Sub. for baby Pastene

One of my patients was looking for a substitute for baby pastene (and pasta in general). I had mentioned that she try grains like Millet, Quinoa and Amaranth. Quinoa was already in her vocab and a staple in her pantry, so she thought she would give millet a try.

Now those of you unfamiliar with millet, it is the tan, round ball shaped seed in the bird seed mix, the one that the birds don't like, which obviously made it seem like an inedible thing to humans as well.

Apparently though, as my patient found out, when you cook millet to package instructions (1/2 cup millet to 1 1/2 cups water) and then you mix in a pinch of salt and a light scrambled egg the mixture is a near twin for the baby pastene recipe many Italian mothers prepare for their very young children. A great source of protein for post-op bariatric patients: 1/2 cup (measured out when cooked) has 3 grams protein and 1 gram fiber + 5 grams protein from the egg for grand total of 8 grams protein in 1/2 cup of food.

Fun Fact: Millet is also great for pregnant women, that same 1/2 cup cooked serving yields 33mcg of Folate and 19 of choline - two essential nutrients for the developing fetus.