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Can Millets Be the Answer to India’s Nutritional Problems?

InnoHEALTH Magazine — Wed, 26 Jun 2019 08:25:11 +0000

Modern India, in spite of technological and industrial progress, is still fighting its battle against “food”, both quantitatively and qualitatively. India is one of the top five countries with respect to adult obesity, childhood obesity,and type-2 diabetes. It is predicted that by 2025, India will rank second in obesity, with the count of obese children over17 million. The irony of the situation is that India ranks first in under nourishment, constituting 40% of the world’s underweight population. Such extremes of poor health conditions are prevalent because of unhealthy food options in one stratum of society, and scarcity of food in another.

Currently wheat and rice constitute the most consumed cereals in India. Wheat cultivation dates back to Indus valley civilization, approximately 5000 years ago. In habitants of the Mohenjo-Daro period used wheat to make bread and porridge.The obsession with wheat was further instigated by the Green Revolution in the 1960s when new higher yielding varieties were introduced to cater to a rapidly growing population.

Further more,there have been reports about the origin of rice in India about 35 million years back. In India, rice is mostly consumed in the Southern region and the Northeast,where as Northern-central part is the bread basket of the country. Both these staple cereals are consumed as refined flour and polished rice;and because of their smooth appearance and taste fullness, our traditional grains like Bajra (pearl millet), Jowar(sorghum), Ragi (fingermillet) and Rajgira (amaranth)have taken a back seat. In fact, Dr.M. S. Swaminathan, Father of Green Revolution, himself called millets “orphan crops” as they used to constitute 40% of all the cultivated grains before the Green Revolution, which dropped to about half immediately after 1965.

Although all grains, cereals as well as millets, mostly comprise of starch (~60-65%), however the concentrations of protein,dietary fiber and minerals greatly vary among them. Wheat grains are composed of 70% starch, while rice is 90%. Protein ranges from 13—15% in wheat but is essentially lowest in rice among all available cereals. The fiber content, as well as the minerals composition of both the privileged grains, is also poor. Considering the modern-days edentary lifestyle, the amount of refined carbohydrates we consume without much physical activity is taking a toll on our health, as is evident by rising malnutrition numbers.

Moreover, the sudden release of glucose into the blood stream causes“energy crash” soon after a starchy meal. Thus, we need grains with higher dietary fiber and resistant starch. These slowly digestible nutritional elements provide satiety feeling for a longer period of time,and help prevent constipation by accelerating food movement through the gastrointestinal tract.They also bind to toxins and remove them from the gut, thereby protecting the colon mucosa from cancers. Dietary fibers also reduce serum LDL-cholesterol levels, by binding to cholesterol generated bile salts thereby hindering their re-absorption in the colon.

Based on all nutritional parameters, millets are far ahead of rice and wheat. Not only are they more resistant to digestion, but also the antioxidants abundantly present in millets scavenge free radicals that cause inflammation in the body. Bajra/Pearl millet is the oldest millet used by our ancestors. It is still a part of regular meals in desert belt of the country like Rajasthan and Gujarat. It is extremely rich in iron (0.8%), zinc (0.3%),calcium (0.4%), phosphorus (0.4%), and most importantly dietary fibers. Jowar/Sorghum is rich in antioxidants, abundant in phyto chemicals such as tannins, phenolic acids, anthocyanins, polysterols, and polic osanols. They are also a good source of vitamin B complex and folate. Ragi/ Fingermillet is mostly consumed in Karnataka, followed by Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, and Goa. Ragihas the highest amount of calcium (344mg/100g)and potassium (408mg/100g), and fairly low content of fat(1.3%).

