Unlocking the Power of Chickpeas: A Nutritional Superstar

Unlocking the Power of Chickpeas: A Nutritional Superstar

Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, are not only a staple in many cuisines but also a nutritional powerhouse packed with health benefits. From supporting heart health to aiding in weight management, chickpeas offer a plethora of advantages that make them a valuable addition to any diet.

1. Rich Source of Protein:

One of the most notable benefits of chickpeas is their high protein content. Protein is essential for building and repairing tissues, making it crucial for overall health. With approximately 15 grams of protein per cup of cooked chickpeas, they are an excellent plant-based protein source for vegetarians and vegans.

2. High in Fiber:

Chickpeas are loaded with dietary fibre, both soluble and insoluble. Fibre plays a vital role in digestive health by promoting regular bowel movements and preventing constipation. Additionally, fibre helps to stabilize blood sugar levels, making chickpeas a smart choice for individuals with diabetes or those looking to manage their blood sugar levels.

3. Heart-Healthy Nutrients:

Consuming chickpeas regularly can contribute to heart health in several ways. They are rich in potassium, a mineral that helps lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of stroke and heart disease. Furthermore, chickpeas contain folate and magnesium, which are essential nutrients for maintaining cardiovascular health.

4. Supports Weight Management:

If you're looking to shed a few pounds or maintain a healthy weight, chickpeas can be your ally. Their high fibre and protein content promote feelings of fullness and satiety, which can help curb appetite and prevent overeating. Additionally, chickpeas are relatively low in calories compared to many other foods, making them an excellent choice for weight-conscious individuals.

5. Boosts Digestive Health:

The fibre content in chickpeas not only aids in regular bowel movements but also fosters a healthy gut microbiome. Fibre serves as food for the beneficial bacteria in the gut, promoting their growth and diversity. A healthy gut microbiome is associated with improved digestion, enhanced immune function, and reduced risk of gastrointestinal disorders.

6. Provides Essential Nutrients:

In addition to protein, fibre, and heart-healthy nutrients, chickpeas are a good source of several vitamins and minerals. They contain significant amounts of iron, which is vital for oxygen transport in the body and preventing anaemia. Chickpeas also provide zinc, manganese, and B vitamins, which play various roles in metabolism, energy production, and immune function.

Incorporating Chickpeas Into Your Diet:

Fortunately, there are countless ways to enjoy the benefits of chickpeas in your diet. You can add them to salads, soups, stews, and curries for an extra dose of protein and fibre. Hummus, a popular Middle Eastern dip made from chickpeas, is another delicious way to incorporate this nutritious legume into your meals. Roasted chickpeas make a crunchy and satisfying snack, perfect for munching on the go.

Conclusion:

Chickpeas are more than just a tasty ingredient; they are a nutritional powerhouse with numerous health benefits. Whether you're looking to support heart health, manage your weight, or improve digestion, incorporating chickpeas into your diet can help you achieve your wellness goals. So go ahead, stock up on chickpeas and reap the rewards of this versatile and nutrient-rich legume.

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Know About - Ragi or Finger Millet (Nachni)

Ragi, also known as finger millet came to India in 2000 BCE. Ragi is nutritionally rich and has medicinal properties. In Ancient India Ragi was used as ayurvedic medicine for treating many health conditions. Ragi porridge is not only nutrient-dense but also prescribed as a superfood for many diseases.

Ragi was initially widely used by only the rural population. After research and studies by several reputed research institutes like CFTRI (Central food training research institute) and United nation food and agriculture organization), NIN (National Institute of nutrition) not only rural but urban population is also appreciating the health porridge benefit of Ragi and incorporating in their meal plan.

There are multiple health benefits of ragi and various ways of making Ragi Porridges. Ragi can be used to make both sweet or savory dishes. Ragi Malt Drink, Ragi Sangati Recipe, Ragi Mudde Recipe, Ragi Porridges, Ragi Flour Dosa, Ragi Puttu Recipe, Ragi Roti, Ragi Murruku etc.

Ragi can be given to any age group from pediatric to geriatric. Check Our Recipes Wean Mix (food for babies) and Porridge Mix (for adults)

Ragi Porridge Mix is introduced to infants as their first weaning food. It’s high in calcium, helps in developing bones, teeth, and building muscles. Iron content in Ragi improves blood circulation and the development of all the vital organs of babies. Ragi Porridge is highly recommended during the pregnancy and lactation phase also. Indian women are prone to anemia. According to several studies, 77% of pregnant women are anemic. Ragi helps in improving the iron level for babies and pregnancy women's. From a healthy pregnancy to safe motherhood Ragi is beneficial.

