In recent years, nutritionists at home and abroad have been calling for the inclusion of coarse grains in the diet for better human health. However, with the wide variety of coarse grains, how can people of different ages choose and combine them optimally?
Elderly: Add brown rice to white rice. While white rice can provide the necessary nutrients and calories for the body, the nutrients in brown rice, especially its dietary fiber content, are much higher. This helps with gastrointestinal motility and can alleviate digestive system issues such as stomach pain and constipation. Additionally, brown rice can lower cholesterol and triglycerides, preventing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and cancer. Therefore, the elderly might consider adding some brown rice when steaming white rice. However, cooking brown rice is more time-consuming, so it is recommended to soak it in cold water overnight before cooking.
When steaming rice, it's best to mix two parts white rice with one part brown rice.
Children: A bowl of millet porridge every day. Millet contains carotene and B vitamins not found in other coarse grains, which is beneficial for strengthening children's digestive functions. The nutrients in millet are very easily absorbed by the body, earning it the name "health rice," and it is particularly suitable for children with weaker digestive systems.
Young and middle-aged men: Eating more black rice is best for nourishing the kidneys. Black rice has the effects of nourishing yin and strengthening the kidneys, replenishing qi and invigorating the body, and nourishing the liver and improving eyesight. Its nutritional value is higher than that of ordinary rice, and regular consumption can protect the cardiovascular system, making it an ideal nutritional health food. Black rice can be prepared in many ways, such as steamed rice or congee, both of which are good choices.
Young and middle-aged women: Job's tears for beauty, glutinous rice for gentle nourishment. The "Compendium of Materia Medica" records that job's tears can "strengthen the spleen and benefit the stomach, supplement the lungs, clear heat, nourish the complexion, maintain youth, and prolong life." The vitamin E and B vitamins rich in job's tears have beauty-enhancing effects such as lightening spots and whitening the skin.
Glutinous rice has the effects of nourishing qi and blood, strengthening the spleen, and warming the stomach. It can help alleviate symptoms of a weak and cold spleen and stomach, poor appetite, and abdominal bloating or diarrhea. Besides being a staple food, glutinous rice can be prepared in many other ways, such as in glutinous rice wine, which has the effects of relaxing muscles and activating blood circulation, as well as beautifying the skin. When used in dishes, glutinous rice has a soft texture and becomes sweet and delicious when made into snacks. However, glutinous rice is very sticky and difficult to digest, so it should not be consumed in excess. It is recommended to be eaten as a side dish.