Moreover, it contains antioxidants such as phytates (0.48%), polyphenols, tannins (0.61%), trypsin inhibitory factors; and are a substantial source of dietary fibers (15—20%). They are also rich in amino acids like tryptophan, threonine, valine, isoleucine and methionine. Rajgira/Amaranth is considered a pseudo-cereal because of its starchy seeds. Its 13—15% protein aceous grain comprises of almost all the essential amino acids required by the human body,especially high content of lysine, which is basically absent in wheat and rice. It is an excellent source offolates, niacin, thiamin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B-complex, vitamin E as well as essential fatty acids. All of these alternate grains are arich source of soluble and insoluble dietary fibers, providing7—17% of daily requirement of fibers. Moreover, these grains are gluten-free, which are a great food substitute for people with celiac disease.

Consumption of millets lowers the Glycemic Index*, thus combating type-2 diabetes and obesity. Glycemic indices of wheat and rice are 65 and 70, respectively; whereas it is 54for bajra and 62 for jowar. Although these values are higher for ragi (84) and rajgira (107); but the great amounts of micro nutrients present in them compensate for their health implications. High iron content in these alternate grains may help increase hemoglobin; considerable phosphorus concentration is good for bone growth and development;magnesium controls blood pressure as well as helps reduce respiratory problems; also strong antioxidants present improve heart health. Millets possess hypo allergic properties as well; they are alkaline in nature, thus preventing the formation of acidity and ulcers in the stomach.

India is believed to be the world’s capital of diabetes. It is estimated that the diabetic population in the country will increase with an alarming rate of 26.6%, which will account for 69.9 million affected individuals by 2025 and 80 million by 2030! In fact, the prevalence of diabetes mellitus in the urban areas is 28%, whereas in the rural population it is 5%. New scientific approaches of developing genetic markers for estimation of the incidence of obesity and diabetes are being developed worldwide, with ironically a simple solution residing in our backyards, Millets! India has 5,97,464 villages and 2,50,000 Gram Panchayats.

We need to take initiatives to promote millet farming and consumption starting at the very basic level of villages. Since millets have evolved surviving drought, floods, harsh hot and cold climates, they have adapted with time and are easy to grow under varying environmental conditions. Because of such varied exposures, millets have become resistant to pests and diseases. For this reason, they are easy to grow, without pesticides and insecticides and with little caution; making the end-product“organic”. More so, adding to the food problem is another crisis, “global climate change”, which will cause severe water scarcity in our near future. The additional advantage of millets is their less irrigation demand in agriculture. To sum up,more production of these grains would mean limited water requirement; more consumption would mean decrease in health issues thus resulting in lower expense on medical bills and more availability of funds for other purposes, and extensive availability of the alternate grains for end-use would mean cost-effectiveness.

The reasons why these grains are not market-ready are very evident. Most important being the color and tastefulness. Millets contain polyphenols which cause the grains to become rancid faster than wheat and rice. Also, their nutritional utilization demands more effort in terms of processing/cooking times. Further, to increase the rate of iron absorption in the body as influenced by phytates present in these grains, processes like roasting or other alternate methods are required. In a quick-fix world of people with changed mindsets seeking instant gratification, it becomes challenging for people at large to take out time and make efforts towards their better health.

The age-old adage, prevention is better than cure, holds true here when we consider the consumption of millets. Considering the overall nutritional status of our country and the environmental issues globally, it is time we approach these matters comprehensively, and expand our food baskets and minds to include more nature-friendly elements.

*Glycemic Index (GI) – It is a figure representing the relative ability of a carbohydrate to get hydrolyzed in the body, causing an increase in the level of blood glucose.

About the author

Dr. Geetika A. Batra is a cereal carbohydrate specialist with R&D experience in genetic and biochemical alterations in cereal grain digestibility and its nutritional implications. She is an active member of scientific societies,American Association of Cereal Chemistry and K. K. Nanda Foundation for the advancement of Plant Sciences. She has been awarded several prestigious international awards and scholarships (Herb R. & Marian H. Cark Scholarship, Paulden & Dorathea I. Knowles Postgraduate Scholarship, two times winner of Life & Health Sciences Conference at University of Saskatchewan, Canada); and has various international publications to her credit. She is currently working as Research Associate in Bio threat Mitigation project at CBRN Defense, DRDO.