Breastfeeding leads to loss of calcium, ragi is prescribed for the replenishment of calcium for lactating women. Ragi has a low glycemic index, Regulates blood sugar, and maintains blood pressure too.

Minerals and good fat present in ragi improve heart health and cholesterol level. Dietary guideline recommend complex carbohydrates, high fiber, and moderate protein for weight loss. Ragi is the perfect blend of all these three components.

Vit C present in ragi helps in improving immunity. Vit E enhances your skin and hair.

The antioxidants present in ragi removes toxins and eradicate free radicals from the body. Free radicals are very harmful to the body and are one of the primary causes of the disease Alzheimer’s according to the study done by Dr. Neal Barnard.

Essential amino acids are necessary for the body as they help in recovering from major illnesses and healing wounds, Ragi contains many essential amino acids, isoleucine, leucine, methionine, and phenylalanine, not present in other grains.

Ragi Porridge Mix contains the highest amount of calcium. It helps in building teeth also improves gum health, keeps the mouth free from gum disease.

Studies show that the protein content in ragi supports bone development. The calcium present in ragi helps in the absorption of Vit D and improves overall health.

The Ragi Porridge Mix contains no artificial colorants or preservatives. High-quality Ragi Porridge is a healthy option for breakfast and dinner.

Try Organically Sourced Ragi Porridge Gluten-Free and Nutritionally Dense.

Article written by Nazneen Mallick, Chief Clinical Dietician.

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5 Steps before you use the grain, which improves digestion

How to process/use the grain? Do we need to do anything to make it suitable for consumption?

Cleaning

Plants based foods like seeds, roots, stem, leaves, flower requires compulsory cleaning. They are grown in open space and lot of dust and other particles stay on on the layers. Also, farmers may use biochemicals and fertilizers to protect the plants. There is a possibility of those elements stays on the outer layer of the food. Cleaning the outer layer with fresh water or warm water removes all these dust and then they are safe for consumption to some extent. How it has to be cleaned? Showing the food before the tap water does not clean anything, it wets the surface and does nothing. Fill water in a bowl or container then put the grains in that. Rinse thoroughly with hands. Repeat the process until the color of the water remains unchanged. If cleaning is not properly done, then the external particles get into our stomach. They are not easily digestible by the stomach and results in stomach pain or indigestion. Cleaning helps in avoiding an upset stomach as a very first step.

Soaking

Soaking place an important role in the food processing. Many grains are tough to breakdown or cooking. For example, certain varieties of rice, pulses requires soaking, that will help us to remove the top layer and makes grains little soft and enables faster cooking. On the other side, soaking separates anti-nutrients from grains. Soaked water contains anti nutrients and that should be thrown out, never use the soaked water for cooking. Always rinse again the soaked grains once and use fresh water for cooking. This is a special step helps the grain to get rid of anti-nutrients, and shortens the cooking time. The soaking time is different for each grain ranges from 2 to 12 hours based on grains.

Fermenting/Sprouting

Sprouting is a process of transformation from grain to live plant. After soaking, water should be drained and the wet grains are tied in a cloth allowed to stay as it for a day or two. Small buds called sprouts are grown over a period of time. Similar to Soaking, this process uses natural yeasts to convert anti-nutrients into vitamins/minerals in the grains.

Roasting

As the process is time-consuming and tedious to be done on a daily basis, it used to be done once in a while and they preserve and use that powder. Sprouted grains do not stay from a couple of days and not much longer. The same can be extended by roasting. Roasting the sprouted grains till golden brown color smells good and stays longer. While roasting, you can feel the aroma of the grain, which indicates the right time to stop roasting. Avoid storing hot roasted grains immediately, allow the roasted grains to get cool naturally and then store it for later use.

Styles of Cooking

After all these steps, it needs a final step to get consumable. We can ground it to powder and use it for baking. We steam, or pressure cook and make delicious recipe and consume the grains, as convenient

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Millet Vs Oats - Which is more beneficial to help you in losing weight?

Which is better Oats or Millet?

Oats and Millet - Overview

Oats and Millets are grains which have entered into modern lifestyle as healthy foods. 

