variga

Bengali : Shyama Gujarati : ....

Hindi : Sanwa Kannada : Oodalu Marathi : ...

Oriya : Khira Punjabi : Swank Tamil : Kuthiraivolly Telugu : Udalu, Kodisama

Pearl millet

is the most widely grown type of millet and India is largest producer of pearl millet. Pearl millet is a rich source of phosphorus, which plays an important part in the structure of body cells. Consumption of pearl millets helps in minimizing the risk of type 2 diabetes. Being a good source of magnesium, millets act as a cofactor in a number of enzymatic reactions.

Also known as African finger millet, red millet, ragi and very popular millet especially in Southern India. It is rich in calcium and protein and also have good amount of iron and other minerals. Ragi tops in antioxidant activity among common Indian foods, Ragi also has some good number of Essential Amino Acids (EAA) which is essential for human body.

Foxtail millets

are high in Iron content and these millets are totally pest-free. Foxtail not only not need any fumigants, but act as anti pest agents to store delicate pulses such as green gram. They also control blood sugar and cholesterol levels & increase HDL cholesterol.

Kodo millets

contain high amounts of polyphenols, an antioxidant compound, they also has high on fibre, low on fat. Kodo millet inhibited glycation and cross-linking of collagen. Kodo millets are good for diabetes.

Little Millets seeds are smaller than other millets, like foxtail millet, little millet also high in Iron content, high in fibre like Kodo and has high antioxidant activity. It helps in diabetes and diseases related stomach.

Barnyard millets are high in fibre content, phosporous and calcium. Bardyard has low glycemic index and thus helps in type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease with regular intake of this millet.

Sorghum is another one of the ancient cereal grain, and grown mostly for their fodder value. Sorghum has high nutritional value, with high levels of unsaturated fats, protein, fiber, and minerals like phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and iron. It’s also high in calories and macro nutrients, jowar has more antioxidants than blueberries and pomegranates. Sorghum helps to improve metabolism.

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MILLET TIMES

NUTRITION

Nutritional facts!

NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF MILLET: Millet is counted on around the world to provide basic nutrition for many developing nations.

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

more, the plant lignans found in millet can be converted to animal lignans by the microflora in our digestive system, and those animal lignans have been shown to protect against certain chronic diseases, like cancer and heart disease.

Cholesterol Levels in Check: Cholesterol levels go hand-in-hand with heart health, so the high fiber levels in millet make for an ideal cholesterol-lowering approach. Dietary fiber actually eliminates dangerous “bad cholesterol” (LDL) from the system, while promoting the effects of “good cholesterol (HDL).

HEALTH BENEFITS OF MILLET: Increase Your Heart Health: Millet is one of the best possible grains to add to your diet if you want to protect your heart, which is something that everyone can relate to. Millet is a rich source of magnesium, which is an important mineral for reducing blood pressure and the risk of heart attacks of strokes, particularly in the case of atherosclerosis. Millet is also a great source of potassium, which further keeps blood pressure low by acting as a vasodilator.

Reducing your blood pressure and optimizing your circulatory system is one of the best ways to protect your cardiovascular health. Further-

PROTECTION AGAINST DIABETES: Diabetes is a disease found in millions of people around the world. Millet is a beneficial food staple in many developing countries (where diabetes is less frequently found), perhaps because one of the effects of millet is a reduced chance of Type 2 diabetes, thanks to the significant levels of magnesium found in this particular grain.

Magnesium is considered one of the most important minerals for increasing the efficiency of insulin and glucose receptors in the body, thereby preventing this disease. A 30% reduction in diabetes has been seen in populations divided between diets with or without magnesium.

Crop / Nutrient

Protein(g)

Fat (g)

DIGESTIVE HEALTH: As most fiber-rich foods boast, millet can help move your gastrointestinal system along and eliminate problems like constipation, excess gas, bloating, and cramping. By regulating your digestive process, you also improve your nutrient retention and reduce your chance of more serious gastrointestinal conditions like gastric ulcers or colon cancer. Regular digestion and elimination of waste also helps to optimize your kidney, liver, and immune system health, as those organ systems are closely related to the body’s metabolic activities.

