To avoid confusion, this discussion is limited to plain congee, which is made from regular rice without any additional ingredients such as beans, meat, century eggs, or Chinese medicinal herbs. Congee with these extra ingredients may have other benefits, but these benefits are related only to the added ingredients (such as the nutritional value of lean meat or the tonic effects of Chinese medicinal herbs), not to the plain rice itself.
Nutritional loss is significant during the cooking process.
Refined white rice itself is not highly nutritious, mainly providing a large amount of starch (75%), a small amount of protein (8%), and some B vitamins.
The long heating process of cooking congee has little effect on starch, protein, and minerals, but it does destroy some of the B vitamins. The longer the cooking time, the more B vitamins are destroyed.
Therefore, the smoother and more mushy the plain congee, the lower its B vitamin content. If alkali is added during the cooking process, the B vitamins will be completely destroyed.
Therefore, compared to white rice or white steamed buns, plain congee has lower nutritional value.
Who should drink plain congee?
The advantage of plain congee over white rice is that it is easy to digest.
Congee is cooked for a longer time and contains more water, so the starch is more fully gelatinized and more easily broken down by amylase in the small intestine into glucose, which is then absorbed into the blood. The long cooking process also allows a small amount of protein or amino acids to dissolve, making it more digestible.
Therefore, compared to solid foods like white rice, plain congee can reduce the digestive burden on the gastrointestinal tract. It is especially suitable for patients with poor digestive function, such as those with gastroenteritis, severe peptic ulcers, pancreatitis, severe hepatitis, and some extremely weak patients. After surgery, when the first meal is required, easily digestible plain congee (or even rice water) can be the first choice.
Who should not drink plain congee?
It must be pointed out that the easy digestibility of plain congee is particularly beneficial only to the patients mentioned above. For healthy people or those with normal gastrointestinal digestive function, plain congee offers no advantage and is not as good as eating white rice (or other more nutritious foods).
The general and vague practice of serving congee to all patients, based on the belief that it is better for everyone, is incorrect. As far as I know, in hospitals abroad, you do not see patients all drinking congee (or other foods considered easily digestible).
The easy digestibility of plain congee is actually a double-edged sword, meaning it can also have harmful effects. Because plain congee is easily digested and absorbed, it causes a more rapid increase in blood sugar after consumption. This is not only detrimental to blood sugar control for diabetic patients but also has an adverse effect on the postprandial blood sugar of healthy individuals.
In conclusion, do not blindly believe that plain congee is the most nourishing food. It can be a good choice when gastrointestinal function is poor or for the first meal after major surgery. Apart from these situations, plain congee offers no extra benefits for patients or healthy people and is even inferior to eating white rice.