Barnyard Millets- Nutrition, Uses, Health Benefits, and More

Rituals and culture are a standard part of growing up in Indian families, and fasting is a tradition in every home. And having sabudana, fruits, milkshakes, and juices on fasts is a delight.

But if I saw that you could also consume grains on your fasts. Surprised! Isn’t it?

Let me make things clear. Barnyard millets are something we are going to discuss today. Sanwa bhagar, rice cooked from barnyard millet flour, flipped over, and sprinkled with a liberal amount of ghee with groundnut chutney on the sides, is a perfect fasting platter.

And the pie on the cake is when winter is in full swing, but the barnyard millets’ rustic, mildly sweet aroma managed to soothe you from the inside out.

Yes… this is what barnyard millet provides to the body by supplying taste, health, and simplicity while providing you with a Happy Tummy Feel!

The traditional diet of yesteryear, barnyard millet, is set for resurgence. Restaurants, cooking groups and master classes, recipe books, and expositions are committed to bringing this super-food for its nutritional value and ecological sustainability.

Barnyard millets are a category of tiny grains, or more precisely, seeds cultivated in places with substandard soil or insufficient access to irrigation.

Barnyard millets, once a mainstay in traditional Indian cuisine, have been slowly returning to India and other parts of the world.

With a high nutritional content, adaptability, and availability, barnyard millet is a typical cereal or coarse grain.

About Barnyard Millets

In the steep parts of Uttarakhand, barnyard millet is frequently farmed.

Other names for this food include shyama in Bengali, moraiyo in Gujarati, sanwa rice in Hindi, oodalu in Kannada, kuthiraivolly in Tamil, and udalu in Telugu.

When cooked, barnyard millet has a flavor nearly identical to broken rice, earning it the name “sanwa rice.” Unlike long-grained rice, it fails to cook into distinct grains.

The barnyard is a little white, spherical grain, more solid than semolina (rawa) but smaller than sago (sabudana). This millet has the lowest calorie and carbohydrate contents of any millet.

Because food cereals are not consumed in India when fasting, barnyard millets are a common addition to fasting meals.

Above and above popular cereal crops like rice, maize, and semolina (rawa), barnyard millet is a nutritious grain that shouldn’t be limited to simply fasting days.

It offers the advantages of millet grains, is widely accessible throughout India, is very affordable, and is delicious food for all age categories.

Nutritional Values of Barnyard Millets

Barnyard millets provide a lot of nutrients. They are an excellent source of protein, fiber, and iron.

100 g of barnyard millet during pregnancy provides 100% of the daily allowance for iron and 67% of the daily limit for folate.

It also contains a lot of calcium, which is good for your bones and teeth. It has the following nutrients per 100 g, which correspond to:

Calories	300 kcal
Fat	3.6 g
Dietary Fibre	13.6 g
Protein	11 g
Carbohydrate	55 g
Calcium	22 mg
Vitamin B1	0.33 mg
Iron	18.6 mg
Vitamin B2	0.10 mg
Vitamin B3	4.2 mg

Health Enriching Barnyard Millets

#1 Low Calories- Barnyard Millets

Barnyard millet is the least calorically loaded of all the cereals and a rich source of highly digested protein. When consumed, it is a grain that leaves one feeling light and energized. 

#2 Fiber-Rich Barnyard Millets

With a good balance of soluble and insoluble fiber, it is an excellent source of dietary fiber.

With 2.4 grams of fiber per serving, the grain contains the most fiber compared to other cereals and millet—the high fiber content aids in reducing cramps, bloating, flatulence, and constipation.

#3 Low Glycemic Index- Barnyard Millets

Barnyard millet has a low glycemic index because its carbohydrate content is modest, and digests slowly. Thus, it might be suggested to individuals with diabetes and cardiovascular disease. This millet is now one of the best foods for diabetes in the world.

#4 Gluten-Free- Barnyard Millets

The barnyard millet is gluten-free, just like all millets. It is suitable for people with gluten sensitivity or who want to follow a gluten-free diet that forbids eating anything made from wheat, barley, or rye. Because it is readily available, fast to prepare, and delicious, it is an excellent, healthy alternative for maize, corn, and other millets that are more difficult to find.

