Wheat and rice may be amongst the most popular grains, but millets such as sorghum (jowar), pearl millet (bajra), foxtail millet (kangni), finger millet (ragi), Barnyard millet, Kodo millet, Little Millet, Proso Millet are amongst the healthiest millet grains available.
Millets, when compared to wheat and maize, are high on nutrients, gluten-free and have a low glycemic index of 54-68. The presence of a high amount of dietary fibre, proteins with all essential amino acids, vitamins, and minerals helps in stabilizing the blood sugar levels.
Millets can prosper in adverse climatic conditions. They are both nutrient-dense and climate-friendly crops in the world. These are profit crops for small farmers, and they also enhance the overall health of community.
Millets are nutrient healthy food grains. Foxtail millet grain is coming back into fashion as the people eat classical, natural, and sourced local foods grown in India and across the world. These granules have been enhanced with nutrient content, flavour, and contour, making them the preferred option for routine mainstay grains in many consumer-led health decisions.
Foxtail millet, scientific name Setaria italica (synonym Panicum italicum L.), is an annual grass grown for human food. It is the second-most widely planted species of millet, and the most grown millet species in Asia. The oldest evidence of foxtail millet cultivation was found along the ancient course of the Yellow River in Cishan, China, carbon dated to be from around 8,000 years before present.
Foxtail millet has also been grown in India since antiquity.
Names for foxtail millet in other languages spoken in different states of where it is cultivated include:
Assamese: কণী ধান (koni dhaan)
Bengali: কাওন দানা (kaon dana)
Hindi: कांगणी (Kangni)
Gujarati: kang
Kannada: ನವಣೆ (navane)
Malayalam: തിന (thina)
Marathi: kang or rala (राळं)
Odia: କଙ୍ଗୁ (kaṅgu) or ଟାଙ୍ଗଣ (ṭāṅgaṇa)
Punjabi: ਕਂਗਣੀ/کنگنی (Kangni)
Sanskrit: प्रियङ्गुः (priyangu) or कङ्गुः (kangu)
Tamil: தினை (thinai),இறடி,ஏனல்,கங்கு, kavalai, or kambankorai; nuvanam (millet flour). The gruel made from millet, the staple of Ancient Tamils, is called kali, moddak kali, kuul, or sangati.
Foxtail millet should be soaked before cooking:
Soak millets for 6 hours at least.Soaking the millets overnight ensures that you break down the phytic acid in them. Phytic acid impairs the absorption of the good guys minerals like iron, zinc and calcium and makes the digesting millets much easier on your tummy. So don't forget to soak millets overnight.
The best time to eat millets:
They're great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. If you substitute millet rice for white rice in your recipes, your foods will be much healthier. Millet is a sleep aid. According to seasons, Millet varieties such as Bajra and corn are suitable for winter.
Foxtail millet is a small seed with gentle yellow skin that mimics yellow mustard seeds.
Glycemic index and Glycemic load of Foxtail millets:
Finger millet has the highest carbohydrate 60.1gm% content among the selected millets.
Besides lowering blood glucose, foxtail millet intake also improved blood pressure and lipid profile.
Foxtail, little, finger, and pearl millet have a GI value ranging from 54 to 68. Jowar millet, however, has a GI value of 70.
The GL of a single food is calculated by multiplying the GI by the amount of carbohydrate in grams (gm) provided by a food serving and then dividing the total by 100
GLFood = (GI Food x amount (gm) of available carbohydrate Food per serving)/100.
Foxtail millet has low glycemic index and low glycemic load could improve the glycemic control in an individual suggesting that increasing the consumption of foxtail millet might be beneficial to individuals suffering from Type II diabetes mellitus.
Glycemic load of millet=
Glycemic index of foxtail millet× Carbohydrates per 100gm
=54×60.1/100
=32.4
Low GI : 1 to 55.
Medium GI : 56 to 69.
High GI : 70 and higher.
Therefore it has low Glycemic load.
Nutritional value :
per 100 gram
331 g of energy
60.1 g carbohydrate
12.3 g protein
4.30 g fat
6.7 g of fibre
31.0 mg calcium
188 mg phosphorus
81 mg magnesium
2.4 mg of zinc
2.8 mg of iron
Health Benefits of foxtail millet:
•Regular consumption of millets is beneficial for post-menopausal women suffering from signs of heart ailments, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. They help women to combat occurrence of gallstones because they are rich in fibre.
•It is a healthy balanced substitute for traditional rice and is digestible.Foxtail millet is better than rice.
It is evident from the data that millets have a better and healthier nutritional profile than white rice. In addition, they also offer various health benefits for children.It is mainly recommended for kids and people who have an anxious weak spot, diabetes, or a burning pain all across their body.