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Khichdi Comes Out of Kitchen; Enters Guinness World Records

InnoHEALTH Magazine — Thu, 29 Mar 2018 04:38:14 +0000

During ancient times, ‘Khichdi’ remained a favourite food in ashrams and even now it is being served as ‘prasad’ at religious places.

India created the world record on November 4, 2017 by cooking total 918 kg Khichdi at the World Food India event. A team led by popular chef Sanjeev Kapoor cooked this traditional dish to enter the Guinness World Records and promote the dish as Brand India superfood.

“Khichdi is healthy and superfood. It is good for those depending on food supplements. It is rich in all nutrition,” Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev said. It is a good step towards promoting healthy superfood not only in the domestic but also in the international market says the Yoga Guru who used to cook and eat khichdi in Gurukul.

Food Processing Minister- Harsimrat Kaur Badal said, “It is a wholesome food as it contains most of the nutrients. It also symbolizes the country’s unity in diversity. ”The dish was prepared using multigrains like rice, pulses, coarse cereals and vegetables. The night-long preparation was supervised by chef Sanjeev Kapoor. It was distributed among orphans by the Akshaya Patra Foundation and Gurudwara to about 60,000 people.

The Moroccan traveller, Ibn Battuta mentions khichdi as a dish in India composed of rice and beans. Records mention the dish is described in the writings of Afanasy Nikitin,a Russian adventurer who travelled to the South Asia in the 15th century.

Khichdi was very popular with the Mughals, especially Jahangir. Aini- Akbari, a 16th-century document, mentions the recipe for khichdi, which has several variations.

There is a story featuring Akbar, Birbal and khichdi titled as “birbal ki khichdi kab pakegi” (as how long will it take to cook the Khichdi). This a reference to a folk tale where Birbal in a battle of wits with King Akbar, was challenged to cook khichdi in a pot which was placed 20 metres above the flame, so as to illustrate the amount of time it would take for someone to “complete a task”. The story is still is being quoted as an idiom.

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HEALTHY DIET TIPS FOR MOMS

InnoHEALTH Magazine — Wed, 06 Dec 2017 06:35:15 +0000

Healthy Diet for Moms-to-be

Eat well, be well during pregnancy

By Samya Athamneh, International Dietician

Congratulations, you are pregnant. However, if you are like most women, who have concerns running through your mind, how can I eat healthy for both my baby and my self? In addition, how can I gain the right amount of weight so that it does not take me until my child is in preschool to fit back into my jeans again?

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Between cravings and morning sickness, eating well during pregnancy may not always be a piece of cake. However, prenatal nutrition is a serious business. It is necessary for you and your baby’s growth, brain development, reduced risk of birth defects and a strong immune system. Since it is not how much, but what you eat that makes the difference, here is how the healthy pregnancy diet can help. During pregnancy, the body requires extra calorie, protein, vitamins, mineral in order to support the baby’s growth and to allow for changes in mothers body.

Important considerations in pregnancy

The extra food you eat should not be just empty calories, it should provide the nutrients your growing baby needs. For example, calcium help makes bones and teeth strong, while you are pregnant; you still need calcium for your body plus extra calcium for the developing baby. Similarity, you require the all-essential nutrients than you did before become pregnant.

