Examination of why millet should optimally be eaten in moderation as a gluten-free whole grain in order to avoid disrupting hormone health.
Gluten allergies are clearly on the increase in our modern society. It seems like practically every other person I know these days has some sort of digestive issue that avoiding gluten would probably improve.
At the top of the list of gluten-containing foods is wheat. It is the indisputable, primary staple of the Western diet. Wheat is also the very foundation of the controversial USDA Food Pyramid.
Given how important bread and other wheat-based carbohydrates are to our society’s basic food requirements, it’s no wonder that folks seek a quick and easy substitute for wheat bread and wheat-based snacks when a gluten allergy or Celiac disease has been diagnosed.
Millet: Ancient Gluten-free Whole Grain
Enter millet. This ancient grain was cultivated in East Asia as far back as 10,000 years ago, according to archaeologists. Surprisingly, the cultivation of millet in prehistoric times was more prevalent than even rice, particularly in what is now China and the Korean peninsula.
Millet’s resistance to drought is perhaps the reason for its popularity in ancient times and its spread to Europe by 5000 B.C.
Despite the 5000 years cultivating this whole grain as a staple food, millet porridge is considered a traditional food in Russia as well as China. Use of millet is also widespread in Africa, like gluten-free teff, likely due to the drought-prone climate.
Millet Bread: Logical Substitute for Wheat
The protein structure of millet is quite similar to wheat. The one glaring exception is that millet is a gluten-free grain. Wheat contains copious amounts of this hard to digest plant protein.
When plain millet flour is used for baking bread (as opposed to homemade gluten-free flour or a healthy gluten-free flour mix from the store), the resulting loaf is light, white, and quite similar in texture to wheat bread. As a result, people who wish to avoid gluten tend to immediately gravitate to millet bread as the most logical and palatable substitute.
Millet bread is extremely popular in health food stores. Sami’s Bakery and Deland Bakery are two local bakeries that sell an absolute ton of millet bread to these stores around my local metro area.
I recently corresponded with a person up the East Coast of the USA who was consuming a lot of the millet/flax chips as an alternative to wheat-based snacks and had no idea of the potential health risks from consuming so much millet.
It was this discussion that led me to write this blog and warn folks about the dangers of consuming too much millet!
Potent Goitrogens
While millet does not contain gluten, it does contain goitrogens. These are substances that suppress thyroid activity and can lead to goiter. This condition involves enlargement of this very important gland which resides in the throat. Low iodine intake can also lead to goiter for those who rely on millet as a staple according to the Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism.
Hypothyroidism is a serious and sometimes debilitating condition. It accompanies a weak or enlarged thyroid such as what occurs with goiter. Depression, difficulty losing weight, loss of hair, cold hands/feet, and fatigue are common hypothyroid symptoms. By some estimates, hypothyroidism is at epidemic proportions in Western society. (1)
Goitrogens in foods that contain them are usually reduced by cooking such as cruciferous vegetables like broccoli. However, cooking actually increases the goitrogenic effect of millet! Incidentally, the same effect occurs when fermenting soy.
Therefore, when folks begin eating large amounts of millet bread with a wholesale switch over from wheat, the thyroid suppressing effects of this simple dietary change can be profound. Injuring the thyroid can have a cascade effect on other glands as well. For example, those suffering from adrenal fatigue many times have thyroid issues as well.
Moderation is Critical
Protect your thyroid at all costs! It is a real challenge to unwind the effects of hypothyroidism once this vital gland is weakened or enlarged. Don’t take any chances with your thyroid health by consuming large amounts of millet bread or millet based snacks.
If gluten and/or wheat is a problem, then simply reduce bread consumption. Alternatively, use another grain that is both gluten-free and non-goitrogenic such as rice, oats or teff. Be sure to get quality, though, as rice is frequently high in arsenic.
Alternatively, try using grain-like gluten-free foods such as highly nutritious buckwheat, amaranth, or the starchy tuber cassava. They are excellent for baking too!
Millet bread consumption is fine in moderation if your thyroid is healthy – just don’t overdo it!
Given how difficult it is in modern society to maintain thyroid and overall glandular health, taking a chance by eating a lot of millet bread is a risky proposition indeed.
Traditional peoples did not have the constant stresses and strains on their glands like modern people do.
For example, they did not have to contend with pollution of their food, water, air and overall environment.
Therefore, we must be overprotective of our thyroid health. This includes avoiding regular consumption of foods that might impair it in any way.
Millet Alternatives That Preserve Thyroid Function
If you have thyroid issues and need alternatives to millet, here is a list of the healthiest options to consider.
- Einkorn Benefits (contains “good gluten“)
- Teff Benefits
- Yuca Root Benefits
- Arrowroot Benefits
- Wild Rice Benefits
- Farro (great if only modern wheat is the problem)
Too much of everything is bad, even drinking too much water causes hyponetremia. so moderation in everything is better, but avoid it if it’s poison for you. thanks
Re millet: I like millet porridge. I also take iodine/iodide drops. It is also necessary to get enough tyrosine (amino acid) in your diet thru consumption of complete protein. And also, just avoid unhealthy foods and substances in general.
Therefore, I don’t worry about socalled goitrogenic foods. All things in moderation. Of course, if thyroid problems run in your family, simply avoiding millet and other socalled goitrogenic foods would not be enough. You have to get to the heart of things. Further investigation and advice are necessary.
Thanks.
I’m hypothyroid and have been taking thyroid meds for many years. I recently read that sorghum is goitrogenic too, because supposedly it’s closely related to millet. Do you know if that is true? I can’t find any confirmation of this claim.
