Breakfast anyone? No, we’re not talking about a heap of pancakes with a side of bacon. A donut scarfed down at a traffic light and chased down by a cup of coffee also doesn’t make for a healthy breakfast. A healthy breakfast can start with a hearty grain to provide your digestive system with some fiber. Fiber also helps to lower your cholesterol.
You probably think oatmeal is top of the list for a cholesterol-lowering grain, and indeed, oatmeal has been shown to lower your cholesterol. However, an underrated grain you might not often see is millet. Millet is part of the grass family, so people who have gluten intolerance or celiac disease can enjoy this gluten-free cereal.
A cup of cooked millet has 207 calories, 6 grams of protein, and less than 2 grams of fat. Millet also provides a little more than 2 grams of fiber, which is a bit less than oatmeal, but millet beats out oatmeal for its energy-boosting B vitamins. Millet also has other compounds that not only lower your cholesterol but also promote overall health.
Cholesterol-lowering effects of millet
Millet is a great source of phytochemicals such as resistant starch, beta-glucan, inulin, and sterols, which are all known to reduce cholesterol. Phytic acid is another phytochemical in millet that might play a role in lowering cholesterol, according to a 2016 review in the Journal of Scientific & Innovative Research.
Including millet in your breakfast every day might lower your cholesterol in as little as three weeks. A 2021 analysis in Frontiers in Nutrition reviewed 19 studies and found that millet can reduce your total cholesterol by an average of 8% and your LDL (“bad”) cholesterol by 10%. Millet was particularly helpful for people with high cholesterol to lower their levels to a healthy range. Millet also was shown to reduce triglyceride levels by more than 9%.
You need high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol in your system to help clear the bad cholesterol from your blood. Millet can increase this HDL cholesterol by 6%. Most studies had people consume between 50 and 200 grams (before cooking) of millet per day, but not necessarily all at once. Some studies split the millet servings between two meals, and other studies included flatbread, dumplings, and biscuits made with millet.
Other health benefits of millet
While millet goes to work in lowering your cholesterol, the nutrients in millet could also lower your blood pressure, according to a 2023 review in Separations. Millet can reduce the activity of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), which constricts your blood vessels. The polyphenols, tannins, and phytates in millet help your body fight free radicals that can lead to chronic conditions such as heart disease, liver disorders, and cancer.
The fiber and non-starchy polysaccharides bring down millet’s effect on your blood sugar. Adding some millet to your meals can help prevent your blood sugar from spiking and lower insulin resistance. Your gut microbiome also is linked to regulating your blood sugar and inflammation, and millet increases the good bacteria to support a healthy gut. Millet might also help to reduce your body fat and waist circumference due to its fiber and protein.
Millet comes in many colors and sizes, and you don’t have to reserve it for your breakfast. You can add millet to make a risotto or toast some millet to top a salad. Millet also comes in flour that you can substitute for regular flour to make your recipes gluten-free.