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Millets
Healthy, gluten-free, responsible eating

Millets
What are millets?
Millets are small-seeded grasses that are hardy and grow well in
dry zones as rain-fed crops, under marginal conditions of soil
fertility and moisture. Millets are one of the oldest foods known
to humans and possibly the first cereal grain to be used for
domestic purposes.

Millets are also unique due to their short growing season. They
can develop from planted seeds to mature, ready to harvest
plants in as little as 65 days. This is important in heavily
populated areas. When properly stored, whole millets will keep
for two or more years.

Why eat millets?

Nutrition:
They are highly nutritious, non-glutinous and not acid forming
foods. Hence they are soothing and easy to digest. They are
considered to be the least allergenic and most digestible grains
available. Compared to rice, especially polished rice, millets
release lesser percentage of glucose and over a longer period of
time. This lowers the risk of diabetes (More here).

Millets are particularly high in minerals like iron, magnesium,

phosphorous and potassium. Finger millet (Ragi) is the richest in
calcium content, about 10 times that of rice or wheat. Click here
for the nutrient composition of millets as compared to wheat and
rice.

Environmental:
Unlike rice and wheat that require many inputs in terms of soil
fertility and water, millets grow well in dry regions as rainfed
crops. By eating millets, we will be encouraging farmers in
dryland areas to grow crops that are best suited for those
regions. This is a step towards sustainable cropping practices
where by introducing diversity in our diets, we respect the
biodiversity in nature rather than forcefully changing cropping
patterns to grow wheat and rice everywhere.

Small farmers:

There are many co-operatives of small farmers that are working

on providing livelihoods to farmers while at the same time
focusing on ecological preservation. In dryland regions, these
groups encourage the farmers to produce crops that are local to
those regions, that thrive best there – millets. By incorporating
millets into our diets, we will be supporting these groups. Learn
more about these groups here.

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What kinds of millets are available?

Barnyard Millet (Hindi: Jhangora; Tamil: Kuthiravaali;

Telugu: Odalu)

Finger Millet (Hindi: Mandua; Tamil: Kelvargu; Telugu:

Ragulu; Kannada: Ragi; Malayalam: Koovarugu)

Foxtail Millet (Hindi: Kangni; Tamil: Tenai; Telugu: Korra;

Kannada: Navane; Malayalam: Thina)

Kodo Millet (Hindi: Kodra; Tamil: Varagu; Telugu: Arikelu;

Kannada: Harka)

Little Millet (Hindi: Kutki; Tamil: Samai; Telugu: Sama;

Kannada: Same; Malayalam: Chama)

Pearl Millet (Hindi: Bajra, Tamil: Kambu, Telugu: Gantilu,

Kannada: Sajje)

Proso Millet (Hindi: Barri; Tamil: Panivaragu; Telugu:

Varigulu; Kannada: Baragu)

Sorghum (Hindi: Jowar; Tamil: Cholam; Telugu: Jonna;

Kannada: Jola; Malayalam: Cholum)

How do I cook them?

Most millets can be cooked like rice. Millets can replace rice in
various dishes such as idli, dosa, payasam/kheer. Millet flour can
be used to make rotis. Click here for some recipes.

Where can I buy millets?

Earth 360 Ventures, Kadiri, Andhra Pradesh. Email Dinesh at

“millets dot dinesh at gmail dot com”.

Kaulige Foods: Brigade Road, Bangalore. Contact them at

www.kaulige.com or 080-41649279

Jaivik Mall, near Lalbagh Double Road gate. 080 65624197

Navadarshanam products: These can be purchased at any

Namdhari Fresh outlet.

Timbaktu Organic products: To order, call 08559 202149 /

202335 / 202339

Svad Products: To order, send an email to “svad dot organic at

gmail dot com”

References

“Bhoole Bisre Anaj – The Forgotten Foods”, Navdanya

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Viswanath on July 22, 2019 at 11:32 AM

I have a huge amount of foxtail millets …. If anyone

wants to buy holesellers call 7286960588….I am from
Post Comment
kurnool dist andhrapradesh

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Ravi on December 5, 2018 at 7:21 AM

check http://www.foodiesstuff.com
They deal with all Millet variety products in Hyderabad.

! Like
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Pingback: Eat Perfect Curd Rice with Kodo Millets and Also
Save India – My SIte

Maya on December 6, 2017 at 8:43 AM

Very informative. I have incorporated millets in our daily

diet last 1.5 years and am seeing a lot of positive
changes. More awareness is needed to give these
powerhouses of energy it’s due.Thumbs up!

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Sreeletha on November 17, 2017 at 1:28 PM

Are any of these available i kottayam,kerala?

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Dwiji on May 21, 2018 at 5:58 PM

though I personally do not know, it should be. You

can also order from online stores – for eg. from
http://biobasics.org/

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Ana on September 9, 2019 at 2:57 PM

Hi,

Is it possible to find Teff Millet or flour

anywhere in India. Is it commercialized yet
?