CANCER RISK: Recent research has revealed fiber to be one of the best and easiest ways to prevent the onset of breast cancer in women. In fact, women can reduce their chances of breast cancer by more than 50% by eating more than 30 grams of fiber every day. Given that breast cancer is one of the most common and deadliest forms of cancer, this is advice that every woman should hear!

Fiber(g)

Minerals(g)

Iron(mg)

Calcium(mg)

Calories (kcal)

Pearl Millet

10.6

4.8

1.3

2.3

16.9

38

378

Finger Millet

7.3

1.5

3.6

2.7

3.9

34

336

Foxtail Millet

12.3

4

8

3.3

2.8

31

473

Kodo Millet

8.3

3.6

9

2.6

0.5

27

309

Little Millet

7.7

5.2

7.6

1.5

9.3

17

207

Barnyard Millet

11.2

3.9

10.1

4.4

15.2

11

342

Sorghum

10.4

3.1

2

1.6

5.4

25

329

Proso Millet

12.5

2.9

2.2

1.9

0.8

14

356

Rice

6.8

2.7

0.2

0.6

0.7

10

362

Wheat

11.8

2

1.2

1.5

5.3

41

348

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MILLET TIMES

RECIPES

Cooked millet can be served as a breakfast porridge to which you can add your favorite nuts and fruits.

Millets in your kitchen LITTLE MILLETS RECIPES SAMAI DOSA Procedure: 1 cup Samme/Little millet, ½ cup black gram dhal, ½ cup puffed rice, 1tsp fenugreek seeds and salt to taste. Soak saame rice with fenugreek seeds and black gram separately for about 6 hours.

Grind them together with puffed rice smoothly.

Allow the batter to ferment overnight. Add salt to the batter and mix well. Pour the batter on to a hot tava to prepare dosas.

SAMAI PORRIDGE Procedure: Saame/Little millet –1cup, Coconut milk –1 cup and salt to taste.

Cook the rice in 4 cups of water and add coconut milk to it and boil and boil for another 10 mins, allow it to cool and serve with salt.

SAMAI PAYASAM Procedure: Saame flour –1cup, sugar –½ cup, ghee –1 tbl sp, condensed milk –4 tbl sp, milk –2 cups.

Heat and roast ghee till golden brown in colour.

Add milk and boil until the rice is cooked. Then add condensed milk and sugar to the cooked rice and boil for some time. Garnish with dry fruits and serve.

FOXTAIL MILLETS RECIPES NAVANE SAMPALI Procedure: Navane ½ cup, sugar-1/4 cup, cardamom powder -1/4 tsp and cloves powder-¼ tsp.

Boil navane in 2 cups of water. Mash the cooked navane and add sugar and boil for a while. Then mix cardamom, cloves powder and serve with milk.

NAVANE KHICHDI Procedure: Navane –1cup, jaggery ½ cup, grated dry coconut, poppy seeds –4tbl sp, cardamom powder –½ tsp and cloves powder-¼ tsp.

In four cups of water add navane and allow to boil until navane is cooked. Add jaggery, cardamom powder, cloves powder and mix well and cook for a while. Take off the flame, allow it to cool, sprinkle grated dry coconut and poppy seeds and serve.

NAVANE BURFI Procedure: Navane –½ cup, ground nuts –½ cup, jaggery –1 cup, grated dry coconut –1 tbl sp, cardamom powder –¼ tsp and Ghee-½ tsp.

Dry roast navane and grind into a fine powder. Heat jaggery in a pan, when it melts and forms a syrup of single thread, add navane

flour, roasted groundnuts and all other ingredients. Mix well and transfer the mixture into a greased plate. When it cools, cut into desired shapes.

NAVANE KABAB Procedure: Navane –½ cup, boiled potato –2 big, boiled raw banana –1, red chill powder –2 tsp, coriander seeds powder –2 tsp, cumin powder –½ tsp, garam masala powder –½ tsp, oil for frying and salt to taste.