#5 Iron Rich- Barnyard Millets

Research on the nutritional value of millets has revealed that some types of barnyard millet contain significant levels of iron (18.6 mg in 100g of raw millet), the highest of all millets and grain products. Vegetarians may find barnyard millet to be a valuable provider of iron.

Advantages of Eating Barnyard Millets

1. Barnyard for Weight Loss

We frequently receive unwelcome visits from hunger sensations, which prompt us to reach for our preferred meals and snacks. In these situations, choosing packaged and fried food is the simpler choice.

But, eating nutrient-dense meals that are full of fiber and protein will ensure that you stay fuller longer, keep you active, and may help you cut down on calories each day.

One such food is the tasty, calorie-efficient, filling barnyard millet upma, which you can prepare at home.

Barnyard millet’s rich fiber content keeps the body feeling satisfied. As a result, it reduces the desire to eat more, ultimately leading to the body absorbing more calories.

It has a low Glycemic index, making it a meal that tends to aid in controlling blood sugar levels and weight loss. It contains fewer simple carbohydrates and more complex carbohydrates than other meals, which help you in weight loss.

2. Barnyard for Diabetic People

Although barnyard millet has significant starch, its sugar level is relatively low. This makes barnyard millet a fantastic food for people with diabetes.

Given that people with diabetes eat foods with a minimal glycemic index, it is feasible.

A person with diabetes can avoid spikes in blood sugar by swapping white rice for barnyard millet. Diabetes incidence rates are lower in barnyard millet-dominated populations.

3. Barnyard for Anti-Oxidation

Antioxidants can be found in abundance in barnyards. Antioxidants are substances that defend the body from harm caused by free radicals. These free radicals have been linked to oxidative stress, chronic illnesses, and early aging.

Barnyard millet contains a variety of medicinal substances, including alkaloids, steroids, carbohydrates, glycosides, tannins, phenols, and flavonoids, with functions including antioxidant, anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and wound healing.

4. Barnyard for Prebiotic & Probiotic

Barnyard millet is a top source of soluble and insoluble fibers, which benefit intestinal health.

The insoluble fiber component encourages the development of gut bacteria (like Lactobacillus acidophilus, Actinobacteria, and Bifido species).

This makes it a great stimulant to add to your diet. Probiotics and Vitamin B12 may be found in plenty in fermented barnyard millet, which makes dosa, idli batter, and porridge.

5. Barnyard for Heart Health

Magnesium, which is known to support heart health, may be found in abundance in barnyard millet. Blood pressure is regulated as a result.

One of the finest strategies to safeguard cardiovascular health is lowering blood pressure and improving your circulatory system.

It is a nutritious and wholesome grain to include in your diet if you want to maintain the health of your heart.

6. Barnyard for Regulating Cholesterol

It contains a lot of magnesium, which helps to regulate blood pressure.

Millets also contain a lot of fiber (both insoluble and soluble fiber). Therefore, it is an excellent choice for those with high cholesterol levels.

7. Barnyard for Gut Health

A meal high in fiber, barnyard millet promotes intestinal motility and waste elimination by making stools more solid. Insoluble and soluble fibers are both present in barnyard millet.

The fiber content improves the outflow of food or solid waste, which benefits a person’s digestive health. Because they are high in fiber, grains are beneficial for intestinal health.

Barnyard millet contains much easily digestible protein, making you feel light and energized after eating it.

And no, Barnyard millet isn’t just for fasting; it’s nutrient-dense enough to be a regular part of everyone’s diet, regardless of age.

8. Barnyard for Immunity

Since it contains high levels of iron and zinc, barnyard millet has clear health advantages for improving immune function.

Both benefit the body’s defense against dangers from external objects or sickness. To boost your immune system, search for foods strong in iron and zinc, such as barnyard millet, in your diet.

Barnyard millet may perhaps provide vegans with a considerable amount of iron while also helping to increase hemoglobin levels in the blood.