•Iron deficiency can result in a variety of health issues like weaker musculature, anaemia, and regular spasms. Foxtail millets are rich in iron and calcium, both are crucial for muscle and bone wellness.
•Including Foxtail millet in your usual diet can help your body fulfil its calcium and phosphorus specifications for combating weak bones, inflammatory, and other spine chronic health conditions like bone loss, arthritis, serositis, etc.
•Millets are widely used to promote cardiovascular health. Since they are gluten-free, full of protein, and low in carbs, these beautiful millets assist in the creation of the cholinergic neurons, which send signals between muscular and nerve endings while also safeguarding the heart.
•Foxtail Millet is rich in Vitamin B12 which is essential for maintaining a healthy heart, smooth functioning of the nervous system, and in general good for skin and hair growth.It is high in Vitamin B12 and encourages cardiac health and nerve function. Once likened to rice, it is muche more stringy and has higher mineral content. It helps in the formation of a coherent mental standpoint since it includes the Morale Vitamin and B. Foxtail improves memory and concentration markedly.
Chew it on a regular basis to safeguard your heart from a range of infections.
•Rice intake is severely inhibited in diabetics due to its high carb content. Foxtail millet is a wonderful rice replacement since it maintains you fuller longer. The tactic is to substitute rice with extensively cooked Foxtail millet to avert mid-day feelings of hunger and rapid peaks in blood glucose levels.
•Foxtail millet also contains a high amount of stearic and linoleic acids, which helps in maintaining a good lipid profile.
•Foxtail millet is significant in amino acids such as lecithin and methionine, which lowers cholesterol by detaching excess fat in the liver. Threonine precludes fatty liver, reducing bad cholesterol yet further.
Tryptophan, an amino acid plentiful in Foxtail millet, is vital for avoiding feelings of hunger. If you are struggling with excess excess weight, it is time to step up your consumption of Foxtail millet, which precludes the buildup of fatty hormones in the body.
•A good digestive system is a key component of a healthy diet. If stomach problems are not treated promptly, they may become chronic, resulting insevere incontinence, diarrhoea, as well as irritable bowel syndrome. It is an amazing food for those who are gluten intolerant or those who are celiac.
• Integrate with plenty of veggies to regulate bowels and weight loss.
•Nothing is more essential than a healthy immune system in such times and days of epidemics. Foxtail millet, a rich source of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients, tends to increase endurance, retains you better, and develops protection to battle off viral diseases. If you have recently become ill from a virus or bacteria, including it in your routine diet can help you gain back your resilience.
•Among the selected millets, foxtail millet contains the highest protein.Foxtail Millet contains 12.3 g of protein per 100 gm of grains.The protein content in millet is very close to that of wheat; both provide about 11-12 % protein by weight. Protein is needed for hair maintenance health and harms preventative measures. Protein is necessary for healthy hair. Hair care products contain protein for their positive effects.
Proteins help to support and enhance cells such as the epidermis, which is continuously ravaging. Collagen is a vital nutrient that reinforces tissues, cell lines, and organ systems, which is needed for reinvigoration. The existence of connective tissue protein in the body offers blemish, wholesome, and young skin.
Protein aids in the smooth functioning of the central nervous system. The stimulation of the nervous system causes pertinent reactions to be sparked. The antibody sites are composed of a protein that assists in the transmission of nerve impulses to cells and the control of the nervous system.
•The cause of restless leg syndrome is a scarcity of iron in the body. This is due to the lack of iron in the body. Adequate iron supplementation helps in the treatment of ailments. It is related to muscle spasms that are symptomatic of vitamin deficiency.
Foxtail millet retains your pleasure for extended periods of time and precludes sugar spikes.
Usage of Foxtail millet:
Foxtail millet is a flexible cereal that could be included in our breakfast, lunch, and supper meals. You can use it to render upma for breakfast, paratha, khichdi, biriyani for a meal, and roti for dinner. You can integrate foxtail millet two or three times a week. Dipping foxtail millet for 6-8 hours is essential since it starts to break down the phytate and assists the digestive process.
These millets are simple to prepare and can be used in a variety of Indian ingredients. It is typically prepared as oatmeal for breakfast. It is also used to add crunch to bread, pastries, and granola. It is also used to plump up soups, and curries, and as the base for hot grain salad dressings.
The disadvantage of eating millets:
Millets can cause delayed digestion due to their slow digestibility as they are high in fibre. People with intestinal disorders can have difficulty.
Conclusion:
Foxtail millets are the world's second most cultivated millet, dragging only Pearl millet. Include these millets to regulate blood sugar levels, and weight loss, boost the immune system, and defend cardiovascular health. They are full of protein, dietary fibre, and a wide range of minerals and vitamins. Contrary to belief, millets are tasty to chew and can be used to build great recipes.
Information compiled by:
Dr Bhairavsinh Raol
