Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) posits that staple foods should be mild in nature, neither excessively cold nor overtly warm, as they are consumed in large quantities over the long term. After thousands of years of selection, "rice" and "wheat" have been chosen as the staple foods for long-term consumption. With the wide variety of rice available, how do we choose the one that is right for us?
Identifying the Nutritional Benefits of Six Types of Rice
1. The most nourishing is japonica rice
The common rice used daily for making rice is also known as japonica rice or polished rice. It is semi-transparent and oval or elliptical, has a high milling rate, low grain expansion, but high stickiness. As a daily food, japonica rice contains essential nutrients for the human body, such as starch, protein, fat, vitamin B1, niacin, vitamin C, and calcium, iron, etc., providing the body with the necessary nutrition and calories.
It has a history of 2000 years in China to cook japonica rice into a congee for health and longevity. The top layer of congee oil from japonica rice can replenish fluids and essence, greatly benefiting the nourishment of the body's yin fluids and kidney essence. It is most suitable for patients, postpartum women, and the elderly. Japonica rice has the effects of strengthening the spleen and stomach, tonifying the middle qi, nourishing yin and promoting body fluids, relieving vexation and thirst, and stopping diarrhea. It can be used for conditions such as weak spleen and stomach, vexation and thirst, malnutrition, and post-illness weakness. However, diabetics should be cautious not to consume too much.
2. The most detoxifying is glutinous rice
Glutinous rice, also known as Jiangmi, is loved by many for its fragrant, glutinous, and smooth texture, often used to make snacks. Glutinous rice contains nutrients such as protein, fat, carbohydrates, calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamin B2, and a large amount of starch.
3. The most aids digestion is brown rice
Brown rice is "light yellow rice" that has had its coarse husk removed during the milling process while retaining the germ and inner bran. The protein, fat, and vitamin content in brown rice is higher than in polished white rice.
The crude fiber molecules in the bran layer help with gastrointestinal motility and are effective for digestive tract diseases such as gastritis, constipation, and hemorrhoids. Brown rice is more nutritious than polished white rice, can lower cholesterol, and reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Brown rice is suitable for the general population. However, due to its coarse texture and dense nature, it takes longer to cook. Guo Wanli suggests washing it, soaking it in cold water overnight before cooking, and then cooking it in a pressure cooker for more than half an hour along with the soaking water.
4. The most tonifies the kidneys is black rice
Black rice is rich in nutrients, containing protein, fat, B vitamins, calcium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, and other substances, with a nutritional value higher than ordinary rice. It can significantly increase the levels of hemoglobin and hemoglobin in the human body, is beneficial for the health of the cardiovascular system, promotes bone and brain development in children, and can aid recovery for postpartum women and those convalescing from illness. Therefore, it is an ideal nutritional health food.
5. The most beautifies the complexion is Job's tears
Job's tears, also known as Job's tears grain or coix seed, is highly nutritious and hailed as the "king of world grass plants." Job's tears is rich in nutrients such as Job's tears oil, Job's tears fat, sterols, amino acids (including arginine), and vitamins B1 and carbohydrates. It has the effects of promoting urination to drain dampness, strengthening the spleen to stop diarrhea, and clearing heat and detoxifying.
6. The most nourishes the stomach is millet
Millet, also known as Liangmi, Sumi, or Sugu, is rich in nutrients such as protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamin B2, niacin, and calcium, phosphorus, and iron. Because millet is very easily digested and absorbed by the human body, it is called "health-protecting rice" by nutrition experts.
Millet has the effects of strengthening the spleen and harmonizing the middle, benefiting kidney qi, clearing deficient heat, promoting urination, and treating vexation and thirst. It is a good nutritional food for recovery from conditions such as a weak spleen and stomach, general weakness, damage to essence and blood, postpartum deficiency, and loss of appetite. Guo Wanli points out that because millet is slightly cool in nature, those with qi stagnation or a constitution that is slightly deficient and cold should not consume too much.
