Millets Vs Oats

One of the grains that has found its way to our kitchen shelves especially in the middle and upper middle class families is Oats and its variants.

Wikipedia states, "The common oat (Avena sativa) is a species of cereal grain grown for its seed, which is known by the same name (usually in the plural, unlike other grains). While oats are suitable for human consumption as oatmeal and rolled oats, one of the most common uses is as livestock feed.

Now one point i need to highlight is that both Millets and Oats are used as feed for livestock which may make some people think as to why humans should feed on them? But it is important to understand that Millets have been our staple diet from many many years and a part of it was shared with livestock also.

The nutrition content of Oats is one of the best and it is better than Millets in few areas. It has nearly 40% more protein than Wheat, Proso Millet and Foxtail millet. It has more fibre than Barnyard millet and it has more phosphorus and Thiamin than any of the millets or Rice or wheat.

Oats certainly has less calcium than Finger Millet (Ragi has close to 5.5 times calcium than Oats), and Pearl Millet (Bajra) has more than 3 times Iron than Oats. In short, Oats is an excellent cereal to be added to our menu in a regular manner.

But let me list the reasons why I find Millets to be superior to Oats:

1. Oats is best suited to grow temperate regions and is very sensitive to temperature increase. Please note it has the same risk as wheat which is sensitive to rise in temperature and hence to global warming / climate change risks.

2. Because of the above reason Oats is not grown widely in India and is limited very few parts of India. The top 5 producers of Oats is European Union, Russia, Canada, Australia and  United States.

3. So the first objection I have for consuming oats is, it does not benefit India or Indian farmers. When we buy millets we really support our own farmers who are dependent on ~50% of rain fed Indian agricultural landscape. Why should I buy something manufactured by farmers in EU and US when our own farmers produce  equivalently nutritive food. Read more here. 

4. The cost of a Kg of Oats is about INR 105/- to 150/-. This is the plain variety and the costs vary based on the flavor and version of oats that is offered. Compare this against Millets which costs anywhere between INR 30/- to 70/-. So the value for money is extremely good for Indian Millets and affordable by many.

5. My last objection is based on the importance of alignment of our lifestyle with nature. We need to submit that nature is super intelligent and wise in endowing capabilities in all of us and bless us with the right environment. If nature wanted Oats to nourish the people of India it would have endowed India with a large scale ability to grow oats.

There is an unwritten rule among the wise "To consume what grows near you" and that is the best way to align with nature.

Hence eating Millets is better for Indians as they would support millions of small farmers and their produce and not remit their breakfast / dinner bills to foreign countries. Millets are cost effective and its value for money is unmatched. Also by eating Millets you align better with nature.

These are my thoughts and I leave it to your wisdom to decide what is best for you.

Article by Rags Gopalan...