Ragi: Nutritional Value and Health Benefits of the Ancient Grain

‘Eleusine coracana’, as it is scientifically known, Ragi is a nutrient-rich cereal crop that is widely grown in tropical regions such as Africa, Asia & Sri Lanka. The consumption of Ragi entails a host of nutritional benefits for your body. The common health benefits of Ragi consumption include reducing heart rate disease risk, improving digestion, and diabetes management.

The Ragi crop grows up to a height of 2 metres with the leaves measuring between 30cm-70cm. A special property of the Ragi crop allows it to be grown in drought-prone regions and it can also sustain healthy growth in slightly acidic to alkaline soil varieties. Once the crop is ready, the seeds derived from the crop are dried and stored as grains.

The Ragi seeds thus obtained are ground to obtain Ragi flour that can be made into tortillas or chapatis. It is high in fibre content and can readily serve as an alternative to wheat and barley. In this post, we will analyse Ragi nutritional value per 100g along with their health benefits.

Ragi Nutritional Value Per 100g

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Ragi has expansive nutrient content. It contains a wide variety of macro & micronutrients along with essential fats, proteins, vitamins and minerals. All in all, Ragi can be easily termed as a superfood. Let’s now look at Ragi nutritional value per 100g in its flour form, as per the data provided by Nutrionix:

As you can see, Ragi nutritional value per 100g is not very high in calories as it only provides 354 kcal per 100g serving. According to a study published on ResearchGate, it is one of the essential plants that provides crucial amino acids such as isoleucine, tryptophan, threonine, methionine, and valine, which can prove to be beneficial for vegetarians as well as vegans alike.

Ragi Flour Nutrition Facts

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Now that you know Ragi nutritional value per 100g, do you want to know how exactly its regular consumption impacts your body? Let’s have a look at how the Ragi flour nutrition content affects your body.

• Rich in protein: Ragi flour is rich in protein content. Ragi nutritional value per 100g provides 13g of protein. This can prove to be an excellent protein source for vegans who rely on plant-based sources for their protein intake. Protein is an essential nutrient for the human body for managing the wear and tear in the body.

• High antioxidant content: According to a study published on ResearchGate, the antioxidants in Ragi flour help your body in fighting free radicals and slowing the ageing process. Free radicals are also proven to lower down the risk of various cancers considerably.

• Completely gluten-free: As opposed to wheat or bran flour, the Ragi flour is entirely gluten-free. Gluten-free diets, in general, are a healthier option to diets that contain gluten. This can prove to be immensely beneficial for individuals who are intolerant to gluten.

• Good for diabetics: The benefits of the Magnesium content in Ragi flour has been highlighted by a ResearchGate study. The study concludes that Magnesium lowers your body’s insulin resistance. Low Magnesium content in the body has been found to adversely affect the pancreas ability to secrete insulin effectively.

• Good for heart health: The benefits of Magnesium were explored in an independent ResearchGate study, and it was concluded that Magnesium plays a key role in maintaining healthy heart health. Ragi nutritional value per 100g provides 137mg of Magnesium, that fulfils 50% of your body’s RDA.

• A rich source for Calcium: Ragi nutritional value per 100g contains 344mg of calcium that is enough for fulfilling 49% of your body’s daily Calcium requirements. Additionally, the phosphorus content in Ragi flour works with Calcium to strengthen your bones and teeth.

• Keeps your digestion system healthy: Ragi flour provides around 15%-20% of dietary fibre per 100g of serving. This helps in keeping you full for longer along with relieving constipation. Insoluble fibres do not dissolve in your stomach and keep the food in your digestive tract moving.

By simply looking at the health benefits of Ragi, wouldn’t it be fair to conclude it as a superfood? You can consumer Ragi as flour, food crop or sprouted seeds and reap all the health benefits that it provides.

Conclusion

Ragi is a highly versatile food crop that can be easily consumed by the people of all age groups. Ragi nutritional value per 100g is astounding, and the fact that it’s gluten-free, as well, makes it an essential diet constituent for vegans as well. Ragi can prove to be the perfect diet constituent for fitness freaks or those looking to make healthy food choices in their everyday diet.