Pressure cook navane with 4 cups of water, mix with boiled and mashed potato, raw banana and other ingredients. Divide this mixture into balls, flatten slightly and deep fry.

FOXTAIL MILLET SALAD Procedure: 1/2 cup of cooked fluffy foxtail millet 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds 1/2 cup sprouted mung beans 8-10 whole almonds 1 tbsp of finely chopped fresh mint leaves 1 tbsp fresh lime juice a pinch of salt Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and toss it well. Adjust salt and lime juice according to your taste.

Serve cold garnished with a spring of fresh mint.

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MILLET TIMES

RECIPES FINGER MILLETS RECIPES

Procedure: Whole ragi grain-1 cup, idli rice (parboiled) –1 cup, Urad dal–¾ cup, fenugreek seeds-1 tablespoon. Salt to taste.

Soak the Ragi for a day. Drain and let it rest for another day till you see tiny white sprouts or soak for 3-4 hours. Separately soak rice and urad dhal. Then grind all the soaked ingredients till light and fluffy.

Add salt to taste and leave it overnight to ferment. Next morning, grease Idli moulds and steam in a pressure cooker for 12-15 minutes till done. Serve hot with chutney or sambhar.

RAGI HALWA Procedure: Ragi Flour-1 cup, sugar -1 cup, crushed cardamom –2, ghee-6 tsp, fried cashew nuts.

First mix the ragi flour with water and keep aside for 10 mins. Take a pan pour the mixture and add sugar, stir it well continuously. Add ghee and stir until it thickens like halwa. Once it thickens add cardamom, fried cashews and mix well.

To get a nutty flavor, dry fry the millet before cooking. Toast it in a pan without water over medium heat, stirring continuously for about 3 minutes until it releases a distinct aroma.

VARAGU COCONUT RICE Procedure: Varagu Rice – 1 cup, Water – 2 cups, 1/2 grated coconut, Carrot – 1, chopped and steamed (optional), Onion – 1, chopped, Seasoning – Curry leaves, Channa Dal, Mustard Seeds, Oil Cook the varagu in water. Let it cool down completely, so it does not become mushy when you prepare the coconut rice. Add seasoning to oil. Then saute onions and add the steamed carrots. Add grated coconut and let it cook for a minute. Then add the rice and mix everything well.

RAGI AMBALI Procedure: Thin porridge is prepared by soaking the flour overnight in water or butter milk and cooked next morning on slow flame. This facilitates mild fermentation and improves its flavor and taste.

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Toss cooked and chilled millet with your favorite chopped vegetables and either chicken or baked tofu cubes. Add dressing and voilá ..... an easy to prepare, delicious meal.

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RAGI IDLI

Next time you are looking for an alternative to rice or potatoes, serve millet instead.

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MILLET TIMES

FAQ

FAQ Can millets be given to babies?

Yes millets can be given to babies. Babies can be fed Popped/malted Millets powder; this is like a millet based substitute for baby food like Cerelac or others. Traditionally, children were given different forms of millets from 6 months up.

My children do not want to eat millets?

A lot of children do not like porridge made from dalia or oats but learn to like it over a period of time. Taste is cultivated and as parents we have to provide exposure to different textures, flavours etc. Start creating a taste for millets with e.g. laddus made from Popped millets and Millet mixes which can be used as drink by mixing with milk and then introduce it in the form of upma, mix millets in dosa/idli batter thus slowly introducing it into the diet.

A simple Jowar Pop can be very tasty food for the Kids, it is very easy to make and also a nutritious food rich in dietary fiber very essential for building immunity.

How often can I use millets in our food?

Millets can be consumed on a daily basis. They can either be used as it is or can be mixed with wheat and rice based products.

In order to get the millets back in to our home, we need to start in stages by using in small percentage in the beginning.

Gradually the proportion of millets can be increased. A simple way to begin may be by using millet’s rice along with the Paddy rice (White Rice). One can start with 10% of millets rice mixing and gradually increasing the proportion to 50%. In this way the taste would be retained together with the nutrient benefits of millets. Kids can also be given millets in the form of Ragi biscuits & Bajra chips. Chapattis can be baked using multigrain flour (a kind of flour made by mixing different varieties of millets).

