Rice is a staple food for most Chinese people every day. If you master the healthy principles of eating rice, it can play a role in preventing diseases and resisting aging over time, which is extremely beneficial for people with chronic illnesses.
Try to keep rice "plain"
Try not to add oil to the rice, so as not to add extra calories and avoid a greater increase in blood lipids after the meal. Therefore, fried rice should be eaten as little as possible, and cooking rice with sausages or mixing it with oily dishes should also be avoided. In addition, try not to add salt, soy sauce, or MSG to the rice to avoid extra sodium, which is not conducive to controlling blood pressure and preventing cardiovascular accidents.
It should be explained that adding vinegar, wrapping with seaweed, or adding vegetables and raw fish in the middle are in line with the principle of being plain. Vinegar itself can lower the glycemic response and help control blood lipids; seaweed and raw fish are also ingredients beneficial to the cardiovascular system. As long as you don't eat overly salty dishes, seaweed rice rolls are a very suitable staple food for people with chronic illnesses.
Try to make rice "coarse"
The so-called "coarse" means to minimize refined white rice, as its glycemic response is too high, which is very unfavorable for controlling blood sugar and blood lipids. Only by eating enough fiber can the digestion speed of rice be effectively slowed down, and at the same time, it can absorb cholesterol and fat in the intestines, playing a role in lowering postprandial blood sugar and blood lipids. Some rice with particularly high nutritional and health value, such as brown rice, black rice, and germ rice, although beneficial to health, it may be difficult to persist in the long term due to an uncomfortable texture if you eat 100% brown rice every day. Therefore, when cooking rice, it's a good idea to use some "coarse" grains in combination with rice, which will make the texture more acceptable. It's best to soak the "coarse" ingredients in water overnight so that they cook at the same time as the rice.
When cooking rice or congee, it's best not to use a single type of rice, but to cook rice with coarse grains, beans, nuts, and the like together. For example, red bean rice and peanut oatmeal rice congee are very suitable rice dishes for people with chronic illnesses. On one hand, adding these ingredients increases B vitamins and minerals; on the other hand, it can play a role in protein complementation, ensuring adequate nutrition while reducing animal-based foods.
Try to make rice "colorful"
Fine white rice has a very low vitamin content. If you choose colored rice and pair it with other foods to make the rice colorful, its nutritional value can be greatly improved. For example, adding green peas, orange-red carrots, and yellow corn kernels when cooking rice is not only beautiful but also provides vitamins and carotenoid antioxidants, which is especially beneficial for preventing eye aging. Another example is choosing to eat purple rice, black rice, and red rice with white rice, which can also provide a large amount of anthocyanin antioxidants, helping to prevent cardiovascular diseases.