How to make healthy atta at home

5 Superfoods to Add to Your Atta for Better Health

If there is one thing that a majority of India eats not just daily but more than once a day, it’s atta. But even being such an important food in our diet, it remains largely ignored. But not anymore as in this blog, I am going to share with you 5 things which if you mix in your atta, the same atta will become a superfood for you and make your atta healthy at your home.

Now, you need not mix all 5. I will share with you 5 options and according to your personal preference you can choose any one. Just one addition to your atta and the roti made from it will act as a medicine for you. Towards the end of this video, we will also discuss where you should buy atta from? So without any further delay, let’s get started.

How to make healthy atta at home?

Blame it on our environment, food or lifestyle but the reality is that what once were called the problems of the old are now even affecting even our children. Fatty liver, obesity, kidney stones, type 2 diabetes, blood pressure, heart blockage, and even cancer cases are increasing like never before. We often look for superfoods but isn’t it smart to make that food a superfood which most of us eat more than once a day? It’s amazing how by just adding one thing to atta, you will stay immune from most of these common problems.

Let’s talk about 5 such powerful things that can transform the atta in your kitchen in no time.

1 Wheat Bran

This is how a kernel of wheat looks like. It has 3 parts. The outer covering called the bran. It is extremely rich in fibre and has many other essential nutrients like iron, magnesium, and phosphorus. The middle part is called the endosperm. This is the least nutritious part of wheat and contains mostly the starch. And then the inner part is called the germ. Wheat germ is rich in vitamin E, B vitamins, phytocehmicals, and antioxidants.

So now you know that the wheatgerm oil which slows down aging of your skin is extracted from this part of wheat. When wheat kernels are milled to produce atta, the bran portion of the wheat is removed and we are left with endosperm and germ. This is your regular atta. In maida, even germ is removed. This is the main reason why most of us feel hungry just a few hours after a proper meal.

Now a simple way to make regular atta more nutritious is by separately adding wheat bran to it. Remember our elders have always advised us to eat “chokher wala” atta. This chokher is nothing but wheat bran. You will be amazed to know that just 30 grams of wheat bran has 4.5 grams of protein, almost zero fats, 18 grams of carbohydrates out of which a huge 13 grams is dietary fibre. And this dietary fibre is of very high quality because it is insoluble fibre. The speciality of insoluble fibre is that it does 2 things. One, it increases the speed at which food passes through the intestines. And secondly, it also adds bulk to your stool.

2 Black Chana Flour

Our ancestors knew that one of the most strength-giving foods that they have in their kitchen is black chana. So they would try and add it to the flour so that the roti they eat provides all the benefits of this wonder legume. Black chana is not only high in protein but studies show that the quality of its protein is superior to other legumes. No wonder, sattu is made from roasted black chana. What protein does is that it makes your stomach feel full for long. This automatically reduces your food intake and you begin to lose weight.

In fact, a study concluded that people who eat a serving of legumes like black chana daily lose 25% more weight than people who don’t. It was specifically found that eating black chana causes 70% reduction in appetite and 30% increase in fullness. And protein is just one aspect of Black chana. Black chana has 3 things which makes it a powerful anti-diabetic food. First, it has an exceptionally low glycemic index of 10 which is lesser than oats, barley, and rajma. This means that eating it, your blood sugar won’t spike.

3 Other Grains

India is a land of grains. Wheat is just one of them. There are many other options that are not just naturally gluten-free but are also healthier than wheat. So to get their benefits, it was a general practice to switch to seasonal grains or at least add them in the atta. But if you think eating multigrain atta you are following the tradition then hold on. Look at the popular multigrain atta in the Indian market. 90% of it is just wheat flour. And out of the rest 10 percent, 5% is a processed form of soya flour and 5% is other flours. This is nothing more than a marketing gimmick.

4 Flaxseeds

Flaxseeds commonly known as Alsi have 2 major benefits as to why it is a great choice to be added in atta. First, it is one of those rare plant foods which have a high concentration of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s are one of the best sources of fats that open up the clogged arteries by reducing bad cholesterol and triglyceride levels. And when arteries open up, the blood pressure naturally comes back to normal.

Then omega-3s being oily in nature increase greasing in the joints which protects from arthritis and muscle cramps. Omega-3s are also a brain food. Studies show that people who have omega-3s in their daily diet, their brain functions better and they are less likely to experience problems like anxiety, depression, migraine, or age-related Alzheimer’s. Next major benefit of flaxseeds is that it is almost a medicine for constipation.

5 Moringa Leaves

There are only a few foods in nature that have the power to replace your multivitamin pills. Moringa is certainly one of them. Moringa has 7 times more calcium than oranges, 10 times more vitamin A than carrots, 17 times more calcium than milk, 15 times more potassium than bananas, and 25 times more iron than spinach. And not to miss that it is one of those rare vegetarian foods which provide vitamin B12.

No wonder, it is being marketed as a supergreen. But our ancestors have always used every part of the moringa tree. Be it the drumsticks in sambhar or moringa leaves as chutney. Our ancient texts mention that Kings would use moringa leaves to remain stress-free while Queens used moringa to get glowing skin. Today, scientific studies are backing these claims.

Conclusion

So these were 5 simple ways to make a daily food into a superfood. You can choose any one or even add two at once. Let’s say you plan to add jowar atta into wheat atta and along with that you may even add flaxseeds. This way you can try different combinations.

Common Mistakes While Buying Atta

• Older the grain, better it is for health. But fresher the atta, the better it is. So, buy only as much as it can be consumed in a month.
• Local chakki atta is much more real than packaged atta which may be treated with bleaching agents and preservatives. Just once try to find a local chakki near you and eat chapati from that atta. You will never get back to packaged atta.
• Knead the dough well and give it some time to settle before making chapatis. This way chapatis will not only be more digestible but also softer.

If you are suffering from UTI infections, it's essential to address your diet along with other measures. Adding superfoods like the ones mentioned here can help your overall health improvement.