Grain is one of the most valuable types of meal for many peoples. Therefore, no wonder if bread becomes the most favourite meal in the world and acceptable to various people in the world too. One of this beneficial grain since many years ago is jowar. Apparently, for thousand years, this grain known to bring many advantages for the health.
Especially for Indian people that have been familiar with it. Eventhough in other Asian countries the grain might rarely consume, but still, it’s widely available. In case you feel curious about this grain, below are several overviews on the history of jowar, nutrient content of jowar, how to prepare jowar, health benefits of jowar and possible side effects of consuming too much jowar. Let’s take a look closer.
History of Jowar (Sorghum)
When we looked at the history of jowar, it’s actually a quite simple one. Jowar, is a common food that consumes in India region. This ingredient also common to called as sorghum. While sorghum itself has varied species. Therefore, it’s one of the grains that come from flowering plans that live around Africa and Asia.
For a thousand years, people living in those countries produce various kinds of meal from jowar. Therefore, it’s not surprising the jowar is famous as a breakfast meal in those countries. Since they are a quite many visitors come to the area, the popularity of jowar is spreading out and quite famous until today in many other countries. Including among the western people that curious about its taste.
Nutrient Content of Sorghum
Jowar is rich with many types of nutrient. Usually in 200gr of jowar will consist of below lists of nutrients.
- 342 Calories
- 19 grams of Protein
- 1 grams of Carbs
- 86 grams of Fat
- 5 mg of Magnesium
- 5 grams of fiber
- 217 mg of phosphorus
- 36 mg of Vitamin B1
- 03 mg of Vitamin B3
- 01 mg of Iron
- 6 mcg of Vitamin B9
- 19 g of Protein
- 56 mg of Zinc
- 12 mg of Vitamin B2
- 3 mg of Potassium
- 5 mg of Calcium
- 06 mcg of Vitamin A
Sorghum Recipes
There are numerous ways of consuming jowar. But the famous way in Indian is through making it as a bread for a daily meal. Therefore, consume jowar everyday is quite common over there. For further ways of consuming this grain, below are several best Jowar’s recipes:
- Traditional Jowar roti that a common food in India. Mix the flour with boiling water and let it cold for several times. Then roll the dough into several slices and baked it.
- Making a Jowar multigrain bread through mixing the flour with a small amount of salt.
- Create a jowar garlic bread by adding some garlic into the flour.
Health Benefits of Jowar (Sorghum)
As mention previously, this grain has a lot of benefits. Additionally, the benefit has existed for a thousand years. If still uncertain on this, check out below the most common health benefits of Sorghum, especially for people with a certain medical condition.
1. High in Fiber
The same way as other grain, Sorghum also contain a high fibre. Therefore, it’s one of the important contents that usually works to help the digestive system inside the body. Additionally, the fibre also helps to bring fullness longer. That’s why this kind of food is suitable for daily diet for those who need to reduce the weight.
2. Low in Gluten
An amazing fact of this ingredient is that Sorghum is really low in gluten and even can say gluten-free. Therefore, it can benefit the people which intolerant with the gluten and help to optimize avoiding any possible inflammation. Additionally, it’s good to manage to avoid joint pain too.
3. Reduce Blood Sugar Level
Other health benefits of Sorghum including to help reducing the blood sugar level. Therefore, it can help the body system program such as the kidney to work effectively in dealing with several symptoms such as toxicity and blood sugar content.
4. Avoid Diabetes
Since the grain has gluten-free, it’s also good for those who want to avoid the diabetic possibility. It will work to manage a stable blood sugar level and control the insulin production inside the body. Therefore, by consuming Sorghum as a replacement of other high gluten food, it will manage a healthy body that frees from diabetes risks. Additionally, it also good for the diabetic patient in controlling their blood sugar level.
5. Rich in Nutrient
Jowar known to have various nutrition as mention previously. Therefore, it’s one of the healthy foods that will able to supply the needed vitamins and minerals for running the entire body system. This can be lead to a wellness body that keeps healthy and supports various body function too. When the entire body runs well, it will help the body to avoid various illness and unwell feeling.
