Are you familiar with the main ingredient of cereals called Guinea Corn? It has many names, one of them is Sorghum. Sorghum is a plant from the grass family, still in the same family as rice, corn and wheat.Â
Sorghum or guinea corn seeds have a high carbohydrate content so that they are used as staple food by more than 500 million inhabitants of the earth. However, most of the sorghum production is used for animal feed.
In the health world, sorghum is a plant that has many nutrients that are beneficial to the body, just like the benefits of barley for baby. The potential of sorghum to be processed into sugar is due to the characteristics of its plants which is also containing high levels of sugar but at the same time are also low in glucose.
The processing of sorghum into sugar starts from harvesting sorghum stalks. This stem is then squeezed and the water is filtered. The resulting filtered water is then cooked, then goes through a crystallization process so that it solidifies into fine grains, then is dried. The result is brown sugar because the sorghum sugar does not go through the bleaching process.
The main advantage of sugar processed from guinea corn is that it does not cause toothaches, and does not cause an increase in blood sugar and calories, so that sorghum sugar is good for diabetics and for weight loss.
Guinea corn itself is a plant that has many benefits. It can be used for human food, animal feed, and ethanol fuel. Sorghum is a staple food in Africa, South Asia and Central America.
Overall, sorghum ranks fifth as the world’s main foodstuff after wheat, maize, rice and barley. What’s more interesting is the fact it can be used as a baby meal, just like the benefits of banana suji halwa.
Sorghum or Guinea corn may also deliver various benefits for babies, especially for 8-months old ones, such as :
1. Prevent Celiac Disease
A benefit that can’t be found in benefits of kiwi fruit for babies, is to prevent a serious disease called Celiac. Although this disease is still relatively new to us, it seems that it will be a lot of concern around the world.
Celiac disease is a severe allergic condition to gluten, which is mainly found in wheat-based products. Celiac sufferers are characterized by inflammation, nausea, and gastrointestinal damage caused by gluten.
Thankfully, guinea corn doesn’t have a high amount of gluten, and even can be used as an alternative to sugar. Just note that you can use the corn for your baby meal when he/she has reached 8 months old or over.
2. Makes The Kids Healthier
Sorghum has a lot of vitamins, minerals and micronutrients. These ingredients can help the body build new tissues and cells, as well as potassium and phosphorus.
Apart from that, sorghum also contains zinc, copper and more than 20 micronutrients and is rich in antioxidants.
Rich amount of antioxidants may result in a more protected body against many diseases, especially the light one. Now your baby’s immune system will be strengthened in a delicious way.
3. Energy Source
Just like the benefits of pumpkin for baby, guinea corn can be a good source of energy. Sorghum-based meals can provide strength to the body so that it is more prepared for more activities. Sorghum contains abundant niacin or vitamin B3. Vitamin B is integral in converting food into energy that can be used by the body.
Niacin ensures that energy levels in the body are consistent throughout the day, with one serving of sorghum contributing about 28% of the recommended daily intake. Your baby can stay happy and active through the day.
4. Balancing Weight
Because the concentration of dietary fiber contained in sorghum is quite high when compared to other types of cereal grains, it can be highly useful for balancing the weight of your baby, in order to prevent obesity.
This high fiber content ensures longer levels of fullness, and keeps the stomach from feeling hungry. This has the effect of reducing appetite, so it also helps in weight loss. One serving of sorghum contains more than 12 grams or contributes about 48% of the recommended daily fiber intake.
5. Good for Bones
Apart from milk, there is nothing wrong with consuming sorghum to make your baby’s bones healthy and strong. The magnesium content in sorghum is high enough to help maintain calcium, which is the main food for bones. In other words, magnesium increases the absorption of calcium in the body.
Combine this with the daily amount of milk given to your baby for a more extra in calcium. Calcium is always better for baby’s growth to strengthen the bones, making them healthy and strong.
6. Lowering Blood Sugar Level
Other than the benefits of chia seeds, guinea corn or sorghum may be used for lowering blood level. Blood sugar is a common problem that not only affects the elderly, young people are now also haunted by the disease. So, you need to make sure that the daily intake is well balanced, without making blood sugar rise dramatically.
Guinea corn can help control blood sugar as it enters the body is digested slowly, thus encouraging a gradual increase in blood sugar.
7. Preventing Anemia
Anemia is not only a problem for adults, but also the babies. This condition should not be allowed because it can inhibit your baby’s growth and development.
Anemia is a condition in which the levels of hemoglobin and red blood cells fall below normal ranges. The same definition applies to anemia in infants. One of the most common types of anemia in babies is iron deficiency anemia.
Some of the symptoms that can appear when a baby is anemic are that the skin looks pale, the baby looks lethargic and does not feel excited, his appetite decreases, and his growth slows down.
To avoid anemia, Guinea corn is the right consumption because this plant contains iron and copper, two essential minerals for the body. Both have their respective roles, iron is essential for the development of red blood cells, while copper helps increase iron absorption in the body.
Thus, consuming Guinea corn can help promote red blood cell development, and improve overall blood circulation in the body.