MILLETS: NUTRITIONAL AND THERAPEUTIC ROLES

Millets identified as small ancient grains grown in the arid and semiarid regions worldwide are consumed as staple foods by many of the Asians and Africans. Millets are commonly recognized as "superfoods" or "nutricereals" due to their enriched nutritional composition, their potential to endure climatic changes and lesser requirement of resources in comparison with other common grains.They are now gaining importance as nutraceuticals and superfoods because of the higher nutritional content present in them and their capability to fight against various diseases and disorders. They are also recently gaining importance because of their potential for addressing major challenges related to global food security and environment. Millets are commonly identified as major millets including sorghum, pearl millet and finger millet and minor millets including foxtail millet, kodo millet, barnyard millet, little millet and proso millet. Additionally, millets are also categorized into pseudo millets comprising amaranth and buckwheat. All these millets are abundant source of proteins, vitamins and minerals and phytochemicals including flavonoids and polyphenols. Additionally, their nutrient dense profile along with the presence of dietary fibre, antioxidants and phytochemicals provides disease preventive role against many lifestyle disorders including diabetes, various cardiovascular diseases and several cancers. Millets are gluten free and thus are appropriate for patients with celiac disease. Thus, consumption of these millets in today’s era is a boon for having better lifestyle and optimum health status.Promotion of millets by the means of research, policy support and consumer awareness can contribute towards healthier diets, resilient farming systems and a more sustainable future of food.