@Nonya I have checked the advantages vs disadvantages of millets versus rice. Carbohydrate is almost the same in all grains. The only advantage is the fiber. If one uses "kai kutthal"(hand pounded) rice or brown rice, then there is no difference between using millets or rice. Dhals - Channa dhal (kadalai paruppu) has the highest fiber content of all the dhals we use. So using besan helps a lot for diabetics. They say black channa is better than garbanzo beans for the same reason - fiber. Fiber gives satiety, so we eat less - helping keep carbs lower.
Well, I did have one like that, an elegant, a somewhat expensive (for a one-person coffee maker) device made of fancy Japanese hand-blown glass, acquired on a bright, sunny, YOLO day from a little shop near me full of things-you-don't-really-need-but-want-anyway. Then guess what. I broke it on my first use. That very same day! Nothing but shattered dreams, shattered dreams ...
@justanothergirl Somehow the thread private vs public schools caught my eyes, and I was led to another thread and then finally to your post. This paragraph captured my attention. I actually liked that the children get to study each subject in depth a whole year and then move on to the next, subject, rather than spread their attention to all three. I remember Sir C.V. Raman's dad and his example of the lens to torch the match. The case of my kids: After biology for one full year the first one to his mom who had visions of seeing her first born in a white coat and steth said "mom I don't think I can memorize those Latin names. Biology is not for me" Vision disappears. Mom still had vision with second kid: One year of biology, second kid comes to mom, "mom would you really feel I let you down if I didn't become a doctor?" Mom knew what was coming. She said , " of course not". Kid, "Thanks mom, I really cannot memorize those Latin words..." Deja vu. Vision not yet fully disappeared, there are grandkids...
There is the protein aspect too. Had to rush so forgot about that. Will come back later if someone has not addressed it already.
I just love to try out new grains..esp whole ...new dishes. Millets actually have just the same amount of carbs and in fact quite calorie dense ...so if u are not careful it might be counter productive if weight loss is the goal. Side by Side Nutrition Facts Comparison for Quinoa uncooked - Millet raw - Rice brown long-grain raw There is an ongoing debate about the effect of millets on goiter.. so i am going to err on the side of caution and stick to moderation. Millets and Goitre
Also brings up a point I often think about -- traditional foods ought to be cooked using traditional techniques. Those methods went through rigorous empirical testing over hundreds of years by our grandmothers and their grandmothers. There was almost always a good reason why certain foods were prepared the way they were, often using laborious, time-consuming methods. The calorific impact, bio-availability of nutrients, and potential deleterious effects of these foods have a lot to do with preparation. This is not to say that the increased efficiency of modern day kitchens is a bad thing, rather a caution against the wholesale discarding of traditional food-craft. Quick and easy sometimes comes at the cost of healthy and wholesome.
@justanothergirl ragi is avoided if you have thyroid. I always suggest rotation of these grains. The cycle takes care of the moderation. We have so many grains to try.. the kavuni,kulakkar rice are traditional and the rice is similar to a smaller but thicker bran bersion if red matta.and too much protein and too much fiber are also harmful.again moderatioon is the key. a friend and myself were trying to make a list of breakfast -vegan, no carbs/very less ones as prescribed by her doctor, and it is a difficult task.
Old conversation between aunti and grandma (her mother). A: Why should we use well-water for idly/dosa batter and grind it in the stone grinder ? Why not city water from the tap and use electric mixie ? GM: You go to the well and pull out six buckets of water, and then sit down at the stone grinder, and rotate the thing with your shoulder, arm and wrist. The calories from yesterday's idly/dosa will be gone, and your back, shoulder, arm, and stomach will get the exercise they need.
