What are millets?

Millets and your health

India's National Institute of Nutrition groups whole grain cereals and millets together as foods that give you energy along with protein, fibre, minerals, calcium, iron and B vitamins.

Why they stand out:

• Ragi in particular is a good plant source of calcium, which matters for women as bones thin with age.
• Because millets are usually eaten whole, they bring more fibre than polished rice or maida, which helps you feel full and slows down the rise in blood sugar after a meal.

That makes them a useful swap if you're managing diabetes or PCOS.

How to have millets

Start by replacing one meal's grain with a millet:

• a bajra or jowar roti in winter
• ragi dosa or ragi porridge
• a foxtail millet khichdi

Getting more from them:

• Eat millets with dal or curd, since a mix of cereals, millets and pulses gives better quality protein than any one alone.
• Sprouting or fermenting millets, as in malted ragi, improves digestibility.

Millets are still a carb, so the katori size matters as much as the grain.

Where you'll see it

RagiJowarBajraCereals and milletsLittle millet (Samai, Kutki)Cereals and milletsFoxtail millet (Kangni)