Hello Everyone. Has anyone tried Millet grain as part of low carb regime?

[Paula1973]

Hello,

New to the forum and diagnosis and have been reading a lot about the benefits of Millet (a grain) to lower blood sugars.

Does anyone know of this and have tried millet? I think it's like a cous cous - type of grain, but have never tried it.

I attach the scientific paper on this (one of them) - those of you who are interested in the details.

I'm interested to get any feedback on this / your personal experiences.

Thank you
Paula

 

[Inka]

I’m Type 1 not Type 2 @Paula1973 but I like millet. It’s tasty, as are other lesser used grains. I can’t imagine that it would lower blood sugar though. However, it is low GI so might work for some people if they’re using it to replace higher GI carbs.

All you can do is try it and see if it suits you.

 

[Drummer]

As there is no need to eat grain, I much prefer to get colour, texture, crunch, and vitamins and minerals from fresh veges and fruits

 

[ianf0ster]

Unfortunately all grains contain carbohydrates and carbohydrates raise Blood Glucose.

 

[Inka]

Yes, millet has carbs in, as I said above, but some Type 2s can tolerate it - and porridge, bread, etc etc.

@Paula1973 Try it yourself and see 🙂 You can also get millet flakes but I use the grains which are like tiny balls. Cook a moderate portion and see how you go.

Low carb can be up to 130g per day. A portion of millet would more than fit in - if you can tolerate it.

 

[Inka]

More interesting information on millet here:

http://www.reading.ac.uk/news-and-events/releases/PR858505.aspx

If you Google @Paula1973 you’ll find various millet recipes, often on veggie or vegan sites. Quinoa is also nice.

Edited to add some basic cooking information for you. I just boil my millet when I’m in a rush:

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/glossary/millet-glossary

.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @Paula1973

I think the research is still at quite an early stage - the paper you shared seems to focus on a 2009 experiment in T2 mice for demonstrating the BG lowering benefits (diabetes in mice is usually induced as part of the experiment). However the research certainly seems to have continued in more recent years, eg https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=131788

So as @Inka says it may well be a suitable part of a mixed and varied diet for you. And perhaps as a grain it may increase your BG less than other alternatives (rather than actively reducing them).

It's important to recognise that folks here are only speaking from their own experience, and that everyone's metabolism and gut biome creates a different 'tolerance' to amounts and types of carbohydrates.

Some on the forum like @Drummer and @ianf0ster are very sensitive to carbs and find it best to limit them to quite low levels, but many others are happily able to include varying amounts of carbohydrates up to moderate or average levels, including wholegrain versions which have been shown to be beneficial (if a person can tolerate them well).

The best thing is to try it out, and see how it works for you - and importantly, whether you enjoy it! The 'best' diet is one which you enjoy, can afford, and is flexible and sustainable long-term for you, as well as one which is relatively kind to your BG levels 🙂

 

[Paula1973]

Hi Mike

Thanks for your response. Yes, I agree and appreciate we are all different and have different responses, based on our own diabetes journey. I guess I just wondered if anyone had tried and had success / no success with millet.

Kind regards

 

[Paula1973]

More interesting information on millet here:

http://www.reading.ac.uk/news-and-events/releases/PR858505.aspx

If you Google @Paula1973 you’ll find various millet recipes, often on veggie or vegan sites. Quinoa is also nice.

Edited to add some basic cooking information for you. I just boil my millet when I’m in a rush:

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/glossary/millet-glossary

.

Thanks Inka.

I tried boiling a small portion of millet and found it ok. I'm experimenting with this as another way to increase my fibre intake..

 

[mikeyB]

My great grandmother’s budgie loved millet. I’ve never eaten it, though it didn’t seem to bring it to any harm. Never considered it as human food, but then I’m a branch or so on the evolutionary tree from budgies.

On a more serious note, I don’t see any nutritional value in eating seeds, except for flavouring, like Sesame seeds, onion seeds, mustard seeds, and Szechuan pepper seeds. None of them increase my fibre intake. If I wanted to do that, I’d eat the plants that grow from seeds, like @Drummer .