Here are some of the most common nutrients you need and the foods that contain it:

Nutrient Needed	Needed for	Best sources
Protein	Cell growth and development	Lean meat, fish, poultry, egg white,beans, peanut butter, tofu
Carbohydrate	Daily energy production	Breads, cereals, rice, potatoes, pasta
Calcium	Strong bones and teeth, muscle contraction/nerves function	Milk, cheese, yogurt, sardines with edible bone, spinach, okra
Iron	Red blood cell production / needed to prevent anaemia	Lean red meat, spinach, iron fortified cereals, nuts, dried fruits
Vitamin A	Healthy skin, good eye sight, growing bones	Carrot, dark green leafy vegetable,potatoes
Vitamin C	Healthy gums, teeth and bones, assistance iron absorption	Citrus fruit, broccoli, tomato, fruit juices
Vitamin B6	Red blood cell formation effective use of protein, fat and carbohydrate	Whole grain cereals, banana
Vitamin B12	Formation of red blood cell, maintain nervous system health	Meat, fish, poultry, milk
Vitamin D	Healthy bones and teeth, aid in calcium absorption	Fortified milk, dairy product, cereals,fish, sardines
Folic acid	Blood and protein production/effective enzyme function	Green leafy vegetables, dark yellow fruits and vegetables, beans, nuts, peas

Food craving during pregnancy

Food craving during pregnancy is normal. Although there is no widely accepted explanation for food cravings, almost two thirds of all pregnant women have it. If you develop sudden urge for a certain food, go and indulge your craving, it provides energy or an essential nutrient. However, if your craving persists and prevents you form getting other essential nutrients in your diet; try to create more of a balance in your daily diet.

During pregnancy your tastes for certain foods may change, you may suddenly dislike foods you were fond of before your pregnancy. In addition, during pregnancy, some women feel strong urges to eat non-food items such as ice, laundry starch, dirt, chalks, ashes, paint chips, clay.

This is called pica and may be associated with a mineral deficiency like anaemia. Do not give in to theses non-food cravings; they can be harmful to both you and your baby.

Foods to avoid

Some foods make you and your baby sick, avoid these foods as they can cause food poisoning or certain harmful diseases.
• Raw fish, especially shellfish
• Soft scrambled egg and food made from raw or lightly cooked eggs
• Un-pasteurized juices
• Un-pasteurized milk and foods made from it
• Herbal supplements and teas
• Raw or uncooked meat, poultry, seafood and hotdog
• Never eat non-food items like clay , starch, coffee grounds
• Avoid alcohol during pregnancy; alcohol has been linked to premature delivery, mental retardation, birth defects and low birth weight babies
• Do not eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel, or tile fish (also called white snapper), because they contain high levels of mercury.

What to eat and when

During pregnancy, you may have morning sickness, diarrhoea or constipation, you may find it hard to keep foods down or you may feel too sick to eat at all. Here are some suggestions:
Morning sickness: Eat crackers, cereal or pretzel before getting out of bed, eat small frequent meals throughout the day and avoid fatty, fried, and grassy foods.
Constipation: Eat more fresh fruit and vegetables, drink six glasses of water.
Diarrhoea: Eat more foods that contain pectin and gums to help absorb excess water such as apple, applesauce, banana, white rice, oatmeal, boiled potatoes.
Heartburn: Eat small frequent meals throughout the day. Try drinking milk before eating and limit caffeinated foods and beverages like tea, coffee, chocolate, soft drinks.

Unveiling myths with reality

Pregnancy produces a host of physiological and emotional changes in women. Advice seems to pour in from all sources, well-meaning friends, family member, and colleague at work and even perfect strangers tend to comment on a pregnant woman’s health. In the face of often-contradictory advice, especially concerning ones diet, it may be hard for a mum to achieve a comfortable and healthy balance. Eating a healthy diet is one of the most important things any pregnant women can do to enhance her health as well as the health of her baby. Here are some nutrition myths followed by information to get you and your baby off to a good start.

Myth#1: You are eating for two

In reality, you are eating for one plus one very small being. Most women only need to consume an extra 300 calories per day. Far from being a tome to overindulge, pregnancy is a time to eat sensibly and healthily. The suggested weight gain during the pregnancy is approximately 24-35 pounds (10-15 kg). However, this weight may vary depending upon each mother-to-be, pregnancy weight and the number of babies she is carrying. An under weight woman may gain up to 40 pounds, while an overweight woman may be asked to gain just 15 pounds, your doctor will specify an appropriate weight gain for your height and body build.