I just came across this post, as I have been on a GAPS diet for two years and have just decided to introduce organic millet into my diet in a very small amount. I prepare the millet by soaking it in a mixture of 1 tablespoon ACV to 1 cup filtered water overnight before using it as an addition to coconut flour muffins. While I am soaking them to make them easier to digest, I am very interested in what the soaking does to the goitrogens. Thank you.
What if i cook the millet with kombu? The sea kelp contains iodine thus ensuring no iodine deficiency. Problem solved. Thx
Avoiding goitrogens because they can “cause” thyroid issues has pretty much been debunked. In fact, plants do not “contain” goitrogens. They may have a goitrogenic effect but there is no element in a plant called a goitrogen
Here is a current take on goitrogens: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=250. So many things that we once thought were harmful have been proven not to be now. So, I feel that this is simply “old school” thought patterns being repeated. The link I provide above is not the only place you will find more up-to-date information about this subject.
Telling people to substitute rice or oats can also be harmful in some individuals. Eating too much rice can raise glucose levels and possibly contribute to Diabetes 2. Oats contain phytic acid which binds to minerals and keeps your body from absorbing them.
I haven’t found any credible sources that debunk this at all!
I stated eating millet flour in bread and pancakes this last winter. Thyroid gland was removed in 2011 so on total medication. Debilitating fatigue overtook me but hadn’t changed my dose so wondered if it was the millet. Things corrected when I cut back on the millet so maybe there is something to this. I’m going to be more aware from now on but millet is a great flour for gluten free baking. Will miss it but maybe try subbing with other things like oats.
Hi everyone!
It is the american diet!
Go to Africa they live up to the 110+. It is because of their diet.
The American diet is killing our people! Why? SUGAR!
No they are dying of aids life expectancy now is between 37-43 in sub Sahara Africa.
But you are right about sugar public enemy number 1
That’s a lie! Stop listening to what the media tells you and educate yourself.
Claire, you have just lied professional about aids killing everyone in Africa. I can assure you that Africa is closer to nature in terms of diet than the western world. And nature keeps your life longer.
Frederick, those are very harsh words and simply not true. According to Bloomberg rankings the healthiest populations in the world reside in Western countries and Asia. Meanwhile all of the unhealthiest populations in the world live in Africa with the exception of Israel. You should do your research before spouting off at some else especially when they are right.
newser.com/story/215631/the-worlds-10-healthiest-countries.html
@ Healthyhomeeconomist thanks for the heads up but the info is also a total buzz kill as I’m looking to replace wheat completely. On the other hand, we use lots of iodized salt here so perhaps our thyroids are good and rugged enough to weather it. Your advice is welcome nonetheless and I’ll watch it.
@ Deana and other ignorants,
I live in Africa. Nigeria to be precise. Not sorry to disappoint you, Bloomberg and bad news mongers: we are not dying of aids (which came from the west #pandorabox).
All of that talk is just to make you feel better about yourselves and I truly pity you.
The reality is, we eat mostly organically grown foods and lots of veggies (soups, sauces and stews) rich with lots of vitamins and minerals. Along with our alternative medicine, we can live up to and beyond 100 and we mostly do.
My aunt at over 70 walks 3-4km briskly to and from her business daily and I just buried my grandpa who died at 105yrs.
Your media and your food may be pitted against you but don’t let prejudice be the final straw…
If hypothyroidism is rampant in the West, yet millet is frequently consumed in Russia and China (and other areas of the world), yet those areas are not showing increase of hypothyroidism, one has to wonder if millet actually constitutes a threat or perhaps other dietary ‘norms’ in the Western (if not US) diet is to blame?
Put more simply, if the billions of millet-eating Chinese are not showing signs of hypothyroidism, millet does not suggest to be a problem.
Yes, within the context of a traditional, iodine rich diet and the absence of thyroid disease, moderate millet consumption would be fine. Westerners don’t typically have these two things going for them, however.
I would like to point out that broccoli and many other “healthy” greens are goitrogens as well.
The other things Westerners do that many others don’t is they find an alternative food then overdue it on eating eat. This happened with soy over a decade ago. People in the US heard “it is good for you” so they started eating it 5 times a day. They then increased their estrogen-mimicking compounds. Some women may have gotten breast cancer from this. Then they re-interviewed Asians many whom ate soy and they only ate 1-2 servings a day. Many Americans overdue it whether it is healthy exercise, healthy food, bad food, alcohol, excess seems to be a trend. So I think it is good to be warned about Millet because someone will read about it and start eating it 5 times a day-such a US American thing.
Sarah, you need to distinguish between “Westerners” and “Americans” when it comes to diet. This is very misleading. Westerners in general have extremely healthy diets, in fact they are the longest living and healthiest populations in the world. Western Europe and Australia dominate the list and they are all Western countries. America is only one Western country, it has its own diet which has yielded its own issues and does not represent what the rest of the Western world eats. We (Americans) invented and embraced the fast food toxic garage diet (SAD) and we need to own that. In fact if more of us ate like the rest of the Western countries we would all be a lot better off.
Your point makes sense.
I would ask whether the goitrogens remain there after fermentation since most people through most of human history consumed fermented grains. If they are no longer present after fermenting millet batter or dough, then problem solved. Ferment before you bake.
Same question for sprouting.
From my research, it appears that since pearl millet is the most widely eaten of the millets, followed by fonio millet, that only these have been assessed. The causative components resulting in goitre are apigenin and luteolin, both of which can interfere with thyroid function. Fonio millet also contain these, but no other millets have been assessed for the presence of these substances.
Millet is a group of 500 grains. Many of them from different families. So far, Setaria italic, Foxtail Millet, Eleusine Coracana, Finger Millet, and Panicum Miliaeum, Proso Millet have not been tested for apigenin and luteolin.
So, don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.