Beware of Three Common Nutritional Misconceptions About Rice
Misconception One: Polished rice and white flour are of high quality and nutrition
It's often heard people say: "This rice is so white, the quality must be good." Food safety experts say this is a typical example of taking things for granted and a very common misconception.
A rice grain consists of the husk, pericarp, seed coat, aleurone layer, endosperm, and germ. Brown rice is a product that has had the husk removed but retains the other parts. Polished rice, commonly known as white rice, is a product that retains only the endosperm, removing all other parts. Since most of the nutrients in rice grains other than carbohydrates (such as protein, fat, fiber, minerals, and vitamins) are concentrated in the pericarp, seed coat, aleurone layer, and germ (the so-called bran layer), the nutritional value of brown rice is significantly superior to that of polished rice. Generally, the higher the processing precision when brown rice is milled into white rice, the whiter the rice and the poorer the nutrition. The same is true for white flour. The natural color of flour is milky white or slightly yellowish. If it is pure white or grayish white, it may be due to the excessive use of whitening agents.
Misconception Two: Once rice gets moldy, it cannot be eaten
Many people think that if rice gets moldy, it is spoiled and must be thrown away. In fact, this is also a mistaken belief.
Experts explain that in a typical household, rice is washed and cooked daily, so moldiness would be detected early. The early signs of rice moldiness are mainly reflected in its color and smell. First, an unusual odor can be smelled instead of the normal rice fragrance, which is a precursor to heating and moldiness. Second, the hardness of the rice grains will decrease. Due to the intense respiration of the rice and microorganisms, local moisture condenses, the grains become damp, which is called "sweating," and their hardness decreases, a phenomenon called "softening of the body" with low fluidity and can be formed into a ball when held in the hand. Third, due to the condensation of moisture on the surface of the grains, the color of the rice will appear brighter. Additionally, because the grains are damp, adhering bran or unmilled bran husks on the rice may float up, making the surface appear rough and not clean. Furthermore, because the germ tissue of the rice is relatively loose and contains more protein and fat, molds attack this part first, causing the germ to change color, commonly known as "getting an eye." The grooves on the sides and back of the rice grains turn white and then grayish-white, a phenomenon called "getting veins." Generally, when rice "gets an eye" or "gets veins," it has entered the second stage of heating and moldiness. At this point, it must be spread out to cool and ventilated in a timely manner to prevent further spoilage. Experts say that if handled promptly during the early stage of heating and moldiness, and washed clean, it does not affect its edibility.
Misconception Three: Local rice is always better than non-local rice
People generally have a "local bias" and prefer to eat local rice, with many believing that local rice is of better quality and taste than non-local rice.
Experts believe that while rice does have good and bad qualities, judging it based on whether it is local or non-local is unscientific. Many factors determine the quality of rice, including the rice variety, growing environment, cultivation methods, processing methods, and post-harvest storage and transportation. "Different lands nurture different people." Local farmers might choose varieties that are preferred by the local population, such as softer and stickier varieties favored in Suzhou, but this does not prove that local rice is better than non-local rice. Moreover, the term "non-local rice" covers a very wide area. For example, Northeast rice, Northern Jiangsu rice, and Anhui rice, each with different micro-environments and varying levels of cultivation technology, make it difficult to determine which region produces better rice based on geography. However, it is generally believed that Northeast rice is of consistently high quality.
According to TCM, Job's tears is sweet and bland in taste, slightly cold in nature, and enters the spleen, stomach, and lung meridians. It has therapeutic and preventive effects for conditions such as spleen deficiency with diarrhea, muscle soreness and heaviness, and joint pain.
There are skills in choosing "rice." Based on your own constitution and health condition, select the rice that is suitable for you. For example, if you have a poor stomach, choose millet; if you need to tonify the kidneys, choose black rice; and the most nourishing is japonica rice. When buying rice, do not fall into misconceptions—the nutritional value of polished rice is inferior to brown rice, and local rice is not necessarily better than non-local rice!