Healthy eating is an aspect of healthy living that you cannot ignore. Be it for weight loss, to control blood pressure and blood sugar or for a healthy heart, eating the right foods for your body is a must. In the world of nutrition, there is a resurgence of popularity for millets. These grains are packed with healthy nutrients, and making healthy millet recipes can help you keep your and your family’s well-being in check!

Millets have B complex vitamins, minerals like iron, calcium, zinc, copper, essential amino acids, fatty acids and dietary fiber. “Millets are regared as a future food for better health. Therefore, the urban population has noticed a shift from refined grains to coarse grains or millets,” Komal Malik, Head Dietitian, Asian Institute of Medical Science, tells Health Shots.

These grains come in different varieties. There’s sorghum, foxtail millets, finger millets, pearl millets, barley, kodo, proso and barnyard.

Easy and healthy millet recipes

Come, let us share healthy millet recipes by Komal Malik, before telling you more about why millets should be a part of your diet.

Curd Pearl Millet Recipe

Ingredients

* Pearl millet: 1/2 cup
* Water: 2 cups
* Curd: 1 cup
* Carrot: 3 tbsp
* 2 tsp finely chopped coriander leaves
* Salt to taste
* Oil: 1 tsp
* Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
* Split urad dal: 1/2 tsp
* Curry leaves: 5-6 leaves
* Green chilli: 1 finely chopped
* Ginger- 1/4 inch piece

How to make curd pearl millet

1. Boil water in a pan. Cook the millets in boiling hot water till they become soft.
2. In a mixing bowl, add the cooked millets and mash them well. To this, add curd and mix it up well.
3. Take a tadka pan and heat oil in it. Add seasoning to hot oil and let it temper.
4. Transfer the tempering to the millets along with grated carrot, coriander leaves and add salt. Mix well.
5. Serve chilled and garnish with coriander leaves!

Finger Millet Dosa Recipe

Ingredients

* Finger millet: 35 g
* Black gram (without the skin): 35 g
* Rice: 40 g
* Fenugreek seeds: 1 teaspoon
* Salt: to taste
* Oil for drizzling

How to make Finger Millet Dosa Recipe

1. Rinse the millets and soak it for 4 to 5 hours. Soak the black gram, rice and fenugreek seeds separately for 2 hours.
2. Grind these soaked items together. Ensure that it is a smooth batter. Make sure you add a little water as needed.
3. Transfer the batter into a container and allow it to ferment in a warm place for 5-6 hours.
4. Add water to the batter, and bring it to spreading consistency.
5. Now heat a griddle. Take a deep ladle and fill it with the batter. Spread it in circular motion just as you would do for a regular dosa.
6. Drizzle oil around the dosa. When one side is crisp and brown, flip it over. Cook the other side for half a minute, before flipping over again and folding it.
7. Serve with a mint chutney!

For more millet recipes, click here!

What are the health benefits of millets?

According to the diet expert, millets have a wealth of health benefits to offer. Let’s find out

1. Millets boost weight loss

A lot of people are turning to millets for weight loss. Millets are rich in dietary fiber. They increase the transit time of food in the gut, which slows down the digestion and absorption process. It gives bulk to the diet and aids to the hunger satisfaction, thereby helping in weight reduction.

2. Millets can help you manage diabetes

Diabetes is a disease which is found in millions of people throughout the world. Millets help to balance the blood sugar levels as it has a low glycemic index. It helps in the reduction of postprandial high sugar. It contains significant levels of magnesium, which is an important mineral in increasing the efficiency of insulin.

Also read: This 67-year-old uses miracle millets to reverse diabetes

3. PCOS management is possible with millets

Polycystic ovarian syndrome is a common hormonal disorder affecting an increasing number of women. PCOS is high in young women with overweight and has insulin resistance compared to lean PCOS women. Diet high in fiber like millets (jowar and bajra) helps to regulate insulin level and helps in weight loss. It reduce insulin resistance which help to regularize hormones and decrease the risk of diabetes.

4. Millets can help to stabilise thyroid hormone

Thyroid hormone helps in regulating metabolic processes and essential for the growth and development in children and adults. Millets contain plenty of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients, which have many health benefits. But pearl millet is not recommended for those with thyroid gland dysfunction, as it contains anti-nutritional factor goitrogens. These suppress the activity of thyroid gland and cause goiter and lead to metabolic disorders.