City experts work to make millets tastier

In a metro like Chennai, where fast food is a way of life, millets might be the least appetising
option.
But the health food is set for a makeover in the city, with a number of studies looking at
introducing preparations from biscuits to payasam using millets.
With increasing focus on right diet and healthy living, millets have become of great interest
to doctors and nutritionists as they are considered nutritionally superior to rice.
Millets are inexpensive and highly nutritious. It promotes healthy eating as it is rich in
fibre, carbohydrates and minerals. Its nutritive value is enhanced when combined with
pulses and legumes, said Kundala Ravi, lecturer, depart- ment of clinical nutrition, Sri
Ramachandra Medical University (SRMU).
A number of SRMU students are working to develop millet recipes make it appetising, she
said.
We are looking at how millets can be combined with other ingredients. For example, we
can make payasam using millets, green gram dal, jaggery and milk. Similarly, puttu,
sevai, dosa, idli and vadai can be prepared with millets, she said.
For diabetologists, the humble millets assume significance due to their low glycemic index.
The starch-protein interaction causes the glycemic level to drop. Millet-based formulations
are suitable as a food supplement or meal replacer for those with diabetes, said R.G.
Abirami, nutrition research associate, M.V. Hospital for Diabetes and Research Centre,
Royapuram.
The hospital is involved in studies to develop low cost millet-based recipes for breakfast and
lunch using foxtail millet and barnyard millet.
For long, rice has been the staple diet in south India and people here tend to eat large
servings, said Vijay Viswanathan, head and chief diabetologist at the hospital. The glycemic
index is high in rice, especially the unpolished variety. We are developing products specific
to south India, using millets recipes hitherto prepared with rice. We are asking patients to
judge the taste factor, he said.
Students of Womens Christian College (WCC) too are looking at creating recipes using
millets such as biscuits and nutrition bars, said Sheba Jeyaraj, assistant professor,
department of home science.
People do not use millets as they feel the food lacks in taste and looks unappetising. But a
100-gram portion of finger millet (ragi) has 344 mg of calcium. No other cereal has such
high nutritive value. Millets are gluten free and can be consumed by people with celiac
disease (gluten-sensitive enteropathy). They are rich in vitamin B and help in controlling
diabetes and reducing cholesterol levels, she said.
The Institute of Community Medicine, Madras Medical College, has been promoting
consumption of millets at its interactions with the public.
We have been asking people to add millets to their diet. Various millet-based products are
available in the market today. Whole wheat ground with millets such as ragi, cumbu and
cholam can be used to make chapathis, said A. Chitra, an assistant professor at the
Institute.