Pure millets rice, millet idlis, pongal, pulao, khichdiCurd rice, Dosa, Idly, Puttu etc. can all be made with millets.

Are Millets hard to digest?

This is a misconception. For e.g. when one shifts from white, polished rice to unpolished rice the quantity of rice that you need to eat to feel satiated is much less since the unpolished rice has more bran and has a lower glycaemic index. As a result you feel hungry much later than you would with white, polished rice.

In the same manner, the high fibre content of millets leads to slower digestion and a lower glycaemic index. Once one understands the

nature of millets, one will find that much less quantities of millets are required to get the same amount of energy to keep us working.

This is also why millets are excellent for diabetics.

Millets do not contain any gluten, a wheat protein that is hard for the human body to digest.

Consequently, they are NOT acid-forming foods and are easy to digest.

I do not know how to cook millets?

This is a common question people keep asking; first we need to understand that today our common food is Paddy Rice and Wheat.

Paddy belongs to the group of Husked grains – to which other small millets like Foxtail, Little, Kodo, Proso and Barnyard Millets also belong.

Wheat belongs to the Group of Naked Grains – to which other millets like Finger millet, Pearl millet and Jowar (Sorghum) belong.

Most people are more familiar with Ragi (Finger Millet), Jowar (Sorghum) and Bajra since these millets are consumed even today in different parts of our country and are a part of the local food culture.

In the case of husked grains like Paddy we process them in the rice mills to remove the husk and bran to get the conventional white Polished (Paddy) rice.

Similarly, the 5 different small millets which are husked can also be made into their respective rice forms.

These grains are less commonly known and are very much like the Paddy rice – so any millet rice can be cooked in the same way as Paddy rice.

The priority of our nation’s food security programme has bee promotion of rice and wheat.

As a result millets, the “miracle grains” have gradually disappeared from the farms and also our diets. The cultural disconnect is too long and has made most of us unfamiliar with these grains to the extent that many of us have not even heard of these grains, leave alone consuming.

Millets can be consumed on a daily basis like any other grain. Chapattis & rice can be made up of millets. Apart from these, millets can be used to make laddus, Dalia and other dishes like – Saama Nippattu, Korra Murukku etc.

Won’t using millets be more expensive compared to Paddy rice or Wheat?

consumed by the people in the form of Mudda (Kali) or Roti.

Millet products are comparatively more expensive than paddy rice or wheat because the millet grains are small and hence more difficult to process compared to Paddy. Government has invested extensively in Paddy cultivation and processing and as a result cost of processing is low. In the case of millets Government investment on processing and promotion has been minimal. Traditionally people processed millets manually but this is impossible if one wants to make millets available to a larger section of the population.

In the final analysis remember that for every kg of paddy rice / wheat you will need significantly lower quantities of millets. As a result there is a savings on the cost. In addition the hidden cost of reduction in medical expenses and improved health will lead to more value for the money that you spend on your food.

I do not have Diabetes, why should I take millets?

Millets are highly nutritious, non-glutinous and not acid forming food. Hence they’re soothing and easy to digest. They’re considered to be least allergenic & most digestible grains available.

Diabetes and other chronic diseases are known to have close link to the food that we consume.

Can millets be as tasty as the food cooked from Rice and Wheat?

Yes. Millets have been used to make tasty recipes like – Ragi cake, Bajra muffins, ragi pancakes, millet porridge & Malayali style puttu.

Bajra-Jowar bread is known to be very delicious and is the fastest selling bread at many bakeries across the country.

Isn’t cooking millets more time consuming and difficult?

Millets are very much like any other commonly used grain; they can be cooked in the same forms as we cook the paddy rice or Wheat.

How do I know which millet I should eat?

Food and food habits are shaped by where you live. The easiest answer to this question is, like in the case of vegetables and fruits, eat millets that are local to your area.

Millets have been known as poor people’s/hard working people’s food. Not all Millets are costly. Millets like Ragi and Bajra are comparatively cheaper and even today they are commonly

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