If your cupboard or pantry is stocked with healthy staples such as brown rice, quinoa, and oats, that’s great! But if you’ve never tried millet, a less widely known grain that has been gaining more attention for its nutritional and environmental benefits, now may be the perfect time to snag some at your local market or online and give it a try.

These nutritious whole grains have been shown to provide an array of health benefits, including better control of blood sugar and cholesterol and increased antioxidant activity. Read on to learn how millet can help you improve your health, how to include it in your diet, and what to know about the best and safest ways to get the most benefit from this ancient grain.

The term “millet” does not refer to a single type of grain but rather to several species of grasses that are grown for their edible seeds, according to Britannica. While millet may not be as widely known as other grains, it has been around for a very long time. This starchy food is one of the oldest cultivated grains in the world, and has been found in archaeological sites in Asia and Africa that are over 7,500 years old, according to the Oldways Whole Grains Council, a nonprofit consumer group that works to increase consumer understanding and consumption of whole grains for better health.

Xiaomi 2.5kg

Today, millet is a key ingredient in traditional foods across the globe, including everything from porridges and flatbreads to fermented drinks. And because it’s gluten-free, millet flour is also commonly used to make gluten-free products. It’s also widely used as feed for domesticated livestock or as birdseed, according to Oldways.

Because millets are hardy, low-maintenance crops that grow fast (in nearly half the time it takes for wheat and rice to mature) and can thrive in poor-quality soil, dry climates, and periods of drought, they have been championed as a valuable resource that can combat hunger and malnutrition in parts of the world that are vulnerable to climate change and limited natural resources, per Oldways.

In 2023, the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations named that year the “International Year of the Millets” as a way to highlight the importance of millets in the global food supply.

Then of course there are the substantial health benefits that have been associated with eating millet. “It's a whole grain, so it has lots of complex carbohydrates and fiber, and is also a good source of protein,” says John “Wesley” McWhorter, DrPH, RDN, a national spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the director of lifestyle medicine for Suvida Healthcare, and a professional chef.

Research shows that millet may play a role in regulating bowel function, controlling blood sugar and cholesterol, and maintaining gut health. Studies have also shown that millet contains high levels of antioxidants, making it not only a nutritional powerhouse but a food that may lower the risk of cancer in humans.