Healthy Benefits of Sorghum in your Diet

All cereal grains are good for providing energy, and with its wealth of dietary fibre, complex carbohydrates and high-quality protein, sorghum is no exception – it is a staple food for 500 million people across the globe, after all.  

Where sorghum really shines, though, is its exceptionally rich iron and antioxidant content. Iron increases the blood’s oxygen-carrying capacity, whilst antioxidants strengthen the immune system by defending cells against damage. These properties therefore make sorghum particularly good for maintaining health and fitness levels. 

Maintaining health and fitness goes hand in hand with reaching and sustaining a healthy weight. That is where sorghum’s powerful mix of protein, dietary fibre, complex carbohydrates, B vitamins and magnesium kicks in. 

Protein is not only more filling than other food groups, but it boosts metabolism too. Dietary fibre and complex carbohydrates, meanwhile, are difficult for the body to digest and so help to make you feel full without adding too many calories to your diet. These qualities give sorghum a low glycaemic index, which means that the energy obtained from sorghum is absorbed into the bloodstream more slowly. This keeps blood sugar levels steady and prevents any compulsive snacking caused by sudden peaks and troughs in glucose volume. 

As an extra weight-loss bonus, B vitamins and magnesium (both of which are present in sorghum in significant amounts) play an essential role in aiding metabolism. 

Aside from providing as much protein as quinoa, more dietary fibre than brown rice, more iron than buckwheat, more antioxidants than blueberries, more magnesium than millet and similar levels of B vitamins to teff, sorghum also contains plenty of copper, manganese, phosphorus and silicon. Copper helps to maintain a healthy immune system; manganese is important for maintaining normal enzyme activity; phosphorus helps build strong bones and teeth; while silicon is important for maintaining healthy hair, skin and nails. 

Among all the nutritional advantages of including sorghum in your diet, three particularly stand out: its impact on digestive health, its incredible nutritional value and its outstanding antioxidant content (which in turn brings its own benefits). 

1. Digestive health 

Sorghum’s high fibre content makes it an excellent food for improving digestive health. Fibre helps food pass properly through your digestive system and regulates stool size and weight, thereby preventing constipation, diarrhoea, bloating and other digestive issues. Fibre also feeds the good bacteria in your intestinal tract, so more fibre means better gut health too. 

2. High nutritional value 

With healthy helpings of protein, fibre, iron, antioxidants, magnesium, copper, manganese, phosphorus, silicon and B vitamins in every bite, sorghum is a real nutritional treasure. The nutrients it provides help your entire body stay healthy inside and out – from your blood and bones to your skin and hair. 

3. Antioxidants 

Sorghum is exceptionally rich in antioxidants – to the extent that it has more antioxidant content than renowned antioxidant powerhouses blueberries and pomegranates. Antioxidants bring with them a whole host of valuable health benefits, theyhave important anti-inflammatory properties and protect cells from damage by free radicals. 

Sorghum flour is produced by milling whole grain sorghum, including its thick, nutritious outer husk. As a result, sorghum flour contains the full extent of sorghum’s health benefits – no protein, vitamin or mineral content is lost or diluted in the flour-making process. This means that by using sorghum flour to make your gluten free breads, pies and cakes, you will get nutrient-dense bakes that can help you improve digestion, strengthen your immune system and achieve healthy weight loss. Even better, the protein content in sorghum flour is the most similar to gluten of all the gluten free flours, making it much easier to cook with and swap into other recipes. 

Given how simple sorghum four is to include in your diet, there is no need to continue missing out on its fantastic health benefits. Grab a packet and get started today!