Yes, this is another article about millets.
But wait, there is no need to roll your eyes about it, yawn in boredom or sigh in despair.
We are only here to bust a few millet myths and be on our way. Let's take a shot at it then, shall we?
What are some commonly held myths about Millets?
Myth #1: They are hard to digest
Digestion is as unique and complex as your fingerprints. We are unsure where this myth came from, but contrary to what people think, properly cooked millets are not hard to digest. Obviously, one has to take care of what kind of millets are being had by them.
Millets are high in fibre and eating them in wrongly cooked manner can bring digestion problems for anyone. The key phrase here is "properly cooked". Just as you would not randomly eat a fist full of raw rice or decide to eat two spoons of raw wheat flour, you would not want to eat improperly cooked millets.
As with all other edible things in life, your gut flora also contributes to the digestibility of the millets. If anything, millets are easy to digest. But let us take that conversation for another day!
Myth #2: It is another passing food fad
Fads are created by huge corporations seeking profits. Not by millions of everyday people like you and me who have found the benefits of eating millets in their personal life. The myth that millets are a "passing food fad" is most probably spread by the people whose wish for reality does not match with the reality that exists.
A fad is defined as an intense and widely shared enthusiasm, especially something short-lived. There have been entire populations that have been living off of millets for centuries. That is certainly not short-lived.
The internet has helped us start to see the world around us and connect with each other in a way that was never possible before. So in that context, if you have never heard of millets until your health-conscious, gym-rat cousin spoke to you about the gluten-free miracle they are consuming, let us not blame it on food fads! Millets are here to stay. They have been around since thousands of years, with mentions in the Vedas and the Bible even.
Myth #3: They are only meant for the "poor people"
This is very easily explainable. The "poor people" are typically seen as someone who do intense physical labour and therefore, the eating of millets is attributed to them. However, even the "not so poor people" have dietary requirements that are currently being fulfilled by unfortunate processed foods with high sugar content.
Poor or not poor, millets are meant for human consumption and therefore, as long as one identifies as human, their bank balance or lack thereof does not affect the nutritional capacities of millets. In fact, even if you have a "desk job", eating millets can help you become more alert, feel fuller with smaller portions and not sleepy after a meal. How is that for rich productivity?
Myth #4: Millets cause Thyroid problems
You have to take this up with your doctor, because the last time I heard, someone down the street ate salt and they started having Thyroid problems! Thyroid-related problems are again, medically rooted and not in the diet.
There have been a few studies about people who did not eat a balanced diet and ended up having Thyroid issues. These things are possible if one forgets common sense and takes the internet too seriously.
Do not forget the wisdom that is passed down in your family, but also do not believe everything that is said on the internet. Have your doctor check you for Thyroid related problems and discuss the possibility of including millets in your diet from them.
Myth #5: It is a marketing scam by the Governments of the world
Far from a marketing scam, millets are in fact the truth when it comes to nutritional security and food security! This is the reason why India has moved the UN to declare 2023 as the international year of the millet and has succeeded in doing so.
The truth of the matter is that we are a country with a large percentage of soil only being able to support dryland crops/rain-fed crops such as...you guessed it...millets! However, since farmers only grow what is in demand, and what is in demand is NOT millets, the governments of the world are trying to do their bit by advocating millets on a large scale so that their populations can have food security, nutritional security and even water security (because you save on so much water no having borewells and drip-irrigation systems for non-millet crops).
All said and done, millets are the most commonsensical, reliable, main-stream crops to grow and equally to eat.
To find about how millets can help you, how you can include them in your diet and so on, stay tuned to our blog!
[This blog is part of our endeavour to bring awareness around millets as we march towards the international year of the millet 2023. You can learn more about it on the UN site here: https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/3904090?ln=en]