6. Better Metabolism
Another health benefits of Sorghum are to improve the body metabolism system in changing the available calories or carbohydrates into the needed energy for body activities. When the metabolism is improved, the body will lead to a faster metabolic rate and work to function every system in fasten time too. This is why Sorghum is good to improve manage a good
7. Add More Energy
By able to improve the body metabolic rate, it means the body will work more to result in another power and energy. Therefore, Sorghum is one of the good meals to produce fasten energy to support the daily activities. Additionally, it can keep the body strength and avoid weakness. Through a better energy and power, the body system can be optimized too and the oxygen supply will be improving also.
8. Improve Digestive System
Sorghum is a good way to improve the digestive system due to the high fibre content inside it. The fibre will optimize the work of intestinal bowel movement in digesting the food and process the absorb nutrient better. This will lead the body to avoid further digestive problems and will stimulate the intestine to perform fasten digest too. Hence, it will bring more nutrient absorption to support the body development and relief.
9. Avoid Fat
When the body gets better metabolism and better digestive system, it will automatically lead to a better nutrient absorption. Therefore, the body will only absorb important vitamins and minerals which will lead to avoiding absorbing more fat. Hence, this mechanism is one of the good ways to flush away fat and convert the fat to the energy.
10. Reduce Weight
Once the fat is eliminated from the body, it will manage the body to reduce the weight faster and replace with a better lean muscle. This is why Sorghum also works for those who plan a diet. Mainly since jowar is low in gluten, that means less gluten to absorb or change into fat. When the body has no sufficient fat from the food, it will manage to take the fat inside the body and process it to some energy. Hence, the body fat will reduce and the muscle mass will be added through better protein absorption.
11. Manage Cholesterol
Other capabilities of jowar including a famous meal to manage a better cholesterol level. It able to balance the HDL and LDL level inside the blood arteries and avoid any possibility of getting some blood cods. Additionally, this will lead the cardiovascular system runs well and avoid further cardiovascular sickness too. This is why Sorghum will manage a better blood circulation.
12. Avoid Heart Attack
Once the cholesterol level is balance and the cardiovascular runs well, it can help to optimize the blood vessel around the whole body. Including it will optimize the heart vessel to work in an optimum way and avoid serious heart diseases. This will work effectively to avoid sudden heart attack too.
13. Bone Strength
The calcium content inside Sorghum is a good mineral to support with a strong bone. It will lead to add more mass to the bone and increase the bone strength in accepting more weight. Additionally, it will work to avoid any bone fracture possibility and lead to a healthy bone condition. This also benefits for elderly in avoiding osteoporosis and manage a healthy bone in their old age.
14. Reduce disease Risks
Some researches believe that Sorghum and its nutrient can work effectively to reduce disease. The anti-oxidant inside this ingredient will help to avoid any free radical effects from the environment which normally the biggest contributor to disease sickness. However, there is no specific evidence that mentions this benefit. Therefore, it’s one of the benefits that needs further research and proven.
15. Avoid Anemia
Sorghum also contains iron which will be good to support the red blood cell regeneration. With this capability, the body will manage enough red blood cells and avoid the possibility to experience anemia. When the blood cell works optimize, it will also support a better blood circulation and bring enough oxygen into the brain and improve thinking too. That’s why avoiding anemia will increase the brain capacity also.
Side Effects of Sorghum
Even most people know that Sorghum brings more benefit, still, it has some side effects. Therefore, always realize on the effect possibility when consuming Sorghum too much. For more details on this matter, see below lists of disadvantages:
- Several people might experience allergically symptoms such as itchiness, redness skin or swollen body parts. Therefore, when this symptom is happening, quickly stop consume this meal and replace with other tolerant food.
- A diabetic patient shall control the portion of this meal since too much consumption will affect the blood sugar level and may lead to a dropped body. Therefore, it’s better to have Sorghum for a diet with acceptable portion according to the daily needs of calories.
- Make sure to moderate the consumption, since the meal also rich in fibre. Therefore, over consume may lead to a stomach-ache including diarrhea or further unwanted digestive problems.
Those all the health benefits of Sorghum that quite interesting and worth to try. Therefore, if having difficulties with one of the symptoms above, try to consume this meal daily. But remember to pay attention to its possible side effects. Therefore, it will bring optimum benefits but work with fewer risks too.