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Dwiji on October 8, 2019 at 12:57 AM

In most parts of India it is not available. In

the North East Indian states, there are
some Teff like grains (Raishan, Fonio, etc.)
that have been cultivated for a long time
now. But outside of the regions in which
these are grown it is hard to find them.

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nithin on April 13, 2017 at 11:06 PM

Very useful information for people like us who do not

know anything about millets thanks a lot for giving
names in all four languages

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Dwiji on November 15, 2017 at 6:55 AM

thank you for the kind words of appreciation.

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Latha on March 30, 2017 at 8:48 AM

Dear Radhakrishna
I live in Canada, what about shipping all 5 types of
millet ( Siridanya ) to Canada,
Will you able to do that by DHL? How much it would
cost for me if I need all 5 types of millets say 5 kg like
20 to 25 kilos.

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Dwiji on November 15, 2017 at 6:16 AM

Dear Latha,
Please do identify regulations around import of
food items into Canada. I think one of the other
visitors to this site has shared some information
about where one can buy millets in the GTA. I
would encourage you to explore that option if you
have not already done so.

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SUDHARSHAN MS on March 14, 2017 at 4:35 PM

Shubasanje
Thanks for sharing information on getting KORALE, I
spoke to Mr. Puttaswamy and noted.
Those who are interested in consuming all types of
millets in around Basaveshwarnagar, Bangalore 79 can
visit Samruddhi The Organic & Natural Stores.
23580160/9844015797

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Shridhar Swami on March 4, 2017 at 10:02 PM

Hello Dwiji,
I am an agriculturist I am interested in growing and
using millets. I have found Baragu,Saame,Harka,Ragi
and Navane. I am in search of other millets too. Can
you please make them available.i am from Mudalagi of
Belagavi district. Please give me your contact details,
I’ll contact you. Thanks

Shridhar Swami
ssswami85@gmail.com
+91-9481292416

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Dwiji on March 11, 2017 at 1:21 PM

Dear Shridhar sir,

Thank you for writing to us. This website is run by
people working on promoting millets and
ourselves do not trade in millets. But hopefully
one of our readers can offer you oodaralu and
korale. I am sure you can find jola and sajje locally.

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SUDHARSHAN MS on March 3, 2017 at 4:43 PM

i am seeing this site for the first time and happy to see
more number of people started showing interest in
Millets. I am Sudharshan MS. I own an Organic store in
Basaveshwarnagar, Bangalore, Karnataka, India by
name Samruddhi The Organic & Natural store – 080-
23580160 / 9844015797

We promote millets to our customers to use and most

of them.

We are not getting BROWN TOP MILLET and if any one

can help us to source it will be of great help

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Dwiji on March 11, 2017 at 1:16 PM

Dear Sudarshan sir,

Thank you for writing to us. Yes reliable supply of
brown top millet is a challenge. As I have said to
others seeking sources for BTM, I would
encourage you to please engage with consumers
and have them try the other millet rices.

Diversifying our cereal intake needs us to look at

moving from a mono grain, paddy rice, diet to one
that includes different cereals including various
millets, not just one other grain, in this case BTM.

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lila1965 on March 12, 2017 at 11:35 AM

9845206671 putswamy,mandya
U can find korle(Browntop )& baragu(proso)with
him

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Dwiji on March 13, 2017 at 2:11 AM

thank you for sharing.

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Ravikiran ramanath on February 27, 2017 at 9:25 PM

HI, ​This is Ravikiran from hassan. I have four acres of

land. I’m interested in cultivating Kodo millet. I’m
unable to find information on cultivation and where to
get the seeds. Could you please guide me. Thanks

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Dwiji on March 11, 2017 at 1:05 PM

Dear Ravikiran sir, thank you for writing to us. Very

happy to hear that you are planning to grow kodo
millet.

Please check out the UAS Bangalore and the

TNAU websites for package of practices. The
Indian institute of millet research might also have
a compilation. please do share three links here so
that others can benefit too. And in case you are
unable to locate these, let us know and we’ll try
digging it out.

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NAGU SHANKAR on January 20, 2017 at 7:24 PM

i am using 6
varites(udalu,navane,same,baragu,aarka,korle)but i
did’t get korle this time.can i eat two times in a day for
breakfast and lunch.what should be the quantity
because i heard that it has GI 71 and GI load is also
high.kindly clear my doubts

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Dwiji on February 2, 2017 at 7:28 AM

Dear Sir/Madam,
Thank you for writing to us. Happy to hear that
you have started including millets in your diet.
Please do note that one needs to aim for a
balanced diet and the particular point of balance
for each individual is different.

I have written about Glycemic Index and Glycemic

Load in this article a few months ago. Please do
read it to get a better appreciation of what to look
for when making food decisions.

We can offer general information, but are not

formally trained or authorized to give
consultations on an individual basis. Kindly
consult a dietitian / nutritionist for specific advise
on what would be ideal for you.

