Why should you consume foxtail millet?

Foxtail Millet is now regarded as a superfood, and can be used to make a variety of sweets and savouries

Foxtail Millet (Navane or Navanakki in Kannada) is a highly nutritious millet that is more popular in the northern regions of Karnataka. It is used to make a variety of dishes, both sweets and savouries.

It can be used to make tasty dishes and is also considered a superfood.

According to the National Center of Biotechnology Information (USA): “Foxtail millet is a member of the Paniceae tribe and came from green millet domestication in northern China about 8000 years ago,” a published paper says. “Foxtail millet is extensively cultivated in the developing countries in semiarid and arid regions of Africa, Americas, Asia because of its health benefits (a particular balance of nutrients, e.g., starch, protein, dietary fibre, fat, vitamins, and low-glycemic and hypolipidemic effects), good yield with minimal agricultural inputs, and adaptation to different biotic and abiotic stresses such as salinity, drought, and fungal diseases,” it adds.

It also contains calcium, iron, crude protein, crude fibre, crude fat, among others. Clearly, it can be classified as a superfood. Here are some health benefits of foxtail millet

Protein-rich

A paper published in the NCBI says: “Mature foxtail seeds mainly consist of proline-rich proteins (prolamin) comprising about 60 per cent of the total protein, with less content of disulfide cross-linked proteins than with other cereal and millets. Owing to its low cost and excellent functional properties of flour and protein concentrate, foxtail millet can be considered as a good candidate for replacing animal protein foods.

“Furthermore, there is huge potential for successfully developing low-cost, protein-rich functional food products helpful in the prevention and management of lifestyle-related chronic diseases,” it adds.

May help in controlling blood sugar

Another research paper says: “The intake of 50 gm of foxtail millet per day significantly improved the glycemic control, especially the postprandial glucose, in free-living subjects with impaired glucose tolerance. The glucose-lowering effect of foxtail millet might be a result of the interaction of increased leptin concentrations, decreased insulin resistance and reduced inflammation. It is suggested that modern people should appropriately increase and insist on the intake of whole grains.”

May help bone health:

Foxtail millet has high amounts of calcium. This means that it could very well help for bone health and could even fight osteoporosis. Even the chance of fractures could probably be
reduced.

Besides, it is also known to be rich in Vitamin B12 that aids heart health, it has also proven to be beneficial for weight loss, improving immunity, proper functioning of the nervous system among others.

How to consume

In North Karnataka, there is a sweet dish called hurakki holige. This can be made from foxtail millet. Foxtail millet can be cooked like rice and eaten with curd. Foxtail upma can be made like regular upma and consumed. The internet is teeming with recipes related to foxtail millet.