Myth#2: Eat low carbohydrate, high protein diet

In reality, weight loss diet, high protein – low carbohydrate, is not recommended during pregnancy. According to the daily food guide pyramid, grains, fruits and vegetables should compromise more of your diet than the meat groups. In fact, 2-3 servings of protein are required each day for pregnant women. This is easily achieved by consuming an egg/ 2-3 oz of poultry or meat/ ½ cup of dried beans or peas in the course of one day. Extra calories consumed during pregnancy should be evenly distributed among five major food groups.

Myth#3: Pregnancy induced high blood pressure caused by too much salt

In reality, pregnancy induced high blood pressure is due to a variety of physiological changes in the body during pregnancy and is therefore not treated the same way as hypertension in non pregnant adults. Moderation is the key. While overindulging in processed foods, typically containing too much salt would be unhealthy, eliminating salt and consuming no salt or low sodium specific food will be inappropriate. Aim to get 6 grams of sodium as a table salt in your foods every day.

Myth#5: It is better to rely on vitamins rather than ones diet during pregnancy

In reality, Vitamin should never be a substitute for a healthy diet, while most obstetrician and midwives will prescribe a multivitamin for their patients, these vitamins are intended to supplement and not replace a sensible diet. The best sources of vitamin and minerals may be found in their naturally state as they are better absorbed and are accompanied by their other nutrients such as protein or fiber.

Myth#4: Now that you are pregnant, it is a good time to start thinking about folic acid and B complex vitamins

In reality, Folic acid is particularly important in the first days and weeks of fatal formation, for this reason it is recommended that women take multivitamin before becoming pregnant to ensure they have adequate folic acid during the early development of the baby’s brain and spina bifida. Optimal folic acid consumption should continue through out pregnancy and in every woman’s diet during the childbearing years. Beside vitamins, excellent sources of B complex vitamin include orange juice, beans, citrus fruit, dark green leafy vegetables, nuts and whole grains.

Dietary guide

In order to achieve a well balanced healthy adequate nutrition during pregnancy, you should cover the daily allowances from the different criteria of food on a daily basis as following:

Nutrient	Food allowances per day
Milk	2-3 cup
Meat/fish/poultry(liver once a week) cooked weight	4 oz
Vegetables including: Dark green leafy or deep yellow Potato Other vegetables	½ cup 1 medium ½ to 1 cup
ruits including: Citrus Apples or other fruit	1 serving = 1 fruit 1 serving = 1 fruit
Cereals enriched or whole grain As pasta/rice/macaroni	3 Serving (1 Serving to ½ to 1 cup)
Bread, enriched or whole grain	4 slices (2 in the morning as breakfast / 2 for dinner and keep 1 slice as a snack in between )
Vegetables oil	4-5 teaspoons
Vitamin D supplement or use fortified milk Iodized salt	400 IU ( consult your doctor) 5-7 grams per day
Eggs	3 eggs per week

Repeatedly, it has been emphasized that reduced nutritional intake has a depressing effect on physical development. Malnutrition during the period of rapid brain growth will lead to some neurology impairment. Past studies of nutrition in women during pregnancy have shown a definite relationship of the diet of the mother and the condition of baby at birth.

To protect your self and your precious baby from any possible complications review your lifestyle and try to change any unpreferable behaviour related to your diet toward the better.

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CALORIE INTAKE FOR YOUR BODY TYPE

InnoHEALTH Magazine — Mon, 04 Dec 2017 10:41:20 +0000

For some people, the word “calories” brings about emotions of dread and fear. For others, it’s a place to call home, where they feel all warm and fuzzy. And yet for others, “calories” connotes a way to salvation and better health.

