Teff is a nutritious grain belongs to grass family. It is considered as the tinniest seed of world and it is very popular for its therapeutic advantages.

Nutritional profile

• It contains carbohydrates and mainly composed of glucose, maltose, fructose and resistant starch
• It contains fibre too
• It also contains desirable amount of protein
• It contains negligible amount of fat
• It is packed with various important micronutrients

Health benefits

Role on promoting growth

• Protein plays significant role in promoting growth and development. We know that protein helps to synthesize new cells of body, it also helps to repair old ones and support overall development of body
• Teff contains eight vital amino acids, which act as building blocks of protein thus its consumption, is associated with delivering substantial support for optimum growth and development of the body

 Role on immunity

• Consumption of teff is extremely useful for boosting up the overall immunity of body as it contains numerous immune boosting nutrients
• It helps to promote the functionality of immune cells

• Its Vitamin C content is responsible for stimulating the synthesis of WBC and also helps to improve the activity of WBC

Role on skeletal system

• Teff is packed with various minerals among which calcium, phosphorus and manganese are considered as the principal components required for bone growth and development
• It helps in the synthesis of healthy bone tissue
• Calcium and phosphorus components of teff also help to mineralize the bone thus help to increase bone mineral density
• It helps to improve bone strength that significantly decreases the prevalence of bone fractures
• Its manganese content is responsible for synthesizing various enzymes as well as hormones, which are involved in bone metabolism
• Its consumption is very effective for improving the symptoms of osteoporosis

Role on circulation

• It contains significant amount of iron, which helps to synthesize hemoglobin and RBC thus its consumption is considered as extremely useful for maintaining proper blood flow
• As it helps to enhance blood circulation thus it is also associated with improving the supply of adequate oxygen, nutrients, enzymes, hormones and many other important biological substances throughout the body, which ultimately helps to provide proper nourishment to the body

Role on metabolism

• Metabolism is referred as a set of chemical reactions, which have occurred in every living organism for maintaining the living state of the cells. Metabolism is of two types, which include catabolism and anabolism. Catabolism is the process of breaking down substances to produce energy whereas anabolism is the process of synthesizing new substances as per the body’s requirement

• Teff contains numerous imperative micronutrients that help to boost up the overall metabolism of the body by actively participating in every metabolic reactions
• It has seen that magnesium component of teff is responsible for promoting the catabolic reactions of body hence helps in energy production. It also helps in protein synthesis
• Its copper component is also accountable for promoting enzymatic reactions of body, energy production, cellular growth and repairing
• Manganese component of teff helps to stimulate neoglucogenesis process, which is referred as a process of synthesizing glucose from non carbohydrate sources and this process helps to support energy production and also helps to regulate blood sugar concentration

Role on digestive health

• It has been traditionally used as an effective laxative substance. Its high fibre content is responsible for bulking up the stool that ultimately makes the defecation process easy
• It is associated with enhancing bowel movement, which also helps to improve regularity
• It helps to increase peristalsis motion as well thus helps to improve colonic health
• It has seen that consumption of teff is very effective for decreasing the prevalence of bloating, flatulence, diverticular disease, irritable bowel syndrome, diarrhoea, cramping, stomach upset etc

Role on weight management

• It helps to make an individual feel full for long period of time with fewer calories thus its consumption is very much useful for facilitating weight reduction, whereas individuals who want to maintain their ideal body weight should also include teff in their regular diet

• Its fibre content plays imperative role in weight reduction as it helps to reduce hunger by delaying stomach emptying thus prevents over eating, which promotes weight reduction. On the other hand it helps to decrease total body fat percentage also that helps to prevent obesity

Detoxification activity

• Consumption of teff helps to clean the body effectively
• Its insoluble fibre content helps to detoxify the body. As the insoluble fibre cannot be absorbed in body thus it passed through the digestive tract in intact form and also carries toxins, damaged fat, cholesterol particles and metabolic wastes along with it

Other health benefits

• It helps to promote muscle development as well. Its protein content and micronutrient contents play significant role in improving muscle mass (especially lean muscle mass) and muscle strength
• Being a good source of copper it helps to improve the functionality of nervous system
• It helps to improve cognition as well
• It exerts anti-inflammatory effect too thus its consumption helps to reduce headache or muscle cramp or pain
• It also helps to prevent dizziness and general weakness

Disease preventive role of teff grain

Cardiovascular disease

• It contains various cardio protective nutrients thus its consumption is very effective for reducing the risk of developing cardio vascular diseases
• It is associated with preventing the clogging up of arteries thus reduces the prevalence of atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease and hypertension
• Its consumption is also very effective for decreasing the risk of heart attacks or strokes

Celiac disease

• Teff is considered as an imperative alternative option to gluten rich food
• Individual with gluten intolerance can enjoy teff as it is completely free from gluten

Diabetes mellitus

• It is related with regulating insulin release in blood thus helps to stabilize blood sugar concentration
• It helps to decrease postprandial glucose load as well
• Manganese component of teff also plays imperative role in regulating blood sugar level

Pre-Menstrual Syndrome

• Pre-menstrual syndrome is a very common complication of women, which is generally occurred after ovulation and ends with menstrual flow. It is characterized by irritability, breast pain, mood swing, over sensitivity and severe cramping. Consumption of teff is very beneficial for preventing all the above stated complications
• Women who suffer from heavy menstrual flow should also include teff in their diet as it helps to reduce the severity of heavy bleeding

Anemia

• In simple word anemia can be defined as the qualitative and quantitative deficiency of RBC and hemoglobin. It is very prevalent among adolescent girl, pregnant women, lactating women, infant and children. It should be prevented properly otherwise it will become very fatal
• It has seen that consumption of iron rich food is very much helpful for treating anemia and being an iron rich food, teff is considered as an important remedial measure for anemia

Culinary uses

• It can be consumed as whole grain
• It can also be ground and can be consumed as gluten free flour
• It has been extensively used in Ethiopia for preparing injera, which is a traditional sourdough flatbread
• It can also used for preparing pancakes, muffins, breads, cakes and cookies

Risk factors

As it is high in fibre thus its overconsumption may cause various digestive disorders thus it is better to consume teff as per recommendation.

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Cheng, A., Mayes, S., Dalle, G., Demissew, S. and Massawe, F., 2017. Diversifying crops for food and nutrition security–a case of teff. Biological Reviews, 92(1), pp.188-198.

Gebremariam, M.M., Zarnkow, M. and Becker, T., 2014. Teff (Eragrostis tef) as a raw material for malting, brewing and manufacturing of gluten-free foods and beverages: a review. Journal of Food Science and Technology, 51(11), pp.2881-2895.

Gebru, Y.A., Sbhatu, D.B. and Kim, K.P., 2020. Nutritional Composition and Health Benefits of Teff (Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter). Journal of Food Quality, 2020.

O'Connor, A., 2016. Is teff the new super grain. The New York Times.

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