Raagi Muddé- Recipe and health factors

Finger Millet- Creative Commons

I come to end of my blog post entries and I want to finish off with a recipe and its health factors/concerns. This dish is very popular in Karnataka, especially among the rural population and farmers. It is called Raagi Mudde. Raagi is Kannada for Finger Millet and this is what it is made from. Farmers, or labourers who have to put in long hours of physical work find that eating Raagi Mudde in the morning sustains them almost until dinner and keeps them energised throughout the day. However, contrary to the information presented in Wikipedia, and perceptions by the public, doctors like Dr. Rekha Rao dispute the health benefits of Raagi Mudde, saying it has a high glycemic index (GI). In a Times of India article, according to nutritionist and diabetes educator at Karnataka Institute of Diabetology, Vidya KP, several patients from rural areas eat Raagi Muddeand rice regularly everyday, both of which have high GI levels. Vidya says consuming the same type of nutrients during all meals everyday is dangerous.

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