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Your guide to millet’s nutrition, benefits & how to use it

Millet isn’t just for the birds. When you discover the many benefits of millet nutrition, you’ll want to include this ancient grain-like seed in your own diet.

innergy biotic

Another great way to enjoy grains is when they’re fermented and teeming with beneficial microbes. Have you tried our InnergyBiotic yet, made with fermented high-protein, gluten-free grains and grain-like seeds?

Millet may help lower the risk of heart disease and stroke, by helping to prevent atherosclerosis even in those genetically predispositioned to it.

Most people haven’t even heard of millet — much less understand its extensive benefits. And yet, millet is one of the best-kept secrets of our ancient ancestors. Traced back to its origin in China, millet has been used throughout the ages and across many countries.1

For centuries, millet has been a prized crop in China, India, Greece, Egypt, and Africa, used in everything from bread to couscous, and as a cereal grain.

Millet is even mentioned as a treasured crop in the Bible.

This tiny “grain” is gluten-free and packed with vitamins and minerals. In fact, while it’s often called a grain because of its grain-like consistency, millet is actually a seed. It’s frequently used in birdseed, causing countless people to overlook it and miss out on the important health benefits of millet.

Everything to know about millet nutrition

Millet is one of the four gluten-free, grain-like seeds on the Body Ecology program.

Some of the key reasons millet is part of the Body Ecology lifestyle is because it:

  • Acts as a prebiotic to help feed important microbes in your inner ecosystem.
  • Digests easily.
  • Does not help feed pathogenic yeast (candida).
  • Helps hydrate your colon to keep you regular.
  • Is alkaline.
  • Provides serotonin to help calm and soothe your moods.2

Millet is full of nutrients your body needs, such as:

  • Antioxidants
  • B vitamins
  • Calcium
  • Fiber
  • Magnesium
  • Manganese
  • Phosphorus
  • Tryptophan

And that’s not all. Many studies have been done on millet nutrition to identify its benefits for your health.

Here are some of the findings:

  • Fiber from whole grains has been shown to help protect against breast cancer.3
  • Magnesium in millet may help reduce the effects of migraines and depression.4,5
  • Millet may help lower the risk of heart disease and stroke, by helping to prevent atherosclerosis even in those genetically predispositioned to it.6
  • Niacin (vitamin B3) in millet may help stop the spread of candida.7
  • Phosphorus in millet may help with fat metabolism, body tissue repair, and creating energy (phosphorus is an essential component of adenosine triphosphate or ATP, a precursor to energy in your body).8

Whole grains have also been shown to help protect against childhood asthma.9

Here’s how to pick and prepare your millet

Shiloh Farms millet is a delicious, easily digestible, organic hulled millet that can be delivered directly to your door. Millet can also be found in some grocery stores, often in the ethnic foods section. However, to get the most from your millet, choose organic hulled millet.

This is how to make millet:

  • Rinse it off and remove any stones or unhulled pieces.
  • Then soak or sprout your millet for 8 to 24 hours prior to preparing it so that you remove the phytic acid that binds up minerals and enzyme inhibitors that make it difficult to digest.
  • Another option to prepare your millet for easy digestion is to add a small amount of fermented liquid to the soaking water. Mix a teaspoon of InnergyBiotic or your favorite probiotic liquid into your soaking water; it’s an excellent way to add minerals and can help make your grains even easier to digest. Let the soaking millet remain at room temperature for 48 hours.
  • Cook millet as you would rice but with more water (3 cups water to 1 cup millet). However, if you soak millet, you won’t need as much water when you cook it. After soaking, try 1 cup of millet to 2 or 2 ½ cups of water. You determine how much water to use depending on how soft you like your grain.
  • You will know your millet is finished because the dark yellow color will become opaque.
The Body Ecology Diet book is full of delicious, creative recipes to make the most of your millet.

If you’re unable to tolerate grains, there are steps you can take to help correct your digestion and add grain-loving microbes back into your system. For more information, consult our Body Ecology Guide to Getting Started.

Millet is a satisfying way to begin or end your day. Every time you eat millet, you may experience the benefits that made it the prized grain of so many ancient cultures.

REFERENCES:

  1. 1. Shevan Wilkin, Alicia Ventresca Miller, Bryan K. Miller, Robert N. Spengler, William T. T. Taylor, Ricardo Fernandes, Richard W. Hagan, Madeleine Bleasdale, Jana Zech, S. Ulziibayar, Erdene Myagmar, Nicole Boivin, Patrick Roberts. Economic Diversification Supported the Growth of Mongolia’s Nomadic Empires. Scientific Reports, 2020; 10 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-60194-0.
  2. 2. Saleh, Ahmed & Zhang, Qing & Chen, Jing & Shen, Qun. (2013). Millet Grains: Nutritional Quality, Processing, and Potential Health Benefits. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety. 12. 281–295. 10.1111/1541-4337.12012.
  3. 3. Xie M, Liu J, Tsao R, Wang Z, Sun B, Wang J. Whole Grain Consumption for the Prevention and Treatment of Breast Cancer. Nutrients. 2019;11(8):1769. Published 2019 Aug 1. doi:10.3390/nu11081769.
  4. 4. Yablon LA, Mauskop A. Magnesium in headache. In: Vink R, Nechifor M, editors. Magnesium in the Central Nervous System [Internet]. Adelaide (AU): University of Adelaide Press; 2011. PMID: 29920023.
  5. 5. Eby GA, Eby KL. Rapid recovery from major depression using magnesium treatment. Med Hypotheses. 2006;67(2):362-70. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2006.01.047. Epub 2006 Mar 20. PMID: 16542786.
  6. 6. Fengming Liu, Shuhua Shan, Hanqing Li, Zhuoyu Li. Treatment of Peroxidase Derived from Foxtail Millet Bran Attenuates Atherosclerosis by Inhibition of CD36 and STAT3 in Vitro and in Vivo. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2020; DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.9b06963.
  7. 7. Hugo Wurtele, Sarah Tsao, Guylaine Lépine, Alaka Mullick, Jessy Tremblay, Paul Drogaris, Eun-Hye Lee, Pierre Thibault, Alain Verreault, Martine Raymond. Modulation of histone H3 lysine 56 acetylation as an antifungal therapeutic strategy. Nature Medicine, 2010; 16 (7): 774 DOI: 10.1038/nm.2175.
  8. 8. Abuduli M, Ohminami H, Otani T, Kubo H, Ueda H, Kawai Y, Masuda M, Yamanaka-Okumura H, Sakaue H, Yamamoto H, Takeda E, Taketani Y. Effects of dietary phosphate on glucose and lipid metabolism. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2016 Apr 1;310(7):E526-38. doi: 10.1152/ajpendo.00234.2015. Epub 2016 Jan 19. PMID: 26786774.
  9. 9. Tabak C, Wijga AH, de Meer G, Janssen NA, Brunekreef B, Smit HA. Diet and asthma in Dutch school children (ISAAC-2). Thorax. 2006;61(12):1048-1053. doi:10.1136/thx.2005.043034.

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