Did you know Millets are usually the first food for babies in India? Yes, its high nutrient value, consisting of proteins, minerals, and vitamins make it an ideal food for babies while weaning. In addition, as they are easy to digest and gluten-free, there are all the more reasons to include them in your child’s diet. Dishes like Ragi Porridge and Millet Khichdi’s are perfect for baby weaning.
Superfood for children
Let’s see various millets consumed in India by the kids:
- Finger millet – Ragi
- Pearl millet – Bajara
- Shorgum – Jowar
- Foxtail millet – Kangni
- Koda millet – Koden
- Little millet – Bhagar
- Branyard millet – Jhangora
Each and every millet is a powerhouse of nutrients, consuming these millets regularly provides umpteen benefits. Few of the benefits, it offers:
- Finger Millet (Ragi) is rich in calcium, in fact, it is one of the richest source of calcium in plant based foods. Calcium along with Protein helps in strengthening the bones which makes it an essential food in growing kid’s diet.
- Finger Millet (Ragi) is also rich in natural iron which helps in preventing anemia, common problem faced by growing kids, which can result in low attention span and low energy level.
- Millets are gluten free, acid free & highly nutritious which make them soothing for tummy and easy to digest, attributes which make them healthy food for toddlers and growing kids.
- Sorghum (Jowar) is a wonder millet packed with protein, iron and dietary fibre. As problem of obesity among kids is becoming an area of concern, this millet can be added to diet along with other staple food and millets.
- Foxtail Millet (Kangni), known for its immunity building properties, has the highest mineral content among all the millets.
- Millets prevents constipation in children as they are loaded with dietary fiber.
There has also been a study conducted in south India wherein a school distributed millet-based meals and the outcome of nutrition resulted in the same conclusion.
There are many interesting ways to include millets in your child’s diet. We at ‘Organic Wisdom’ believe each and every kid should be nourished naturally. With this vision, we have introduced Jowar Idli Mix, Ragi Idli Mix, Ragi Dosa, Multigrain Chilla Mix, Multigrain Daliya, Ragi Rava and Jowar Rava, so that your child can relish millets and they can be part of your child’s daily diet.
In conclusion
It is to be noted that Millets have tremendous benefits for children, however, like any other food, they too have to be consumed in moderation. We suggest you to make a weekly diet plan wherein all millets are included in your child’s diet along with staple like rice and wheat.