11 Amazing Health Benefits of Sorghum

Sorghum health benefits includes supporting a healthy heart, keeping your digestive tract healthy and clean, supporting bone health, managing diabetes, supporting healthy skin, a source of energy, celiac friendly, boost immune system, promote weight loss, supporting eye health and promoting blood circulation.

What is Sorghum?

Sorghum is a millet or cereal grain plant, which originated in Africa and is to this day a large part of their diet. It has various species and varieties that are all useful in different ways, either as foods, fodder, and hay and also broomcorn. It is drought and heat resistant. The kernels each plant produces are from 8—to 1000, the beans are smaller than those of wheat.  This grain is full of many mineral and vitamins, the additional benefit being; it is gluten-free. For those suffering from celiac disease, this is a good option to use in cereals and porridges.

There are several uses for this grain; it helps process edible oil, dextrose, and alcohol. It is also in the list of top five crops of the world. Sorghum is also widely used in the production of ethanol. The seed caters to many markets, such as livestock, food market, and grain markets. The largest market for it is the livestock business.

It is also available as a sweetener and adds a depth of flavor to food much like honey. There are so many ways this grain can be incorporated into our food. In light of this, mentioned below are 11 of the topmost health benefits of sorghum:

11 Amazing Health Benefits of Sorghum

1. A Healthy Heart

Bad eating habits are a common cause for cardiovascular complications and related health issues. Unhealthy food is often just empty calories without any beneficial vitamins or fiber. This leads to clogged arteries that become full due to the accumulation of bad cholesterol. In this condition, one should opt for fiber-rich foods. You can flush out all that bad cholesterol and rejuvenate your arteries by eating sorghum on a frequent basis. The high amount of fiber present the grain helps literally scrape and remove LDL from your arteries.

2. Helps Keep your Digestive Tract Healthy and Clean

An unhealthy digestive system is often the reason you lose sleep. Constipation, diarrhea, cramps all these are really uncomfortable gut complications and the body loses many of its essential nutrients. A large amount of fiber present in this grain helps improve the digestive system, often helping add bulk to your stool. Eating the grain daily can help improve your bowel movements.

Sorghum provides almost 44% of the required daily intake of fiber.

3. Bone Health

Weak bones can limit our lives to a great extent. It often prevents you from enjoying the smallest portions and activities in life. The worst part is becoming dependent on strong medication. The best way is to add calcium and potassium-rich food to your diet. The magnesium in sorghum is a vital ingredient in increasing your body’s rate of calcium absorption. There are a few studies that have determined that the grain helps with bone and tissue regeneration.

4. Manage Diabetes

Diabetes is one of those diseases that lead to many other diseases if not handled properly. Sorghum is one of those grains that helps regulate your blood sugar levels. Tannin is present in sorghum, which helps prevent the production of starch absorbing enzymes. This also aids the regulation of insulin and balances your sugar levels.

Add the right foods to your diet to ensure you live a good life even with diabetes.

5. Healthy Skin

You can make a paste out of sorghum and apply it to your face and it can help clear your skin of toxins, keeping your skin healthy and moisturized. But the real effect of sorghum on the skin is that it prevents the production of melanoma cells, which are the reason for skin cancer.

The tannin present in this grain causes these cells to die.

6. Source of Energy

Preventing all these diseases is excellent. A healthy body is often in good shape and there are lesser chances of you feeling lethargic. However, the fiber-rich energy in sorghum helps maintain an optimum level of energy. This is often added to energy drinks and contains Niacin, which is a form of vitamin B.

7. Celiac Friendly

Allergies are very annoying, there are so many things you love and cannot do. Sorghum is a grain almost equivalent to wheat and provides a gluten-free option to enjoy bread, cereal, and similar foods. In the past decade, there has been a wide change in what our bodies tolerate and gluten allergy or celiac disease is one of them.

8. Immunity Booster

A strong immune system helps prevent any viral or other diseases from entering the body. The vitamin C in this grain helps boost your levels of immunity. Vitamin C is known to increase white blood cell production, which is necessary for immunity building.

9. Lose Weight

Fiber-rich foods often keep us full for longer, which stops cravings and makes us mindful of our choices. The sorghum sweetener can also be used in place of sugar or conventionally processed sweeteners. This is a healthy alternative to many foods as it regulates your insulin levels.

Do not starve yourself, just make healthier choices. Eat when you feel hungry and opt for portion control. Make desserts that have all healthy ingredients.

10. Eye Health

A healthy amount of vitamin A helps keep your eyes healthy and cataract free. Sorghum contains beta carotene, which helps protect your ocular system preventing the formation of cataracts. There are studies showing its benefits in slowing down the degeneration of macular area.

Healthy eyes are a blessing and once cataracts start manifesting, there are painful and uncomfortable procedures that cater to them. It is better to study Vitamin A rich foods and prevent any suffering. Read: Health Benefits of Tamarind

11. Blood Circulation

There are many minerals and vitamins present in this grain along with fiber, which are extremely helpful in maintaining a healthy blood flow within your body. Your blood circulation helps transport your nutrients to all your vital organs, keeping them healthy.

Bottom Line

There is also a healthy amount of iron present in Sorghum that helps relieve symptoms associated with anemia. It is also beneficial for a good metabolism due to its antioxidant properties. This grain is widely popular in India, the US and China. Further studies are being conducted to understand more benefits of this grain and whether it has any side effects.

The Lysine present in Sorghum helps relieve frizzy hair and add luster to the strands. Its paste can be added to yogurt and applied to the hair for half an hour before washing.