One of my favorite time of the year is winter. As soon as that gentle chill in the air turns into biting cold early morning while standing for school bus, you know winter has officially arrived! The season brings in the new array of food on our plate. Breakfast at home would be Bajra rotla-ghee-jaggery in the cold winter morning. I loved the frozen ghee on warm rotla accompanied by pure golden jaggery (no chemical in it). Sometimes dadi would make laddoo out of it to make it playful and fun. We would devour them in no time like a lion and go about our day with spring in our steps. 

Little did I know, the deep impact it would have on our body. With years of experience and knowledge gathered on body, nutrition and our health, the pieces of the puzzle are coming together.

The short chained fatty acids makes ghee special. Alongside the usual function of fat, it promotes fat burning from stubborn fat areas of body, promote healthy bacteria in the gut, good for heart and brain. The addition of ghee to Bajra Rotla also reduces the glycemic index of the food. When we are aiming for weight loss or are diagnosed with diabetes, we start watching calories and selecting food in name of low cal, low carb, low fat food. Recently while booking a flight ticket, I got option to select from low calorie, low carb, low fat…which is skewed way of looking at your food. 

Most of us are reducing calories, without having any idea about where these calories are coming from, how the grain/vegetable is grown and cooked or how they affect our blood sugar levels. This leads us to today’s health conditions like PCOD, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, pimples and dandruff etc. You name a health problem and they can be mapped to this decision of cutting calories without right knowledge. All the issues arise out of insulin resistance and one way of improving this is to eat low glycemic index food. This ensures steady rise in blood sugars and better energy levels through the day. 

Bajra has rich composition of protein(essential amino acids), vitamins, fibre and minerals like phosphorous, magnesium, copper, calcium and iron. Copper and iron helps in production of blood cells, phosphorus controls blood pressure, iron cures anemia, calcium strengthens bones. Bajra tends to digest slowly and release glucose at slower rate compared to other grains. The tryptophan(amino acid) in Bajra lowers our appetite. The phytic acid increases fat metabolism. Bajra has insoluble fibre that reduces secretion of bile acids and lowers the risk of gallstone formation. Regular intake of bajra protects pre-menopausal women from developing breast cancer. It’s high vitamin B content helps with thyroid function, helps increase good cholestrol(HDL). The magnesium in bajra reduces inflammation in scalp to treat condition like psoriasis, eczema, dandruff. 

Rotla-ghee-goud(jaggery) is given to pregnant women or those who just delivered. It helps in keeping hormones working like well oiled machine, no depression, no hypothyroidism on delivery, no lactation problem. Ghee helps in absorption of fat soluble vitamin D which is critical in regulating our thyroid glands. Stress increases cortisol level in body leading to hair fall. Magnesium in bajra reduces cortisol level in body and the protein in bajra strengthens hair making it stronger and less prone to breakage.

Eating jaggery and ghee with rotla is the right investment in nutrient to calorie ratio. Our dadi and mummy were absolutely right when they made us eat gaud(jaggery)-ghee with rotla in our childhood. They are the storehouse of wisdom at home who has stood the test of time through observations of life, seasons and our body! Food knowledge flows like a river from generations to generations and that is our heritage we should preserve. Now add healthier lifestyle choices to this river and pass it on to your kids!

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