Besan — The Gut & Heart Healer



        Did you know a bowl of kadhi holds more healing power than it seems? The answer lies in besan. When the monsoon clouds are brewing and kitchens are filled with the sound of kadhi simmering in clay pots, the smell is very healing. Science suggests that besan is high in soluble fiber, which supports digestion and manages cholesterol.

       Centuries earlier, before science had put it into graphs, but grandmothers had faith in besan—whisking it into soft chillas or gentle kadhi to soothe troubled stomachs.

          This flour also brings with it a silent orchestra of minerals, potassium, phosphorus, zinc, and magnesium, which contemporary science has linked to heart, bone, and metabolic processes. In ancient kitchens, such words were not used. To them, besan was not a luxury but a medium, regulating the stomach, maintaining strength, and adding comfort to the board in fasts and feasts.

         Consider besan as a handicraftsman in the body. Its fiber facilitates the routes of digestion, its potassium keeps rhythms, and zinc fortifies in unobtrusive ways--none requiring attention, all operating unobtrusively. To the eater, what stays is not a list of nutrients but the sense of being nourished and relaxed.

            Besan is also famous for its mild effect on satiety. It does not pass through the body at once like refined grains. Instead, it stays in the body, giving what some term as long-lasting fullness. Farmers used to rely on it in long journeys, and mothers still carry it in tiffins for this reason.

           Therefore, besan is not just flour-it is continuity. Whether in Ayurvedic shlokas extolling roasted pulses or in modern-day nutrition charts, besan has held the same significance: a food that steadies the body, comforts the spirit, and bridges both worlds. A bowl of kadhi, a crispy pakora, or a soft laddoo, these are all evidence of the quiet, sustaining power of this simple flour.