As Parliament canteen gets a new millet menu, know why these ‘super grains’ deserve a spot on your plate too

“Furthermore, The Ashok Hotel has introduced millet-based food items at the buffet breakfast. The breakfast menu includes items like Millet Dosa, Millet Idli, Millet Uttapam, and Khichdi, which is made of yellow pulse and millet. Also, in order to create more awareness around the millets, we are installing a kiosk at the Amrit Udyan (Mughal Garden) for the public. We at ITDC feel that millet is a great initiative, which focuses on healthy living and helps us trace back to our roots,” Dasari told indianexpress.com.

Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, too, gave a shoutout to millets when he said that every G20 summit event in India would feature millet dishes.

Why do we need the International Year of Millets?

In 2018, India pitched a proposal to the UN to recognise an International Year of Millets. Six years later, 2023 is being celebrated as the UN-designated International Year of Millets.

There are about 6,000 varieties of millet available throughout the world. Some of them are Sorghum (Jowar), Pearl Millet (Bajra), Finger Millet (Ragi or Nachni), Brown top (Sama), Kodu (Arke), Proso (Chena/Barr), Barnyard (Sanwa), and Foxtail Millet (Kora) among others, said Sharmila Oswal, “millet evangelist” and co-founder, Gudmom.

Millets such as ragi, jowar, and bajra, have a rich history of being eaten by different communities across India for centuries until the monocultures of wheat and rice found their way into Indian plates, said Meghana Narayan, co-founder, Wholsum Foods Pvt Ltd (maker of millet-based food brands Slurrp Farm and Millé), in an earlier interaction with indianexpress.com.

Millet consumption was greatly impacted by the Green Revolution of the 1960s, which focused on introducing high-yielding varieties of rice and wheat to increase food production in order to alleviate hunger and poverty, said Narayan.

Here’s why millets are necessary (Source: Pixabay)

“While the production of wheat and rice doubled, the production of other indigenous food crops, such as millet, declined. Until recent years, that is. The time has come for millets to be centre-stage. Over the last few years, individuals, brands, the Indian government, and even the United Nations have consciously worked towards communicating the benefits of this grain,” informed Narayan.

But why should you have millets?

Suggesting that millets are no longer an “uninteresting food”, Oswal told indianexpress.com that when compared to other grains, millets are simpler to cultivate, need less soil, and are a rainfed crop.

Further, calling millets as a “super grain”, Narayan observed that they are packed with proteins, carbohydrates, and fibre. “In fact, ragi contains 3Xmore calcium than any other cereal. It has high-fibre content that keeps people fuller for longer, a boon in a nation like India where we grapple daily with the issue of food security,” Narayan mentioned.

The soluble fibre acts as a prebiotic, supporting growth of good bacteria in your digestive system. Insoluble fibre aids in regularising bowel movement by adding bulk to stools, it also helps in reducing the risk of colon cancer, said Priyanka Lulla, Clinical Dietitian at Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital.

“The potential health benefits of millet include helping people achieve and maintain a healthy body weight, blood sugar regulation and preventing the onset of diabetes and helping in reduction of gut inflammation,” Lulla said.

Lulla also mentioned that millet is an “adaptable grain” and can be easily incorporated in day-to-day recipes, something even the Parliament’s new menu reflects. “It is a good cereal alternative for making gluten-free dishes. Millets can be used to make scrumptious dishes for lunch and dinner like millet pulao, ragi dosa, millet khichdi, and vegetable millet stir fry with eggs. It can also be used to make tiffin-friendly dishes like millet upma or poha, beetroot and millet wrap, or nachni or bajra porridge. Ragi dates ladoo, millet kheer and jowar cookies, ragi-cocoa cakes can give your desserts a healthy twist,” said Lulla.

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