Though it’s a member of the cereal family, millet looks quite like a seed. Functional medicine doctor and registered dietitian Elizabeth Boham, M.D., M.S., R.D. told mindbodygreen that it offers 6 grams of protein per serving, and it’s also rich in copper, folate, magnesium, and B-complex vitamins—including vitamin B1 (thiamin) and vitamin B3 (niacin).
Plus, the recent research we mentioned found that millet’s low average glycemic index (of only 52.7) sets it lower than rice, corn, and refined wheat. The glycemic index of food refers to how much (and how quickly) it will increase blood sugar, and the study found that regardless of how the millet was prepared, blood sugar levels remained relatively low.