16Dr. Jinu Jacob
The Green Revolution, which emphasized the use of hybrids with high reproductive capacity and response to chemical fertilizers, lifted our country out of food scarcity. By 2023, we have ensured food security. Food security means that all people in the country have access to affordable food at all times.
Today, ‘food security’ is a term that is discussed globally along with food security. It is an index to the quality of the food we eat. As important as the quantity of food is its nutritional value. It is their nutritional value that gives small grains the power to enter the rice and wheat-dominated Indian diet with pride.
Millets, also known as small grains or nutritive grains, are grasses like rice and wheat. Pearl millet, sorghum, ragi, fortail millet, varak, pani varak, chama, and horsetail are all small grains. Pani varak and millet are the most domesticated crops in the world. They are consumed prominently in countries like China, Africa and some states in India itself. The United Nations has declared 2023 as the International Year of Small Grains, realizing their importance.
The main characteristics of small grains are given below. If you understand this, no one will go without including millets in their diet
1. Low Glycemic Index Cereals Rich in Dietary Fiber: The most important feature of small grains is the presence of dietary fiber in them. All types of millets show the same amount of fiber as whole wheat atta. The presence of slow-digesting starch and dietary fiber, which can control blood sugar levels, makes whole grains an ideal food for diabetics.
2. Whole grains for heart health: Dietary fiber also plays a major role in controlling blood cholesterol levels. Also, the phenolic components found in small grains act as antioxidants that prevent the oxidation of fat and provide protection to the heart.
3. Gluten Free Grains: Gluten is a protein found in grains such as wheat and barley. Celiac disease is an allergy to foods that contain gluten in people who are genetically intolerant to gluten. Small grains are an excellent remedy for this condition, which is prevalent in the West.
4. Storehouse of meat and minerals: A characteristic of small grains is their high fiber content. About one-tenth of these nutrients by weight are in the form of meat. The mineral composition of each type of cereal is different. Ragi (finger millet) fed to young children is a valuable source of calcium. Eating 100 grams of ragi provides almost ten times more calcium than wheat. Kambam, ragi and horsetail are good sources of iron. Similarly, B-vitamins, magnesium and zinc are abundant in millets.
5. Good for gut health: The fiber in small grains stops the absorption of water and makes the passage of food through the intestines easier. Hence it eliminates problems like constipation. Millets are a good pre-biotic food for the beneficial bacteria found in the gut.
6. Helps fight cancer: Studies have shown that secondary metabolites in small grains have antioxidant properties. Because of this, whole grains are helpful in reducing various types of oxidants and fighting diseases like cancer.
Let’s try to include small grains with such benefits in our diet. We usually eat put, dosa, idli, uppumaav, pongal, chapati, roti and payasam are dishes that can be made with small grains. Adding millets to fermented foods like Dosa and Idli in particular is helpful in making full use of their nutritional value.
There are many breakfast foods available in the market today that contain small grains. Aval and malar made from small grains can also be used as an easy breakfast. Thus, by including various types of small grains in the diet, the body gets a variety of nutrients. Let’s hope that this International Year of Small Grains will help us understand more about them and make our diets more healthy.
(The author is a senior scientist at the Indian Institute of Millets Research, Hyderabad)
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