{"id":14,"date":"2023-05-17T05:52:15","date_gmt":"2023-05-17T05:52:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/millet.defindia.org\/?page_id=14"},"modified":"2023-05-22T08:43:06","modified_gmt":"2023-05-22T08:43:06","slug":"where-does-is-stand-in-our-country","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/millet.defindia.org\/?page_id=14","title":{"rendered":"Where does our country stand…?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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In the not-so-distant past, millets held a prominent place as a key crop and staple food item in India. However, as urbanization and the influence of Western culture took hold, millets faced a decline in popularity, giving way to the dominance of refined grains like rice and wheat. This shift was largely influenced by the perception that millets were associated with a traditional, rural lifestyle, while refined grains were seen as symbols of modernity. Consequently, millet production and consumption plummeted, driven further by government policies favoring the Green Revolution’s high-yielding rice and wheat varieties. Yet, as the detrimental effects of processed foods and refined grains on health became evident, a reevaluation of dietary choices unfolded. People started to recognize the nutritional benefits of millets, leading to their resurgence as a preferred choice in India and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Up until roughly 50 years ago, millet was a key crop and staple food item in India. As urbanites began to look down on millets, farmers flocked to grow them. They were deemed “coarse grains” by city dwellers, who believed that only their rural forebears ate them. People in the modern era favoured using refined grains like rice and wheat over millet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People’s ways of life all across the world, including in India, have been drastically altered by industrialization and the spread of Western culture. People’s use of processed meals has increased dramatically as a result of these new eating patterns. Because of these shifts and government policies that favoured rice and wheat, the output and consumption of millets plummeted. Millets accounted for over 40% of India’s total grain production before the Green Revolution. However, after the Green Revolution, rice output tripled and wheat output doubled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People used to eat rice and wheat, but they’ve switched to millets after learning that refined grains and processed foods have no nutritional value and are major contributors to modern lifestyle diseases. The nutritional benefits of millets are largely responsible for their rising popularity.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The journey of millets in India showcases the complex interplay between cultural shifts, industrialization, and dietary patterns. The initial abandonment of millets in favor of refined grains mirrored the allure of Western lifestyles and the adoption of industrialized food systems. However, as the negative consequences of these dietary changes became apparent, the pendulum swung back, emphasizing the nutritional significance of traditional crops like millets. Today, millets are experiencing a revival, driven by a growing awareness of their health benefits, sustainability, and their potential to address pressing global challenges such as food security and biodiversity loss. This resurgence serves as a reminder that embracing the wisdom of our ancestors and incorporating traditional foods into our modern lives can lead to a more balanced, nutritious, and sustainable future. By acknowledging the value of millets and similar indigenous crops, we can restore diversity to our diets, reconnect with our cultural heritage, and pave the way for a healthier and more resilient society.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the not-so-distant past, millets held a prominent place as a key crop and staple food item in India. However, as urbanization and the influence of Western culture took hold, millets faced a decline in popularity, giving way to the dominance of refined grains like rice and wheat. This shift was largely influenced by the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-14","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/millet.defindia.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/millet.defindia.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/millet.defindia.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/millet.defindia.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/millet.defindia.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/millet.defindia.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":504,"href":"https:\/\/millet.defindia.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14\/revisions\/504"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/millet.defindia.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}