5 Best Millets for Weight Loss

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5 Best Millets for Weight Loss:

People are nowadays are very health conscious and finding food which is healthy around the globe. The best food which comes to my mind is the Millets. Due to the modern lifestyle, health-related problems like diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, Millet is the best gift for human beings as they were the oldest foods that our forefathers were consuming. But due to the large-scale cultivation of wheat and rice has shifted our food habits.

Millets have many nutritional, nutraceutical, and health-promoting properties which will keep our body healthy, and the important aspects which I am going to say today is about the properties which will help in weight loss and the best millets for weight loss.

The unhealthy consumption of junk food has made people fatigue and in the long run, will affect our body and invite a lot of diseases. So the answer to all is the Millets.

Table of Contents:

  1. Millets and types of Millets
  2. Nutritional Value of Millets
  3. Specific Content in Millets for Weight Loss
  4. Millet Recipes to start with
  5. Where to buy Millets

Millets and types of Millets:

Millets are the small-seeded grains that belong to the Poaceae family. They can be grown under marginal and low fertile soil with fewer inputs like fertilizers and pesticides. Now it is popularly known as Nutri-Cereals.


Based on the grain size, the millets are categorized into Major and Minor Millets. Under major, there are two kinds of millets, which include Sorghum (Jowar) and Pearl millet(Bajra). The Foxtail Millet(Kangni), Finger Millet (Ragi/Mandua), Little Millet(Kutki), Kodo Millet(Koden), Barnyard Millet(Sawan), Proso Millet(Cheena), and Browntop Millet(Korale).

Related Post: Types of Millets and its health Benefits

Based on the presence of husk on Millets it is categorized into two types- Naked grains and Husked grains. Naked grains (Finger Millet, Sorghum, and Pearl Millet) do not have hard indigestible husk as other millets. It does not require much processing as compared to the husked grains, whereas the Husked grains(Little Millet, Foxtail Millet, Barnyard Millet, Proso Millet, Browntop Millet, and Kodo Millet) requires proper processing for human consumption.

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Identification of Dehulled Millet Grains: Best Millets for Weight loss

Identification of Dehulled Millet Grains

 

Nutritional Value of Millets: Best Millets for Weight Loss

Millets contain unique nutritional value especially complex carbohydrates, phenolic compounds, phytochemicals, and important dietary fiber. They are the natural source of Calcium, Iron, Zinc, Phosphorous, Potassium, and many other essential nutrients. The Calcium content in Ragi is 344 mg per 100 gram, which is the highest among the cereals.

Health Benefits of Millets

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Specific Content in Best Millets for Weight Loss:

I think you must be familiar with the types of millet and the nutritional value of millets. So let us jump in to know the content of millets that are favoring weight loss in our body.

Calorie Content of Millets: Best Millets for Weight Loss

The calorie count of food is important with respect to weight loss or weight gain. From Research, it is found out that if we consume fewer calories than our body actually burns, may help us for losing weight faster. Barnyard Millet contains 307 kcal which you can include in your diet.

Dietary Fibre Content- Best Millets for Weight Loss:

As you know, the millets contain a lot of dietary fiber which helps to prevent constipation and reduce the risk of developing bowel disorders. But let’s see what are the function of dietary fiber in millets.

  • Retardation of carbohydrate absorption and impaired glucose tolerance.
  • In increasing the transit time of food in the gut.
  • In water-absorbing.
  • It helps in the binding of toxins as a detoxifying agent.

The above function of dietary fiber in millets directly helps in the weight loss of the body. So, it must be coming to mind which millet to choose. Looking into the dietary fiber, there are five millets that are rich in it, Sorghum(10.2 g), Pearl Millet (11.5 g), and Finger Millet(11.2g) (Source: Indian Food Composition Tables, NIN-2017), and Barnyard Millet (12.6 g).

Policosanols:

Research has found out that the intake of policosanols helps in weight loss. Sorghum(Jowar) contains policosanols which help in reducing cholesterol in our body.

Tryptophan: It is an alpha-amino acid that is used in the biosynthesis of proteins. The presence of tryptophan in Foxtail Millet(Kangni) gets digested at a slower rate and keeps us away from consuming extra calories in diet and favors in the weight loss journey.

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So, the 5 Best Millets that will help us in Weight Loss are as follows:

  1. Sorghum
  2. Finger Millet
  3. Barnyard Millet
  4. Foxtail Millet
  5. Pearl Millet

Best Millets Recipes to Start with the Journey of Weight Loss: Best Millets for Weight Loss

  1. Jowar, Bajra, and Ragi Roti
  2. Millet Upma: You can include Foxtail Millet and Barnyard Upma in your breakfast which is easy and quick to prepare. I have made many millet recipes that you can check in my blog as well as on my Youtube Channel.

Foxtail Millet Upma Recipe

Barnyard Millet Upma:

Barnyard Millet Upma Recipe

Where to buy Best Millets for Weight Loss:

It is always recommended to buy millets directly from the farmers. If you are staying in urban areas then you can easily buy from an online store.

CLICK TO BUY THE BEST MILLETS FOR WEIGHT LOSS:

1. Organic Ragi Flour

2. Organic Sorghum Flour

3. Organic Bajra Flour

4. Foxtail Millet

5. Barnyard Millet

Why Overweight/Obesity is Increasing?

Due to lack of dietary diversity, there is an increase of non-communicable diseases, Overweight/Obesity is one of them. We need to understand, why obesity is increasing at a rapid rate in India.

  1. When we look into the ingredients that we use to make our food,  we prefer a more refined cereal-based diet and this food contains no dietary diversity.
  2. We intake more high-calorie diet with low nutrients which is unhealthy.
  3. The consumption of packaged food is increasing which is rich in high sugar, salt, and fats.

In a nutshell, this video on Best Millets for Weight Loss is the main summary of what we have discussed above. I think you will love it.

 

Hope you liked reading this article and it will help in your weight loss journey. Please do give your comments below for further improvement.

Author: Tapas Chandra Roy, A Certified Farm Advisor on Millets. Promoting Millets from Farm to Plate.

 


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