Millet is a group of small-seeded grasses that are widely grown as cereal crops in Asia and Africa. There are different types of millet, such as pearl millet, foxtail millet, proso millet, finger millet, and barnyard millet. Millet is gluten-free and rich in protein, fiber, minerals, and antioxidants.

Oats are a type of cereal grain that are mainly grown in temperate regions. Oats are also gluten-free, unless they are contaminated with wheat or other gluten-containing grains during processing. Oats are high in protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals.

Millets and Oats, both, are beneficial to one's health in their own way. While oats help in lowering cholesterol; Millets, taking Ragi for example, are beneficial for diabetics.

Nutrition

In General, when comparing millet and oats per 100g, millet contains more protein (11g vs 10.7g), calcium (8mg vs 5mg), magnesium (114mg vs 83mg), phosphorus (285mg vs 244mg), potassium (195mg vs 162mg), zinc (1.7mg vs 1.3mg), and iron (3mg vs 2.4mg) than oats. It also has a higher amount of dietary fiber than oats (8.5g vs 6.5g). On the other hand, oats contain more thiamin (0.4mg vs 0.3mg), riboflavin (0.1mg vs 0.04mg), niacin (0.9mg vs 0.8mg), and folate (32mcg vs 16mcg), which are all types of vitamin B. Oats also have more manganese than millet (3.6mg vs 1.6mg), which is an essential mineral for metabolism and antioxidant defense.

Oats have nearly 40% more protein than Proso Millet and Foxtail millet. Oats have more fibre than Barnyard millet and are richer in phosphorus and Thiamine than any of the millets. And both oats & millet have variable protein content.

Millets trump over oats in case of Calcium content (Ragi has close to 5.5 times calcium than Oats), and Pearl Millet (Bajra) has more than 3 times Iron content than Oats.

Preparation

Oats grain is not used much in a person's daily routine; we prefer rolled ones which are readily available in the market. As oats are in flakes format they are pretty easy to cook. Millets, predominantly available as grains and in value added forms (flakes, semolina), are gaining popularity nowadays. But recipes and awareness have not reached many people, so it remains unadopted in large quantities . But the simple fact is that most millets can be cooked like rice. Millets can replace rice in various dishes such as idli, dosa, payasam/kheer.

Cost

The cost of a Kg of Oats is about INR 105/- to 150/-. This is of the plain variety, and the costs vary based on the flavour and version of oats that are offered. Compare this to Millets, which cost anywhere between INR 30/- to 70/-. So the value for money is extremely good for Millets and affordable by many.

Conclusion

Oats and Millet, both are good source of fibre and contains complex carabohydrates by nature. This helps your satiety level and also energy will be retained for longer duration. In general, consuming of whole grains not only help in weight loss, but it also improves our basic nutrition in the form of vitamins and minerals. Oats is one grain and Milets have variety. Consuming various millet as a part of weekly diet not only helps in weight reduction, also boosts your immune system and improves nutrition.

Both millet and oats have their own benefits and drawbacks depending on your nutritional needs and preferences. Millet may be better for you if you are looking for more protein, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, iron, or fiber in your diet. Oats may be better for you if you are looking for more vitamin B or manganese in your diet. You can also mix and match both grains to get the best of both worlds.

Millet - Farmers friend

To add further, millets are wonderful crops, easy to grow during droughts, and cheap to procure. Millets are one of the oldest foods known to humans and, are also unique due to their short growing season. By eating millets, we will be encouraging farmers in dry land areas to grow crops that are best suited for those regions. Using more millets we really support our own farmers who are dependent on 50% of rain fed Indian agricultural landscape.⁠⁠⁠

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Amaranth - Not a grain, more than a that !!!

Amaranth are gluten-free and high in protein, fiber, minerals, and antioxidants. Cook amaranth seeds as porridge, popped like popcorn, or added to salads, soups, and baked goods.

What is Amaranth? 

Amaranth is not a grain like quinoa or millet. Amaranth seeds are pseudocereal, meaning that they are not true cereal grains.  but due to this seed's nutritional profile and its usage in casual cuisines, it is a grain. They have a nutty flavor and a crunchy texture. Amaranth seeds are superfoods due to their many health benefits.

One plant can produce up to 60,000 seeds. It is grown and consumed as a leafy vegetable in many countries around the world.