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radhakrishnan iyer on February 13, 2017 at 3:35 PM

it is advised not to mix 2 millets in a day.if u are

having fox tailed millet today use proso tmrw
my price of fox tail millets is rs.60 per kg
bangalore

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Dwiji on February 21, 2017 at 8:41 PM

Dear Radhakrishnan,
thank you for sharing your views on this
thread. As we have discussed in other
conversations in the comments section of
some other pages of this blog, whether to
one loses the benefit a cereal when mixed
with another is an open question. There
are people who strongly believe that that is
indeed the case and some who feel that it
really doesn’t matter.

I feel it is a matter of perspective and one

has to decide on whether they would like
to derive the maximum benefit from a deal,
or would rather compromise to get part
benefit. Please note that proponents of no
mixing are saying from the perspective of
cleansing / curing one’s body. But not
everyone is looking to diversify their diet
for that reason, or at least that reason
alone.

If some one is moving towards including

millets in their diets to cure/cleanse, please
consult a doctor, preferably one who
understands diets and especially millets,
and go by their advise. But many fairly
healthy people are moving towards
including millets in their, and their family’s
diet. In such cases, I do not think the
advise of the proponents of the ‘no-
mixing-of-different-millets’ brigade applies.

On another note, we have many traditional

dishes in which we mix different cereals, or
may be different pulses, or may be
different vegetables, so on … there is a
benefit in doing everything in moderation.
And anything taken to an extreme can be
potentially harmful.

Each of us has a different body

constitution, and so each of has to identify
where this line between moderate and
extreme is by our own selves. And that
requires us to explore while exercising the
precautionary principle (small steps >
observe > analyse > consult > discuss >
next step).

! Liked by 1 person

NAGU SHANKAR on January 20, 2017 at 7:19 PM

do you have korle

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Dwiji on February 2, 2017 at 7:23 AM

Dear Sir/Madam, we are a set of people interested

in millets and working on different aspects of the
millets value chain from different organizations.
You can find some of the places where one can
buy millets and millet products in the where to buy
page. Please contact these stores for individual
product inquiries.

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radhakrishnan iyer on February 13, 2017 at 3:29 PM

you may please mail me –

suryodayanetwork@gmail.com or call me on
09686137567.my name is radhakrishnan iyer and i
have all millets stocks at very affordable prices

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Krithika on January 19, 2017 at 9:55 PM

Thank you so much for the clarification

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Krithika on January 15, 2017 at 9:52 PM

Hello

Recently I heard that millets causes goitre. Is it true

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Dwiji on January 19, 2017 at 9:27 PM

Thank you for writing to us. Please see this article

a doctor working on public health and I put
together on this subject:
https://millets.wordpress.com/2016/04/22/millets-
and-goitre-2/

There are 9 different millets, studies have looked

at just one of them (may be two, if we relax the
reviewing standards). And even for the one millet
(pearl / sajje / bajra) the study did not look at the
effect of including the particular millet as part of a
wholesome diet.

My advise would be to please discuss it with your

medical advisor / nutritionist / dietitian / doctor
and to exercise the precautionary principle – try
changes in moderation; observe how your body
responds; continue changes only after being
convinced your body has benefited from the
change in diet.

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Kris Maly on January 12, 2017 at 9:59 AM

I am in Louisville KY
Can somebody let me know where can I get millets?

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Dwiji on January 19, 2017 at 9:14 PM

Please search for an online store that delivers to

your place. You might also find Sorghum (jowar),
Pearl millet (Bajra) and Finger millet (Ragi) in a
nearby desi/south asian store. Proso millet is also
available in many coops and some Whole Foods
stores. Another place to try would be a store that
caters to the health conscious. Good luck and do
share once you find it !

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Kris Maly on January 12, 2017 at 9:56 AM

Wow. It’s a good information about ancient grains.

I love this website

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Dwiji on January 19, 2017 at 8:44 PM

thank you for the kind words !

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vivek on December 27, 2016 at 12:58 PM

Hello every body we suppky All variets of Millets in

Bangalore @ reasonable prices ,Fox tail 80 Rs /KG All
other millets are 95 Rs /kg .Call us at ORGANIC
AROGYA VIDYARANYAPURA 9343171761.For door
delivery charged are ar actuals

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NAGU SHANKAR on January 13, 2017 at 7:27 PM

i am nagu shankar.i am using millets two times a

day.one for breakfast and in lunch time from last
three months.but my BS levels has not come
down.Fbs 199 PPbs 209.can you please advise
me how to bring down the levels

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Dwiji on January 19, 2017 at 9:45 PM

Dear Nagu Shankar, thank you for writing

to us and sharing your experience.

Can you please clarify which millets are

you using and whether they are polished or
unpolished? Without this information it is
quite impossible to get an idea of what
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Policy article I wrote on millet based diets and
diabetes and the link within it to the article
on the carbohydrate to fiber Close
ratio and
andtheaccept
logic behind the slow release of sugars