Sorghum Millets (Jowar): Benefits, Nutrition, Uses & Side Effects

From farms to folklores to a forgotten word, sorghum has come a long way. 

Once revered and cherished, it saw the overpowering lure of the fast-food culture. The result? 

This nutritious grain no longer captured its space in the kitchens. But now, all hail to the UN and GOI, it is breathing a new life again.

Sorghum is a rich grain that belongs to the millet family. Like its many siblings, it is packed with nutrition and numerous health benefits. 

Look around and you’ll see people picking it and cooking it for their own many reasons. 

Someone wants to lose weight, another wants its anti-aging properties, and others envy its digestive spell. 

But sorghum doesn’t partialize. When you eat it, you get all its many benefits, irrespective of what you use it for. 

What are those? We’ll look into it. But alongside, we’ll also see what you must not do to ensure health and happiness. 

The power-packed Sorghum — nutritional value

The earliest evidence of its sorghum’s domestication comes from Eastern Sudan, some 5,500 years ago. When it comes to the past and origin, the picture always is a bit foggy. But what is not foggy here is the nutritional content of these grains. ^[1]

Here is what you get from eating 100 grams of sorghum.

Sorghum Millet Grain – nutritional value – 100 grams

Excellent right? 

The ancient kitchens cooked this grain with its aroma luring everyone sitting around. They ate it and saw the favourable changes happening within their bodies. The words spread around with the cultivation of the grain. Soon, it was all over the Indian peninsular span, known by many names. 

In India, it got renamed as it travelled to different cities. 

Names of Sorghum Millet in Different Indian Languages

But the name doesn’t change its nature. Call it Jowar, Juar, Cholam, Jola, or even sorghum, it will still bless you with its goodness. Let’s harvest this good crop and unhusk it to see its many benefits. 

The many benefits of sorghum (Jowar) – a crop soaked in god’s blessing

Health is a flower that blooms after the plant is nourished with the right ingredients. It is not a cause but a consequence. You eat right, drink right, sleep right, and do other things right. And gradually, you see bliss and beauty seep in. And so, when you eat sorghum, many good changes happen within you. Here are a few:

1. Jowar is a Super energising food

As we grow, our energy levels tend to fall. The lawn that used to lure us in childhood, we drag ourselves there as we grow. It just doesn’t feel right. Usually, it happens due to a few reasons:  we stop hopping our feet, we stop laughing, and our diet gets worse. Most of the lost energy can be retrieved by eating the right things.

Sorghum is rich in not just carbs but complex carbs. Simple carbs are helpful when you need a sudden boost in energy, for instance, to fight with your siblings. Other than that, they are not a good choice in excess amounts.

Sorghum’s complex carbs ensure that the energy is not extracted immediately. It is because our bodies need time to solve complex equations. As a result, energy keeps on flowing steadily throughout the day rather than in a sudden burst. 

2. Sorghum Millet (Jowar) is a good guide for your guts

When the tummy is fine, the world seems divine. And when the tummy is bad? So, so, sad! 

We all understand this. Ayurveda has always focused on treating the body and guts like a temple. If you treat them right, they greet you right. And know what? Sorghum can help you have just this.

Firstly, sorghum is rich in fibre. This fibre content ensures that your guts stay clean. As it moves through your intestines, it cleans off all the toxins and bad build-up. This also means you get regular bowel movements. Constipation gone! 

Furthermore, its fibre content is a good source of prebiotics. Prebiotics are good gut bacteria that help us digest our food. The higher their number, the better our digestion. As you eat sorghum, these good employees in your guts start increasing.

Secondly, this grain doesn’t show tantrums in getting digested. It is easy on the stomach and thus reduces stomach discomfort. 

And thirdly, it also contains natural compounds known as tannins. Now, these have been found to possess anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. 

So, it’s not just the fibre but a combination of factors that make sorghum a digestive champion!

Sorghum grains come in various colours, including white, red, brown, and even purple.

3. Jowar is packed with gluten-free goodness

If you do not suffer from gluten intolerance, this word might mean chewiness to you. But, by any chance, if you have gluten intolerance, this word might give you nightmares even during the day. 

You think twice before picking anything. You read label after label of products in the superstore. Your choices decline and so does the nutrition. But not with sorghum.

Sorghum millet is gluten-free. Yes! Feel happy? Not only gluten-free, but it is also delicious as well as nutritious. It’s a win-win for your taste buds and tummy. Including it in the diet means you fulfil the nutrition gap that was expanding due to the gluten issue. And if you get bored with sorghum someday, there are other types of millet as well. All these types are gluten-free as well. Hurrah! 

4. Excellent weight-loss buddy

Yes! It seems like a herculean task. Not gaining weight but losing it. Gaining is easy. All you have to do is sit and eat. But losing? Ugh! Well, not with millets. 

Sorghum, just like other types of millet, is an excellent friend in your weight loss journey. We’ll tell you as it happens.

• First, you take a vow of leaving all the junk food that you eat mindlessly. At least, try reducing it gradually. 
• Then, you replace bad habits with good habits. You replace cheese, chips, and Cheetos with millet. 
• And when you eat it regularly, its high protein and fibre content ensures that your unnecessary cravings are taken care of. It keeps you fulfilled for longer. It curbs those pesky snack attacks.
• Also, its low glycaemic index (which means it doesn’t flood your body with blood sugar) ensures that your body doesn’t convert extra glucose into fat.

