What are Millets?

Millets are one of the oldest foods known to humans

Consuming millets as part of your daily diet is an age-old concept. The population of central and southern India consumed millets daily until the Green Revolution made rice and wheat more accessible.
Millets are classified into positive and neutral millets. Positive millets are higher in dietary fiber, protein, and other essential nutrients when compared to neutral millets. . Positive millets are called "Siridhanya" and are considered to have medicinal value in abundance. Foxtrail, Kodo, Barnyard, Little & Browntop Millets are called "Siridhanya". These millets are not only more nutritious but they are also known to be sturdy crop that can grow in any kind of soil and even in draught conditions. Neutral millets are less in fibre and nutrition when compared to the positive ones however they are more nutritious when compared to rice and wheat.

Why Millets?

In comparison with the grains like rice, wheat and jowar, the millet grains are nutritionally superior to many cereals, and have medicinal value because of their high fiber content, higher amount of protein, including all the essential amino acids, good cholesterol, and the same amount of calcium and iron. According to science, the amount of nutrients found in each millet is different. That's why they have their own medicinal properties. This is the reason that each millet has the power to cure different types of diseases in a natural way.

Medicinal properties of 5 Positive Millets.

Foxtail, apart from rejuvenating the nervous and vascular system, it helps in curing epilepsy. It is suggested that women should consume foxtail during pregnancy, if the new born gets fever it will not develop into epilepsy. Great sages and poets have praised this phenomenal property of this millet. Barnyard Millet: Its fiber helps in increasing the efficiency of ductless glands such as Pancreas, thyroid etc., also helps in cleansing of liver and it is very helpful in curing jaundice. Kodo Millets: Also known as "Adi Beej” named after the Sun. This millet plays an important role in cleansing the blood. Helps in curing diseases like malaria, dengue, chronic cold & fever. Also it helps in regulating the cells in the bone marrow.
Brown Top Millet: It helps in improving the efficiency of digestive system and in cleansing body from metabolic waste.
Little Millet Keeps heart in good health, lowers cholesterol with fat metabolism, body tissue and energy production. It resolves issues related to reproductive organs.
A Right food for both Men and Women to get rid of various Reproductive problems.

The necessity of small millets
Small millets are grown in our country since ancient times, so this makes them an ancient crop. For the past 40 to 50 years agriculture is undergoing a gradual change. Because of the excessive usage of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, 50 to 60% of farmers have left agriculture. Today agriculture has gone in the hands of companies manufacturing those fertilizers and pesticides. Farmers are trapped in the vicious circle drawn by the big fertilizers’ companies. Trapped in these farmers are in the hand of destroying the fertility of the soil and on the other hand giving poisonous crops to us. To overcome with all these problems millets become the best crop to grow.
Only a small amount of water is needed for the cultivation of small millets. If we compare to the commercial crops that are grown with irrigation water and get government subsidies, the small millets need no irrigation. Small millet need only 25% of the rainfall that is needed for cultivation of crops like sugarcane and banana. Therefore, there won’t be any need to demand the state government to provide irrigation water and electricity for the cultivation of these millets
The small millets cultivated in India are short-term crops. They come to harvest within 3 to 4 months Small millets can be grown in various climatic conditions and in soils that are less than 15cm deep. They can be cultivated throughout the year. This can provide economic security to the farmers at the time when farmers are struggling with many of them are committing suicides.



Good health with Magical Millets
Small millets like foxtail, borwntop, little, barnyard and kodo millets are boon given to man by nature. These millets have medicinal properties, by eating them regularly one can rid of diseases. Millets are rich in nutrients including; proteins, dietary fibre, B vitamins, calcium, iron, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, potassium, copper and selenium. With small millets we can prepare all types of food items which we make with rice and wheat. Moreover, they are tasty also.

• Small millets cause least allergies and improves digestive system
• Small millets reduce diabetes
• It is helpful in the reduction of migraine, high blood pressure and heart attack.
• Small millets have lecithin, which is good for nervous system.
• It reduces stone formation in Kidneys and also decreases asthma in children
• Small millets are beneficial to women after Menopause
• Small millets contain lignins which contain many nutrients and helpful fighting breast cancer and heart diseases.
• Small millets are helpful for people who suffer from constipation, fits, piles and triglycerides
• Those who have anemia should take kodo millets for three days in a week and other millets for rest of the days.
• When we eat small millets thrice a day, we get 25 to 30 gms of fibre necessary for a healthy body, with rice and wheat we get onlt 0.22-1.2 gms of fibre.
We have to educate our children and future generations that we can cook rice with small millets like fox millet, barnyard millet and kodo millet as we do with rice (paddy) as rice prepared with these millets is healthier than the paddy rice.