Rich in calcium, protein (especially amino acid called tryptophan), fiber, minerals like phosphorus, potassium and iron. It has abundant amount of antioxidants, and Vitamins (D, B1, B2). Sprouted form of ragi provides Vitamin C.
Health Benefits for You:
- Helps in weight-loss
- High Fiber content helps diabetics
- Assists Weight loss & obesity
- Aids heal digestive problems
- A great substitute for those with lactose (milk) intolerance
- Helps in improving bone strength, a study by the National Institute of Nutrition says that 100 grams of ragi contains 344 milligrams of calcium.
- Good option for anemic women whose haemoglobin levels are low
- Helps reverse Ageing: Ragi contains amino acids methionine and lysine, both of which help in reversing skin ageing.
- Reduces cholesterol by curtailing the formation of plaque
- A good Antioxidant
Benefits for Your Baby
- A very good substitute to canned baby food
- Development of healthy bones in babies and maintain bone health
- The high protein content helps to prevent malnutrition in babies.
- Sprouted form of ragi provides Vitamin C and thus makes it easy for the baby’s body to absorb iron.
- Babies have an underdeveloped digestive system and ragi helps babies to digest food.
- Controls the overall cholesterol level of the baby’s body and helps to prevent childhood obesity.
- The presence of various essential nutrients help it to boost the overall immunity of the baby. Babies have a weak immune system and including foods such as ragi in the baby’s diet is of utmost importance to keep diseases and infections at bay.
- Best foods that can be given to babies to help them gain weight.
For Lactating Mothers
Ragi facilitates the production of breast milk in lactating mothers and also improves the quality of breast milk with its numerous nutrients. It helps to enrich the mother’s milk with calcium, iron, proteins, and essential amino acids. Lactating mothers must include ragi in their diet in some form or the other. It is also helpful in weaning babies.
How to Consume Ragi ?
- The easiest way to consume ragi is mudde. Ragi flour has to be added to boiling water and let it cook. Once the water reduces and a mass is formed, it has to be kneaded well. After kneading, it can be rolled into lumps.
- Dosa: Soak urad dal with dosa rice for about 30 minutes. Grind it and then mix ragi flour and let it stay for about 30 minutes. Add salt, coriander, chillies and onion. This batter is ready to be made into dosas.
- Milkshake & Lassi: In boiling water, add fine ragi flour and keep stirring. First add salt, cool and then add to buttermilk. Green chillies, coriander and finely chopped onion can be added to make a refreshing and nutritious porridge-like mix. For those who like it sweet, milk and sugar can be added to the ragi-water mix for a nutritious meal.
- Roti: Can also be made by mixing ragi flour with water, finely chopped onion, green chillies and coriander. This thick mix is flattened on a hot girdle for a delicious meal.
- As porridge is one of the best first foods that you can give to your baby.
- It can be made into puri, ladoo, upma, and halwa. Other ways of giving it to the babies after 1 year of age include ragi malt, upma, pancake, ladoo, halwa, idli, seviyan, and cookies.
Above all, it’s cheap and won’t burn a hole in your pocket.