Ragi Cereal for Babies : The Ultimate Nutrient Powerhouse for Your Baby's Growth.

Ragi cereal for babies is one of a go-to options for parents who are looking to feed their babies with first solid food. Baby cereal made of ragi flour is often considered as a rich source of iron, calcium, protein, fiber for infants. Also, it is more affordable than some of the infant cereal available in the market. Ragi has been on the diets of people in India for ages but has gained more popularity lately. For an infant’s growth and development, parents are looking for such functional baby foods that can provide balanced nutrition, as well as can also focus on overall well-being.

With this blog post, let’s dive into finding about ragi, ragi’s nutritional facts, ragi porridge benefits for babies, when to include ragi in diet of infants and the best ragi cereal online that is available for the little ones.

Ragi : What is it?

According to Food and Agriculture Organizations of the United Nations, ragi (finger millet) is a seeded cereal that belongs to the family of grass, which goes by the name of poaceae. The little seeds of ragi are reddish brown in colour. Ragi is a gluten-free cereal grain and has exceptional nutritional benefits. It is a source of protein, calcium, iron, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, amino acids etc.

India is the largest producer of ragi, nearly producing 13.89 lakh tonne of ragi in the year 2023-24. In India, it is also a staple food and cash crop. Mainly produced and consumed in the regions like Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Odisha.

In other words, including ragi in your diet means including a superfood in your diet. Equisential, with 3 years of experience in producing delicious ragi laddu, has now come up with ragi cereal for infants. The sprouted ragi cereal for babies is best suitable for babies above 6 months.

Nutritional Value of Ragi Cereal

It has become a common practice lately by parents to know the nutritional value of the ingredients that they are feeding to infants. By doing so, they make sure that their babies develop healthy eating habits from an early age in life. The nutrients help in the growth and development and overall well-being in the future.

Ragi cereal is considered a superfood in itself because of the nutrients it is filled with. Nutrients like iron, calcium, potassium, amino acids, and other proteins are present in higher amounts in ragi. Some of the nutritional value of ragi is presented below :

Nutrient	Value in grams (for 100 gms)
Protein	7.3
Fiber	3.6
Iron	8.9
Calcium	344
Carbohydrates	72
Sodium	11 mg
Potassium	408 mg
Energy	328 kcl
Fat	1.30

Source: Apeda India, IIMR India

Other than this ragi also contains nutraceuticals like phytates, polyphenols and tannis, which were once termed anti-nutrients. It functions as an amazing common relaxant, which would be another important factor in ragi porridge for infants. Therefore, according to the nutritional value, ragi cereal for infants is a good source of energy, calcium, iron, amino acids, potassium, dietary fiber, etc., which will support their growth and development and will help them in achieving overall wellness in life.

Benefits of Ragi to Infants

As a parent, it is important to feed nutritional ingredients to the little ones. This becomes even more important when you are introducing solid food to the baby. Equisential’s sprouted ragi baby cereal, which also contains almond powder, is a delicious and healthy way of introducing solid food to infants.

Some of the benefits of ragi to infants when introduced as ragi cereal for babies are:

It is a lighter cereal for babies tummies, and hence it gets digested much easier than other cereals.
It is gluten-free and therefore is a great option for babies who have gluten intolerance.
Ragi being rich in calcium, it aids in strengthening the bones of growing infants and hence reduces the risk of osteoporosis.
Since ragi is a very good source of natural iron, it aids in improving the levels of hemoglobin and reduces the risk of anemia among babies.
Amino acids present in ragi are vital for bodily functions and essential for repairing tissues in the body.
Being high in dietary fiber, ragi may keep hunger in check.
Ragi is a natural relaxant that will help your baby sleep better, resulting in good growth.
The combination of vitamins and minerals present in ragi helps build a stronger immune system for babies.
It may also aid in healthy weight gain because of its high fiber content and nutritional values.
Ragi cereal could also help in keeping malnutrition at bay.

How to Introduce Ragi to Infants?

The best way to introduce ragi to your baby is to introduce it in the form of ragi baby cereal or as a ragi porridge mix for babies. Sprouted ragi baby cereal with a mix of almond powder by Equisential is a healthy and delicious way of introducing ragi to infants. It is also known as nachni baby cereal in some regions.

The ingredients of sprouted ragi and almonds baby cereal by Equisential contain 75% sprouted ragi flour and 25% almond powder, making it one of the cleanest sources of nutrients for your babies. Buy ragi cereal for babies from Equisential, as it is preservatives and chemical-free, gluten-free and sugar-free baby cereal.

Buy baby cereal online at the baby food section of the Equisential website.

When to Start Feeding Ragi Cereal to Babies?

One has to be extra cautious while introducing ragi porridge to babies. Baby cereals are considered a safe option for babies when they are introduced to the solid foods. The suitable age would be 6 months and above. Many pediatricians have suggested the same. Since each baby is unique, in some cases a pediatrician may suggest feeding baby cereal earlier than 6 months, depending on the growth and requirements of babies. Make sure not to feed ragi cereal in large amounts to avoid any tummy discomforts or allergic reactions.

Equisential’s ragi cereal is best suited to infants who are 6 months and older. Starting at the right time, ragi may aid in boosting energy, immunity, hemoglobin levels, strength of bones, functioning of a baby’s brain, and much more. Made of pure ingredients like ragi and almonds, high in protein and nutrients, this is an absolute delight for your little one.

However, finger millet baby cereal with almonds may not be suited to some children because some children’s body’s defence mechanism may resist the external food intake other than mother’s breast milk.

How to prepare sprouted ragi baby cereal recipe?

This can be done in a simple way with water:-

Boil some water in the pan.
Add a teaspoon of sprouted ragi cereal to the warm water.
Avoid any lumps by stirring the cereal into the pan and making sure it reaches a smooth texture.
Now let the cereal cool down a bit till it reaches a suitable temperature.
Hurrah! Your delicious and nutritious meal is ready for your baby.

Conclusion:

Feeding Equisential’s ragi cereal to infants is the best way to make sure that the baby receives the high nutritional value of ragi. The sun-dried sprouted ragi flour is much lighter on the little tummies and retains maximum nutrients. Being rich in nutrients, ragi cereal for babies has gained popularity in recent times because of its broadcasting over social media; otherwise, it has been into Indian diets for ages. The goodness of calcium, iron, amino acids, dietary fiber, etc. provides sustained energy and wellness for the baby.

As a weaning food, sprouted ragi baby cereal is a superfood providing essential nutrients from the very beginning, eventually supporting the baby’s growth and development along with creating a healthy eating habit for overall well-being in the future too.

So don’t wait, grab the best baby food online by Equisential. Give your baby the best start by feeding healthy and nutritious sprouted ragi baby cereal.