Steaming and cooking rice both involve washing the rice, adding cold water, and then bringing it to a boil. This is a common practice, but in fact, the correct method is to boil the water first and then cook the rice with it. So, what are the benefits of doing this?
Cooking rice with boiling water can shorten the cooking time and preserve the vitamins in the rice. Since starch granules are not soluble in cold water, they only absorb water, swell, and break down to form a paste when the water temperature is above 60°C.
Rice contains a large amount of starch. When cooking rice with boiling water, the temperature is about 100°C (the boiling point of water). This temperature allows the rice to cook quickly, shortening the cooking time and preventing the vitamins in the rice from being destroyed by prolonged high-temperature heating.
Recommended daily healthy rice meals:
Breakfast: 4 cucumber, salmon, and seaweed rice rolls, 1 glass of milk, 2 oranges
Lunch: Oatmeal, black rice, and white rice, stir-fried wood ear mushrooms with soybean sprouts, steamed fish, seaweed and tomato egg soup
Dinner: Homemade mixed bean and eight-treasure congee (sugar-free), sesame sauce mixed with spinach, stir-fried mushrooms with tofu, stir-fried shredded carrots with green peppers
Boiling water allows the chlorine in it to evaporate, thus avoiding the destruction of Vitamin B1. Vitamin B1 is the most important nutrient in rice. Its main function is to regulate the metabolism of carbohydrates in the body. A deficiency can affect the nervous system, leading to symptoms such as fatigue, loss of appetite, limb weakness, muscle soreness, beriberi, edema, arrhythmia, and intractable insomnia. The tap water we normally use is disinfected with chlorine. If this water is used directly to cook rice, the chlorine in the water will destroy a large amount of Vitamin B1 in the rice. When using boiled water to cook rice, most of the chlorine has evaporated with the steam, thus greatly reducing the loss of Vitamin B1 and other B vitamins.
China has long believed in the principle that grains are the foundation of nutrition. Modern nutritional science also confirms that only by consuming enough complex carbohydrates can long-term health be maintained. For Chinese people, rice is one of the main sources of complex carbohydrates. It not only provides nutrition for the body but also contributes to health maintenance and disease prevention...
Many surveys, both in China and abroad, have found that the total amount of grain consumed is inversely proportional to the risk of chronic diseases. However, a survey in Hong Kong found that the amount of white rice consumed is positively correlated with the risk of diabetes. Similar findings have also been found in some surveys in the United States. This shows that if rice is not eaten wisely, it can cause trouble.
The first principle — try to keep rice "light"
On one hand, try not to add oil to the rice to avoid extra calories and prevent a greater increase in blood lipids after meals. Therefore, fried rice should be eaten as little as possible, and adding sausage to the rice or mixing it with oily dishes should also be avoided. On the other hand, try not to add salt, soy sauce, or monosodium glutamate to the rice to avoid extra sodium, which is not conducive to controlling blood pressure and preventing cardiovascular accidents.
It should be explained here that adding vinegar, wrapping with seaweed, or adding vegetables and raw fish in the middle are practices that conform to the light principle. Vinegar itself can lower the blood sugar response and help control blood lipids. Seaweed and raw fish are also ingredients beneficial to the cardiovascular system. Therefore, as long as you don't eat overly salty dishes, seaweed rice rolls are a very suitable staple food for chronic patients.
The second principle — try to keep rice "coarse"
By "coarse," it is meant to minimize the consumption of refined white rice and also eat less glutinous rice products. Their blood sugar 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 reduced, and at the same time, cholesterol and fat can be adsorbed in the intestines, playing a role in lowering postprandial blood sugar and blood lipids. This can also make people eat more slowly and consume less, which is conducive to weight control. In fact, most chronic patients are overweight, and controlling weight is the top priority in dietary adjustments.
Some rice with particularly high nutritional and health value, such as brown rice, black rice, and germ rice, have a relatively "coarse" texture. Although "coarse" is beneficial to health, eating 100% brown rice every day may feel uncomfortable in texture and is difficult to stick with for a long time. Therefore, when cooking rice, it is a good idea to use some "coarse" grains like brown rice, barley, and oats to "cooperate" with the rice, making the texture more acceptable. It is best to soak the "coarse" ingredients in water overnight first so that they can mature at the same time as the rice when cooking.
The third principle — try to keep rice "mixed"
When cooking rice or congee, it is best not to use a single type of rice, but to mix it with coarse grains, beans, nuts, etc. For example, red bean rice, peanut and oatmeal rice congee, etc., are very suitable rice meals for chronic patients. Adding these ingredients not only increases B vitamins and minerals, but also plays a role in protein nutritional complementation, ensuring adequate nutrition supply while reducing animal-based foods.
Of course, more importantly, doing this can effectively lower the blood sugar response and control the rise in blood lipids. The combination of beans and rice is the most ideal, because beans are rich in dietary fiber, their starch is digested very slowly, and they also contain some ingredients that slow down the conversion of starch into glucose, such as tannins and phytic acid, which are most effective for preventing chronic diseases.
The fourth principle — try to keep rice "colorful"
White rice is indeed crystal clear and lovely, but it also means it contains no antioxidants and 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 carrots, and yellow corn kernels when cooking rice is very beautiful and provides vitamins and carotenoid antioxidant components, 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 antioxidant components, helping to prevent cardiovascular diseases.
In summary, because rice is a food that is consumed in large quantities every day, its nutritional and health value is closely related to everyone's health. If you keep these healthy principles for eating rice in mind every day, the cumulative effect will unknowingly play a role in disease prevention and anti-aging, which is extremely beneficial for chronic patients.
Special reminder: Rice selection requirements for chronic patients
Whether diabetic, hyperlipidemia patient, hypertensive patient, fatty liver patient, etc., should not eat too much refined white rice as a staple food. Diabetics need to choose staple foods with a slower blood sugar rise rate and a lower glycemic load; hypertensive patients need to choose staple foods that are as salt-free as possible; fatty liver patients need staple foods rich in dietary fiber; and hyperlipidemia patients need to choose staple foods that are beneficial for lowering blood lipids.