9. Barnyard for Happy Tummy

It is a food full of fiber and has a great blend of soluble and insoluble pieces. Dietary fiber in food aids in preventing diarrhea, excess gas, indigestion, and extreme stomach cramps.

10. Barnyard Millets for Anaemia

Barnyard millet is considered a rich source of iron. Research shows that consuming it every day might boost your haemoglobin levels by increasing iron levels in blood.

Iron is essential, especially for people with anaemia, a condition in which your body does not have enough red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout your body.

So, when you include barnyard millet in your diet, your body might get blessed with a good dose of iron. ^[1]

11. Barnyard Millets for Calcium

Did you know that a 100-gram portion of barnyard millet provides up to approximately 23 mg of calcium? ^[2]

You can use this tiny grain as versatile ingredient to cook multiple delicacies armed with a nutritious powerhouse.

Consuming a calcium-rich diet can do wonders for your health.

How? To begin with, it may improve bone health, reduce bad cholesterol, increase good cholesterol, and lower blood pressure. ^[3][4]

So, give barnyard millet porridge a shot the next time you wish to treat your family with a new recipe.

12. Barnyard Millet for Zinc

Barnyard millet contains 1.5–7.5 mg of zinc per 100 grams of grains^[5]. Zinc might improve immunity, thereby protecting the body from various infections and illnesses. It might also aid in raising your body’s hemoglobin levels.

13. Barnyard Millet for Vitamin B

Niacin (B3), thiamine (B1), and riboflavin (B2) are among the B vitamins present in barnyard millet. These vitamins are essential for energy metabolism, keeping skin healthy, and promoting mental health.

Regular intake of barnyard millet can assist in fulfilling daily requirements for B vitamins, boosting energy, brain function, and physical strength.

Delights

The little miracle grain can be used to cook various meals swiftly, including both traditional and novel dishes. You can cook grains whole or grind them into flour.

• It can be prepared as rice and in many other dishes, including idli, dosa, Pongal, khichdi, munchies, pudding, wafers, and noodles.
• It can be given to toddlers as porridge and to children older than one year as cheela, pancake, or idli.
• Particularly during fasting days, foods like upma, khichdi, and pulav are frequently made using raw grains of barnyard millet.
• Idli, dosa, and uppma are breakfast dishes served with it in South India.
• As it is very nutritious, the cuisine is served in different regions as chapati, kharka, and flatbread.
• Additionally, it is employed in preparing appetizers, including vadai, pakoda, string pakoda, hot kolukattai, murukku, and parathas.
• This millet can also be used to make noodles for a longer lifespan.

Enrich Your Fasts (Upvas) with Barnyard!

Also, using a barnyard when making food for Indian fasts could be a brilliant idea. This grain turns starchy and sticky when cooked, making it the perfect ingredient for kheer and other sweet dishes.

Further, you can use this millet to make desserts like halwa, sweet kolukattai, kheer adhirasam, kesari, and sweet adai.

Thus, it will be a unique method to engage with the barnyard on a complete cultural and religious level. It must be tried, so do it and have happy fasting with barnyard.

Common Side Effects of Barnyard Millet

By now, you must have understood that barnyard millet is a true superhero.

Including it into your diet may provide your body with a wide range of health benefits, such as weight management, improved heart health, better immunity, and healthy digestion. However, it may cause common side effects, such as:

• Allergies such as rashes, itching, or swelling
• Digestive discomfort, like bloating or gas
• Dry skin

To determine whether including this in your diet is a good idea, you may speak with our nutritionists for expert guidance.

Who Should Avoid Barnyard Millet?

While barnyard millets are generally considered safe for consumption, some people might need a heads-up before consuming them.

Especially those with thyroid problems should speak with a healthcare professional. This grain can worsen thyroid problems by interfering with the absorption of iodine and thyroid function ^[5].

In other words, people with allergies must seek medical expert advice to exercise caution.

Similarly, if you are diagnosed with certain medical conditions or dietary restrictions, you must consult a professional before including them in your diet.

