Finger Millet |Kelvargu | Ragi

Description

Ragi, scientifically called Eleusine coracana, is an annually cultivated cereal crop, vastly found in the tropical regions of Africa and Asia, such as in Ethiopia, India And Sri Lanka. Being densely packed with a host of nutrients, ragi confers valuable health benefits such as enhancing digestion, reducing the risk of heart disease, slowing down ageing and managing diabetes.

The common English name of Ragi is finger millet, owing to the appearance of the head of the grain comprising five spikes and thus, resembling the five fingers attached to the palm of the hand. This variety of annual grass grows up to a height of 1 to 2 m, belonging to the Gramineae botanical family. Leaves measure between 30 and 70 cm, being narrow and green. The straight or sometimes curved branches hold seeds arranged in florets, which can be brown, red or purple in colour. Widely distributed across several states in India, its local names include “Ragi” in Kannada, Hindi and Telugu, “Nachni” in Marathi, “Madua” in Bengali and “Kezhvaragu” in Tamil.

Finger millet crops are drought-resistant, tolerating slightly acidic to alkaline soils as well. This makes it ideal to propagate these plants through the year, in different geographical terrains across India, be it in the mountains or in the plateaus. Upon developing, the seeds of the ragi plant are dried, cleaned and stored as grains. Thus, commercially available ragi is either in the form of salubrious super-grains or threshed under high pressure and sold as flour, after applying various processing techniques such as milling and malting.

he nutrition values in a 100 g serving of ragi flour, according to the nutrient database of the U.S.D.A (United States Department Of Agriculture) are as follows:

Ragi Calories – 385

Macronutrients:

• Total Fat 7%
• Saturated Fat  3%
• Polyunsaturated Fat 5%
• Monounsaturated Fat 2%
• Cholesterol 0%
• Sodium 0%
• Total Carbohydrates 25%
• Dietary Fiber 14%
• Sugars 2%
• Protein 10%

Minerals:

• Calcium 26%
• Iron 11%
• Potassium 27%

Vitamins:

• Thiamine 5%
• Riboflavin 7.6%
• Niacin 3.7%
• Folic Acid 3%
• Vitamin C 7%
• Vitamin E 4.6%

Benefits of Ragi:

1 Ragi has high protein content
2 Ragi is a rich source of minerals
3 Ragi controls diabetes
4 Ragi has anti-microbial properties
5 Ragi has anti-cancer potential
6 Ragi keeps you young
7 Ragi reduces “bad” cholestrol, prevents cardiovascular disease
8 Boosts Nervous System Function
9 Ragi For Pregnancy And Lactation
10 Fortifies Bone Density
11 Supplies Essential Amino Acids
12 Supports Gluten-Free Diet