Foxtail Millet

 Foxtail millet, like other millets, is a nutritional powerhouse. These small seeds, which are high in Vitamin B12, may provide you with a daily dosage of protein, healthy fat, carbohydrates, and wonderful dietary fiber. It contains a lot of calcium in addition to a lot of lysine, thiamine, iron, and niacin.

Health Benefits of FOXTAIL MILLET:

The nutritional facts of foxtail millet are listed below:

• Helps control blood sugar levels when consumed on regular basis. It showed lowered triglyceride levels, LDL/VLDL cholesterol, and increases in HDL cholesterol.

• It is known for its low glycemic index-gradual increase in blood sugar after food intake when compared to rice.

• Ideal food for people suffering from diabetes and gastric problems.

• Reduces the risk of a heart attack.

• Helps in the development of body tissue and energy metabolism.

• Rich in anti-oxidants.

• Foxtail millet helps to control blood sugar and cholesterol.

Nutritional Importance of FOXTAIL MILLET:

• Foxtail millet is also known as Italian millet. It is one of the world's oldest cultivated crops. In the northern area of China has been widely used as nourishing gruel or soup for pregnant and nursing women and has been applied to food therapy. It has been recorded that millet has many nutritious and medical functions. Foxtail yellow seeded cultivars, medicinally used as astringent, digestive, emollient, and stomachic. It is also used in the treatment of dyspepsia, poor digestion, and food stagnancy in the abdomen. White seeds are refrigerant and used in the treatment of cholera and fever while the green seeds are diuretic and strengthening virility. This millet contains 12.3% crude protein and  3.3% minerals.

• Foxtail and barnyard millet showed comparable amounts of crude protein which was highest among all the millets studied. Foxtail millet protein characterization showed that its protein concentrate is a potential functional food ingredient and the essential amino acid pattern suggests possible use as a supplementary protein source to most cereals because it is rich in lysine. The work presented the general properties of foxtail millet oil and its fatty acid profile. It is apparent that millets oil could be a good source of natural oil rich in linoleic acid and tocopherols.

• The foxtail varieties were revealed to have significant antioxidant activity by (DPPH) method. Foxtail millet is calculated to be 364 Kcal per 100gm. It is a rich source of minerals the copper and iron. Unlike rice, foxtail millet releases glucose steadily without affecting the metabolism of the body. The incidence of diabetes is rare among the population which consumes a total foxtail millet diet. Scientists studied its health benefits in diabetic rats and concluded that the millet produced a “significant fall(70%) in blood glucose” while having no such effect in normal rats. Diabetic rats fed millet also showed significantly lower levels of triglycerides, and total/LDL/VLDL cholesterol, while exhibiting an increase in HDL cholesterol.

Nutritional Facts of PEARL MILLET:

• The majority of millet varieties are regarded to be a suitable grain choice for diabetics.

• High-fiber foods, particularly cereal fibers such as bajra, have also been linked to better results in the management of type 2 diabetes and other chronic illnesses.

• Millet also has a lower glycemic index (GI) than refined grain products such as white rice and white bread. Furthermore, a new study in animals and people suggests that millet proteins may help to lower blood sugar levels.

• Most millet varieties have a GI of 43–68 on average. Low-GI foods are those having a GI rating of 55 or below.

• The GI is a metric that determines how much particular meals influence blood sugar levels. For persons with diabetes, foods having a lower glycemic index are typically preferable options.

• Glycemic load (GL) may be a better indicator of how a food affects blood sugar levels in some situations. GL varies from GI in that it takes into account the average serving size of a meal.

• A GL of ten or less is regarded low, but a GL of twenty or more is considered high.

• Millet flakes have a GL of 9.2, which means they have a low GL, according to one research.

• However, some of the studies that supported these findings did not explicitly utilize bajra, and the utility of both GI and GL in diabetes control is debatable.