Fasts and festivals have great importance in Hindu religion. People not only express their faith in God through fasting but also practice detoxifying the body and keeping it in discipline. The things eaten during this period are also not normal. Actually, these are a kind of superfood, which provides energy to our body.
People who fast for nine days during Navratri, there are some things which they eat to gain energy. Such superfoods include Rajgira. Many people are not able to understand it because they know its other name. Let us know today whether these are fruits, flowers, pulses or grains?
What is Rajgira or Amaranth?
Generally people use water chestnut or buckwheat flour a lot during fasting. Water chestnut and buckwheat flour are used to make puri-pakodas, rotis or halwa. However, Rajgira flour is also eaten during this period, about which people have little knowledge. If you ask them about Ramdane laddus or vrat laddus, they will immediately remember the white colored light-crisp laddus, but they do not know that these laddus are made by popping Rajgira only. Now the question is what is Rajgira? Is it a grain, pulse, fruit or something else?
It is considered a superfood abroad
Scientifically, Rajgira comes in the Amarantheceae family. Its name is Amaranthus cruentus, which is also called African spinach. In India it is also known as Amaranth, some species of which are used as greens. The small seeds that fall in the flowers of this amaranth plant are actually Rajgira, which are dried into flour or popped to make Ramdana laddus. If we talk about nutrition, it is considered to be equally or even more rich in protein, fiber and minerals than quinoa. It is neither a pulse, nor a grain, nor a fruit, it is actually the seed of an African grass flower, which has been included in the diet of Mexicans and Meso Americans for thousands of years.
Tags: Chaitra Navratri, Health News, Navratri Celebration, Navratri festival
FIRST PUBLISHED: October 8, 2024, 12:48 IST