Cereals and Millets
Cereals are plants which yield edible grains. Cerealgrains provide carbohydrate and it is major energy source in vegetarian diet. Also, cereals provide suitable amount of protein. These grains are consumed directly or in modified form as major items of diet such as flour, starch, oil, bran.
Cereals are nutritionally important sources of dietary protein, iron, vitamin B complex, vitamin E, carbohydrates, niacin, riboflavin, thiamine, fibre and traces of minerals important for both humans and animals. Soluble bran in cereals is also helpful for lowering blood cholesterol levels and also prevent cardiovascular diseases. Cereals also help to prevent cancer, constipation, colon disorders and high blood sugar. When breakfast cereals combine with milk, they provide protein rich food. For infants iron fortified cereals are used as premium solid foods.
Per capita consumption of cereal grains are increasing especially in developing countries like Southeast Asia. There are many ways to eat grains as a whole or milled or processing in other ways to make a flour, in addition of other ingredients like sugar, salt, spices, oil, bran, starch, dried form, soups, and desserts.
Legumes and Pulses
Legumes are flowering plants having pods which contain beans or peas. Legumes are considerably higher in protein thancereal grains, various mature dry legumesand oilseeds contain about 20-40% protein; fat levels in peas and beans are low. Legumes and pulses are major source of proteinin vegetarian diet. Legumes improve the quality of cereal proteins by supplementing them with limiting amino acids such as lysine (sometimes tryptophan or threonine). This is called protein supplementation. On the other hand, legumes are deficient in methionine, can be supplemented by cereal grains, which are not deficient in this amino acid. Important legumes and pulses are: Gram, pea, black gram, kidney bean, green gram, pigeon pea, cowpea etc.
Flour
Flour is the powdery substance created when a dry grain is pulverized. This is referred to as the milling process. The most common varieties of flour are made from wheat although any grain can be made into flour, including rice, oats, corn, or barley.
Herbs
Herbs are the leaf part of a plant that is used in cooking - these can be used fresh or dried. Any other part of the plant, which is usually dried, is referred to as a spice.
Herbs are a fantastic way to add flavour and colour to any sort of dish or drink, whether sweet or savoury, without adding fat, salt or sugars. In addition to flavour and colour, they each also tend to have their own set of health-promoting properties.
Generally, fresh herbs are delicately flavoured, so if adding them to your cooking, do so in the last few minutes. Tasting your dish as you go along will help you tell if you've added enough. If not enough herbs are used, then little difference will be made to the flavour of the dish, but if too many herbs are added, their flavour will overpower other ingredients.
