|
|
|
You can get e-magazine links on WhatsApp. Click here
|
|
|
|
|
|
Millets important part of meal and nutrition solution in current times
|
|
Tuesday, 12 December, 2017, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
|
|
Nandita Vijay, Bengaluru
|
Millets have been an important part of the meal milieu, and although they had been isolated, they are a present-day nutrition solution. This was stated by K C Raghu, managing director, Pristine Organics, during his presentation at WhatsHapp Foods Version 3, the seminar that took place at the Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce (BCIC) recently.
“Cereals, in the general, form a major portion of the human diet post-agriculture. These crops have been only partly replaced by potatoes and bananas in some parts of the world. Millets almost vanished from this main energy-giving carbohydrate group in just about 40 years,” he added, stating that the history of millets in our food dated back about 15,000 years, and this was a real loss to humans and cultivated agriculture.
“Millets are dry land crops, need very less water and input. There are nine types - finger millet, pearl millet, proso millet, little millet, barnyard millet, browntop millet, foxtail millet, kodo millet and sorghum. Though finger millet, pearl millet and sorghum are still quite extant, the rest are vanishing,” stated Raghu.
He highlighted that millets were nutritionally rich in complex carbohydrates, high in dietary fibre with good fatty acids and phytonutrients.
“It is ideal for a sedentary lifestyle, contrary to popular belief. About 80 per cent of the human diseases are metabolic diseases of food origin. Foods of this nature can indeed promote health and prevent diseases,” Raghu added.
“From an ecological point of view, millets are resource-conserving and climate-compliant. As responsible stakeholders, we need to conserve the diversity of the diet, and consequently, unknowingly, nutrition and human health,” said the Pristine Organics chief.
“India, in particular, is largely a dry land and water-scarce. But all types of millets are capable of thriving in adverse climatic conditions, and therefore, we need to conserve and preserve them,” he added.
Moreover, in an age of lifestyle disorders, millets do fit in aptly for sugar control and cholesterol management. They compare to any cereal. With the highest amount of dietary fibre, millets keep sugar levels in control and maintain cholesterol too,” said Raghu.
“It keeps colon cancer at bay. Millets, in addition, contain a range of newly-discovered nutrients known as photochemicals,” he added.
“Pearl millets, in particular, are also rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which also help reduce bad cholesterol. Therefore, millets need to be cultivated and consumed, because they are a storehouse of medicinal value,” said Raghu.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|