It’s like having a personal weight management assistant in your pantry. And that too for almost free. If you want to start easy both on efforts and your tastebuds, start by adding Aashivaad Multi-millet mix to your regular atta. This will kickstart your millet intake without effort, allowing you to slowly move to eat millet in your meals. 

5. Sorghum Millet is a humble helper of the heart

Sorghum is like a cheerleader for your heart. It’s loaded with antioxidants and heart-loving compounds that keep your ticker happy and healthy. Your heart will be doing a little dance of joy. And how come? 

When you eat sorghum, a few good changes happen in your body. These changes come together and help your heart. Here is how:

• Its low glycaemic index ensures that your cholesterol levels stay under the bar and your excitement over it. And we all know how much our hearts hate bad cholesterol (LDL). In fact, this good grain promotes HDL (the good cholesterol). HDL is known to remove LDL from our bodies, more like a cleaner. 
• Because sorghum is rich in antioxidants, it reduces oxidative stress and inflammation in our blood vessels. This ensures smooth blood flow throughout the body. 
• Its fibre content maintains healthy blood sugar levels. This means a healthy weight and a healthy heart. 
• The potassium found in it is known to regulate and maintain healthy blood pressure levels. ^[2]

Wonderful right? But only when you incorporate other healthy habits alongside. Include a variety of whole foods, regular physical activity, stress management, and good laughter. These all are important for maintaining a healthy heart.  

In some African countries, sorghum beer is a popular traditional beverage. It is brewed from fermented sorghum grains.

6. Sorghum Millet is a big boon for bones

Strong bones are the secret to doing the happy dance in your golden years. And not just dance, but also for trekking over the mighty mountains without much worry. And know what? Sorghum is a treasure trove of bone-loving minerals like calcium and magnesium. These minerals help you keep those bones strong and sturdy.

This is the case with all the other types of millet as well, especially finger millet. One more reason to make it a staple. What you must do is replace rice and other grains (not completely) with different types of millet. 

7. Jowar Promotes blood health

Our blood is one such thing that connects every inch of our bodies with each other. It not only carries nutrients but also oxygen to all the body parts. And to ensure that it is able to do this all, it must have enough red blood cells. And red blood cells can be produced in good amounts if our bodies have enough iron. And how much iron do we need per day? ^[3]

100 grams of sorghum millet grains contain nearly 3.36 mg of iron. Not just iron, it also has copper, which is another mineral that helps in blood health. Its copper content takes care of nearly 1/3^rd of our daily copper requirement. 

8. Jowar supports skin health

Skin is one big organ that represents our inner health. If we are sad from the inside, the skin looks withered and wrinkled. When we are good and joyful, our skin radiates. But apart from it, skin health also depends on a few micronutrients. 

Sorghum’s antioxidants, vitamin Bs, folate, magnesium, etc., all contribute to good skin health. And not just skin health, but they also support overall health, which indirectly supports skin health again. It’s a complex and yet so simple relationship.

The stalks of certain sorghum varieties are used to make sweet sorghum syrup, a natural sweetener similar to molasses

As we saw, sorghum is one good grain that has immense health benefits. No wonder our ancestors domesticated it and made it a part of their diet. 

But as good as it is for our overall health, it can work otherwise too, especially when a few things are ignored. What are those?

Sorghum – side effects and precautions to take

First thing first – sorghum is indeed a nutritious grain but it is not an elixir for all your ails. It must always be made a part of your diet and should not replace your complete diet. Now, when including it, take care of these few things:

• Always use mature grain. An immature sorghum or overly matured one can contain toxins that can be fatal to humans. Always buy from a reputed source. ^[4]
• Always drink enough water to maintain proper hydration in your body. Sorghum and other millets are known for their dry nature. So, you must neutralize this by properly hydrating yourself. 

Apart from it, you are good to go with it. But how should you use sorghum? 

Various uses of sorghum (Jowar)

Sorghum is an excellent crop that wears many hats. You do not have to worry about boredom when cooking with it. Let’s look at the many ways it can be used.

• Sorghum flour: Turn these grains into flour and then use it to make chapattis, porridge, etc.  Sprouted sorghum flour is always the best.
• Eat sorghum in place of rice, which is known for its fat-inducing nature. 
• Pop sorghum into spicy pops like popcorn. An easy and healthy snacking option.
• Buy flaked sorghum and use it as a morning cereal.
• Make syrup and use it as a natural sweetener.

Conclusion

With so many packed products around, making the right eating choice can seem like an uphill ride. But with more and more studies coming up to support home-cooked food, the shift is happening. People have started to make healthier choices. And when health meets taste, sorghum pops up. 

Sorghum isn’t just your ordinary grain. It’s the sassy, salubrious, and oh-so-satisfying choice for a healthier lifestyle. Where its many vitamins and minerals ensure that our bodies function well, its protein and fibre content helps us deal with unhealthy weight. Not only this, the antioxidants present in it have their own excellent role in enhancing our overall health. 

Good health is a journey that is walked one step at a time. And this time, it is sorghum. So, spice up your plate, ignite your taste buds, and let it seduce you with its irresistible charm. Bon appétit!

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