Sama Rice- Must-Try Recipe

Fasting can quickly turn into overeating, increasing your belly’s size and overall weight. But here we are with a recipe for holistic wellness that uses barnyard to watch your waistline.

When people fast during Navratri or Ekadashi, they prepare this sama rice pulao which is both gluten-free and vegan.

For a hearty and filling fasting lunch, serve the following with yogurt, vrat ki kadhi, or vrat wale aloo.

• First, soak 1 cup of sama rice for 20 minutes in a big bowl. One tablespoon of ghee, three cardamom pods, one teaspoon of pepper, and one teaspoon of cumin are heated in a big kadai.
• Now stir in 2 chilies and 1 inch of ginger.
• Add a half-potato and a half-carrot, and cook them for three minutes or until they are halfway done.
• Add the soaked sama rice after that.
• Make sure to drain the water completely.
• Add 2 cups of water, 1/2 tsp of sendha namak, and 1/2 tsp of pepper powder, and stir well.
• Cover and saute for 15 minutes or until the sama rice is cooked thoroughly.

Samak Rice v/s Regular Rice

Call it Sama Rice, Sama Pulao, or Samak Rice, the most popular and delicious dish made from barnyard millet.

While samak rice is planted as supplemental or little millet, regular rice is farmed as a primary grain. Yet, the barnyard helps poor people have access to food security because it can tolerate all environmental conditions and endure climatic fluctuations like severe rain, which the former cannot.

Samak rice is less expensive than other types of rice and cereal.

Some Key Things to Keep in Mind when you start with Barnyard Millets:

• As a beginner, consume them only once daily and ensure they are adequately cooked. Dehydration may result from eating undercooked millet.
• Adding more barnyard millets to your diet will boost your fiber consumption, so drink more water.
• When summer approaches, if any variety of barnyard makes you feel “hot,” try pairing it with soothing spices like coriander or saunf. Also, you may use them in fermented dishes like south Indian fried rice, Rajasthani rab, or even Idli Dosa batter. Fermentation alters the food’s B-complex content while also giving it a “cooler” feel for the body.
• Barnyard millets shouldn’t be eaten as frequently as white rice or wheat. They are nutritious and fiber-rich; thus, they should be eaten less.
• Barnyard gives us sufficient calories for a more extended period while keeping us satisfied longer. They are still being digested, despite this. So to avoid any cramps consume as per the body’s requirements.

Easy Ways of Adding Millets to Your Diet

Unlock the best potential of millets by using Aashirvaad’s Multi Millet Mix! It contains almost all essential millets, such as Jowar, Bajra, Quinoa, and Ragi, to give you a comprehensive diet, along with nutritional benefits and a yummy taste.

Be it dosas, chillas, rotis, or khakhras, Multi Millet Mix will become your first choice because it will do away with all your hassles of grinding different flours and mixing them in the right proportion.

We do it all for you; you just need to make your tummy happy by believing in us!

1. You can use ready-made Multi Millet Mix by Aashirvaad to nutrify your chapatis without any change in taste. Just add one cup of Multi Millet Mix to three cups of your regular flour or batter, and you are ready to use it!
2. You can also make rotis using Aashirvaad’s Multi Millet Mix. Adding one cup of Multi Millet Mix to your batter or flour will enhance the nutritional value.

Different millets are rich in different nutrients. You can add them as per your specific requirements.

Farewell Thoughts

In conclusion, consuming barnyard millet can benefit one’s health. It fits a current daily pattern, making it one of the wise food decisions one may make today. It is full of minerals, fiber, and other nutrients that are good for your health.

Consuming barnyard millet is not only good for your health but also for the environment. It is a crop that does not require a lot of water and grows swiftly, maturing in just 100 days. It is highly resistant to pests and drought.

Barnyard millets imply that you can regulate your weight with a balanced and nutritious diet by addressing several health issues in the body.

Also, persons with additional health conditions, including diabetes and high cholesterol, can benefit from consuming barnyard millets.

Thus, one must add barnyard to their regular diet for effective outcomes to manage weight and achieve a good state of the body.

Frequently Asked Questions