Amaranth, An ancient Grain

The word "amaranth" comes from the Greek "amaranths", meaning "unfading" or "immortal". This reflects the resilience and longevity of the plant. As well as its cultural significance. Amaranth is the common name for more than 60 different species of Amaranthus. They are usually very tall plants with broad green leaves and bright purple, red, or gold flowers. They are grown for their edible seeds. 

Amaranth seeds were first domesticated in Mesoamerica. It was a staple food for the Aztecs and Mayans. They used them for protein, energy, and ceremonial purposes. The Spanish colonizers tried to ban amaranth cultivation. They saw it as a threat to their religious and political dominance. Yet, some farmers continued to grow amaranth in secret. They preserved its genetic diversity and cultural heritage. They use it for medicinal purposes, like treating ulcers, inflammation, and high cholesterol.

In today's lifestyle

 Today, amaranth seeds are gaining popularity in the Western world. More people are looking for gluten-free, high-protein, and nutrient-dense alternatives. Amaranth seeds are a potential crop to feed the world's growing population. They can produce high yields with low inputs and environmental impact.

Amaranth is Nutritious & Tasty

One plant can produce up to 60,000 seeds. It is grown and consumed as a leafy vegetable in many countries around the world. Amaranth is, easy to cook, and palatable. It's also used in snacks and dishes. Cooked amaranth is 90% digestible. Amaranth has a nutty flavor that can complement both sweet and savory dishes. 

Amaranth seeds are not only delicious but also nutritious. Amaranth contains more than three times the average amount of calcium. It is also high in iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium. It’s the only grain that contains Vitamin C. 

One cup of cooked amaranth seeds provides about 

• 250 calories, 
• 9 grams of protein, 
• 5 grams of fiber, 
• 5 grams of iron, 
• 105 milligrams of calcium, 
• 160 milligrams of magnesium, 
• 364 milligrams of phosphorus, and 
• 2 milligrams of manganese.

Amaranth is rich in lysine. Most grains like wheat are short on lysine, an amino acid. This makes amaranth a complete protein as it contains all the essential amino acids. Amaranth is gluten-free and good for your heart.  Amaranth has shown potential as a cholesterol-lowering whole grain. 

Nutrients in amaranth & health benefits

Good for muscle growth and repair

Amaranth seeds are a complete protein source. They contain all nine essential amino acids that our body cannot produce on its own. Protein is essential for building and maintaining muscle mass. It is also required for other functions of the body.

Helps in digestion and weight management

Amaranth seeds are rich in fiber. This can help regulate bowel movements and prevent constipation. It lowers cholesterol levels and keeps you feeling full for longer. Fiber can also help control blood sugar levels and reduce the risk of diabetes.

Improves bone health

Amaranth seeds are a good source of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and manganese. These are all important minerals for bone health. They can help prevent osteoporosis, fractures, and other bone-related disorders.

Enhances cognitive function

Amaranth seeds contain manganese. It is a trace element that plays a role in brain function. Manganese can help improve memory, learning, mood, and mental health.

Has antioxidant property  

Amaranth seeds contain phytochemicals that have antioxidant properties. Antioxidants can help protect our cells from oxidative stress and damage. They can also help prevent chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease. It also cures neurodegenerative disorders.

Amaranth, Simple recipes 

Cooked whole: 

You can cook amaranth seeds like rice or quinoa by boiling them in water or broth until they are soft and fluffy. You can then use them as a side dish or add them to salads, soups, stews, casseroles, or stir-fries.

Popped: 

You can pop amaranth seeds like popcorn by heating them in a dry skillet over high heat until they pop. You can then season them with salt or spices and enjoy them as a snack or sprinkle them over yogurt or oatmeal.

Flour: 

You can grind amaranth seeds into flour using a blender or a coffee grinder. You can then use amaranth flour to make bread.

In fact, amaranth porridge is a traditional breakfast in India, Peru, Mexico, and Nepal.

In conclusion

Amaranth seeds are versatile and we can use them in many ways. They are also easy to prepare and cook in various ways. Amaranth porridge, which is a great option for breakfast. It is a famous leafy vegetable in South India.

Amaranth in other languages 

Rajgeera (Hindi), Rajgiri (Kannada, Konkani, Sanskrit), Mulaikeerai (Tamil), thotakoora (Telugu). The Hindi name for amaranth, rajgeera, means “the king’s grain.”  Its other name, ramdana, means “God’s own grain.”

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