Greetings lovely ladies, i trust everyone is doing great? I am doing great and very delighted to be with you again. Today, i want to introduce something healthy to our women and its benefits. Acha is a healthy and nutritious meal for every family, some of us maybe familiar with this food and some may not ,hence the reason for this write up. I will talk about what Acha is,its benefits and how it is prepared.

WHAT IS ACHA?

Acha has different names depending on the country it is grown, here in Nigeria it is called ACHA, the English name is Digitaria exilis. Acha is an African ancient traditional cereal grain that has been cultivated in west African countries for many years. Source
Acha is the tiniest grain of millet family, it is not commonly known here in Nigeria except for some few northern states here. Acha is rich in fiber as well as Vitamin B, zinc, Magnesium etc thus making this tiniest grain very healthy for all families. In some part of the world acha is use to prevent blood clots after birth and also to help breastfeeding mothers to produce more milk. I got in contact with this food during my service year in the north, Plateau State precisely. I took interest in it because of the nutritional benefits, so i always sent it home for my mother who is diabetic. Acha is of two types: the white and the brown.

NUTRITIONAL BENEFITS OF ACHA

The nutritional benefits of this tiniest grain are enormous but i will talk about few:

DIABETES MANAGEMENT:

The low glycemic index and low sugar content of acha aid to lower blood glucose and insulin swings.. It can as well lower a person's chances of developing heart disease. Acha is known for controlling and preventing prediabetes and type 2 diabetes because of its content of resistant starch.

WEIGHT LOSS:

Acha is very rich in fiber, gluten free and has a low glycemic index.

PREGNANT WOMEN:

Digitaria exilis contains folic acid, amino acid and iron which are very essential for pregnant woman.

NAILS, BONES AND HAIR STRENGTHENING:

This rich and healthy food has methionine and this acid helps in the formation of cartilage that helps grow hair and nails. Calcium and magnesium is another interesting component found in acha which is why acha is good for growing children. It can also stop bone disease in old age. Like i said earlier, the health benefits are enormous , acha is an ancient grain with many nutrients.source.

HOW IS IT PREPARED?

There are many ways of preparing acha, but i am familiar with just three:
√ ACHA AS SWALLOW : Wash it thoroughly because it has some sand in it. You can wash up to five times to make sure there is no sand, pour it inside a pot, put water not too much water, put it on fire and stir till it ticks.

ready for swallow

Another way is to use it as breakfast meal. Wash the acha very well to remove the sand, put water, put on fire and stir, do not make it too tick since you are drinking it like pap. Then add milk ( a little sugar if you wish) use it with akara , moi-moi or okpa.
√ACHA AS PORRIDGE: After washing it, keep it aside, put oil in a pot, fry a little sauce and turn it into the sauce and stir, put all your ingredients, turn till its ticks a little and put it down. Acha is a rich tasty, healthy cereal with amazing benefits. Include this in your family menu, available in my shop.
Thank you a lot for going through my post.