Well, for these 3 main types of people ([1] an ideal-weight person who fears getting fat, [2] an obese person who denies himself the freedom of getting thinner, and [3] a dangerously thin person who needs to put some meat on himself), there’s hope. And guessing 99.9% of you out there, fall somewhere in these categories, I suggest you keep reading if you’d like to free yourself of that potentially vicious word forever.

Survival of the fittest

No matter who you are or what kind of body type you have, there is one definite rule in this universe: you’ll come out on top only if you’re physically and mentally fit. From basics like getting that attention that you have always been seeking, or emanating a strong leadership presence during your presentation, it’s all about how you look and how you project yourself.

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The skinny

For the person who is extremely thin (i.e., your bones are protruding on some parts of your body), it’s more a problem of eating the basics for survival. These types need to carefully plan their daily meals in order to ingest the perfect ratio of fat:protein:carbs (30:40:30). 30% of the calories they ingest needs to be fat and carbohydrates, while 40% needs to be protein.

This, coupled with moderate exercise, will help pack on some pounds gradually. People in this type of category need to change the way they view food. Food is not the enemy; it can be your friend. Actually, it can be your savior. Without basic sustenance from vitamins, minerals, fats, carbs, and proteins, the body will self-destruct.

The ideal weight person

For the person who is already at his ideal weight, it’s more a problem of mental image and fear. They are usually so afraid of becoming fat that they deny themselves the smallest pleasures like a nice cold ice-cream cone on a hot summer’s day.

Fitness buffs who are in top shape burn themselves out by exercising too much and not letting their bodies recuperate. They harbor this fear (whether consciously or unconsciously) that they’ll go over their ideal 10% body fat limit, and become the next Guinness World Record holder for the heaviest guy alive. Since these types are already hitting the gym 6 times a week and eating sensibly, the only thing they should change is their mental reasoning. Pushing the body too much too fast is never a good thing.

The overweight

Finally, for the person who is obese (i.e., you can’t see your own feet while standing straight and looking down at the floor), it’s a matter of eating too much and exercising very little — if at all. This is when the calories start piling up and everything you eat gets stored as fat (yes, even protein and carbs).

Following the aforementioned fat:protein:carbs ratio helps, but you also need to exercise at least 4 times a week for 45 minutes, doing a lot of cardio and aerobics in order to melt away those love handles and that large bottom.

Height	Small Frame (Calories)	Medium Frame (Calories)	Large Frame (Calories)
5’5”	1518-1898	1620-2025	1744-2180
5’6”	1567-1959	1668-2085	1793-2242
5’7”	1618-2023	1718-2147	1845-2306
5’8”	1671-2089	1768-2210	1897-2372
5’9”	1726-2157	1820-2275	1952-2440
5’10”	1783-2228	1873-2341	2008-2510
5’11”	1842-2302	1927-2409	2065-2582
6’0”	1903-2378	1982-2478	2124-2655

How to decrease your calorie intake

Eat a variety of foods that are low in calories but high in nutrients; check the Nutrition Facts Label on the foods you buy.
Eat less fat and fewer high-fat foods.
Eat smaller portions and limit second helpings of foods high in fat and calories.
Eat more vegetables and fruits without fats and sugars added in preparation or at the table.
Eat pasta, rice, breads, and cereals without fats and sugars added in preparation or at the table.
Eat less sugar and fewer sweets like candy, cookies, cakes, and soda.
Drink less or no alcohol.

How to increase your calorie intake

Eat a variety of foods that have a lot of nutrients, but also a lot of protein and fat (always keeping in mind the 40:30 — protein:fat — ratio).
Eat a bit more foods high in protein, such as egg whites and meats.
Eat a lot of vegetables for regulating your digestion.
Eat grains and beans.
Eat sensible amounts of food at mealtimes. Do not deny yourself normal portions.
Be careful about binge eating. Do not overdo it, then feel guilty and regurgitate everything later on. Not only is this unhealthy for your body, but also for your mind.

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