Core Tip: How to choose rice when buying? I believe many people would say without thinking "evenly sized", "full and smooth", "refined without impurities". Is this traditional selection method really correct?
With the improvement of living standards, people's demands for food are also increasing. Eating refined white rice and refined white flour has become a common requirement. In recent years, adulterated rice has appeared on the market, and even rice mixed with mineral oil has been discovered. This is the trick of unscrupulous vendors who exploit the public's mentality that "the whiter the better, the more refined the better". So, what kind of rice and flour is truly beneficial to health?
The nutritional value of refined white rice is inferior to that of brown rice and standard rice.
The more refined the rice and flour, the less vitamins they contain, and their nutritional value is not as high as that of brown rice and coarse flour. However, if rice and flour are processed too coarsely, the resulting food will have poor sensory qualities and reduce the rate of digestion and absorption. According to economic and nutritional requirements, China generally processes rice into "92" rice, which means 50 kg of brown rice is processed into 46 kg of white rice. For wheat, 50 kg is processed into 42.5 kg of flour, known as "85" flour, or standard flour. From a nutritional perspective, standard rice and standard flour better meet the body's needs.
Frequently eating refined white rice and flour is not good for health.
The bran of refined white rice and flour is significantly reduced, and its dietary fiber is also reduced. A lack of dietary fiber in the diet is a direct or indirect cause of colon cancer, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, and constipation, hemorrhoids, and other diseases. Therefore, the saying "eating rice with some bran is more beneficial to health" makes sense.
Here is another simple method to identify rice quality: First, make a general observation of a pile of rice. High-quality rice is white and lustrous, with整齐 grains, uniform particle size, and very few broken grains or grains of other colors. When you insert your hand into the rice, it should feel dry. Then, scoop up a handful of rice to observe whether it contains immature grains, damaged grains, or moldy grains. At the same time, pay attention to impurities in the rice. High-quality rice has little bran powder and no impurities such as husked barnyard grass grains, rice grains, sand, cinder, brick, or tile pieces. When selecting, also look at the amount of yellow rice grains, which must not be eaten.
Supplementary Reading: A Complete Analysis of the Nutrition of Various Rice Types
Rice is an indispensable staple in our daily healthy diet and one of the dietary aspects we pay most attention to. Rice is rich in nutrients, and the ways of eating different types of rice are naturally different. Some people are suitable for eating white rice, while others are more suited for ten-grain rice. So, how much do you really know about the rice around us? Below, we will introduce the different healthy ways to eat four types of rice, allowing you to easily understand the health benefits of grains, tubers, and legumes in your diet.
Different Healthy Ways to Eat Four Types of Rice:
1. White Rice
White rice is the main source of calories.
Calories: Approximately 270-290 kcal/bowl.
The main nutritional components of white rice are carbohydrates, accounting for about 75%, protein about 7%, and fat about 2%. Therefore, rice provides us with the main calories we need for our lives. Many people are afraid of gaining weight and dare not eat white rice. Experts say that long-term avoidance of rice may lead to hidden obesity. Many women are very thin but have a high body fat percentage, mainly due to long-term not eating rice and only consuming fat and protein.
2. Brown Rice
Brown rice has the highest nutritional value.
Calories: Approximately 230-250 kcal/bowl.
Brown rice refers to rice that has not undergone a refining process. It contains richer carbohydrates, fats, proteins, dietary fiber, B vitamins, vitamin E, and geranol, which can prevent aging. Because the texture of brown rice is not good, most people don't like to eat it. Experts suggest cooking brown rice with white rice to simultaneously consume the nutritional components of both. The benefits of eating brown rice include promoting gastrointestinal motility, strengthening the conduction function of the nervous system, preventing premature aging and weight loss; and its dietary fiber can prevent constipation, colon cancer, and obesity.
3. Ten-Grain Rice
Ten-grain rice has therapeutic effects.
Calories: Approximately 250-260 kcal/bowl.
Mixed from 10 different types of rice, including oats, lotus seeds, wheat flakes, brown rice, red Job's tears, black glutinous rice, millet, wheat, buckwheat, and Gordon Euryale. According to scientific research, the components contained in ten-grain rice help lower blood pressure, reduce cholesterol, clear blood clots, and soothe nerves. Its therapeutic effect is no less than drug control and has no side effects.
However, because the digestive systems of children are not yet fully developed, nutritionists recommend that children under 10 should reduce their consumption of ten-grain rice. And because the digestive function of the elderly has gradually declined, it is also not recommended to eat ten-grain rice frequently.
4. Germinated Brown Rice
Germinated brown rice is rich in vitamin E.
Calories: Approximately 260-270 kcal/bowl.
The calorie content of germinated brown rice is similar to that of white rice, but it contains nutrients that white rice does not. By milling the outer bran of brown rice and leaving the endosperm and germ, you get what is called germinated brown rice, which contains vitamin E, an antioxidant and anti-cancer agent. Comparing brown rice, germinated brown rice, and white rice, brown rice retains the most complete nutrients, while white rice is mostly carbohydrates, or starch. The characteristics of germinated brown rice are between the two, with slightly less B vitamins and dietary fiber than brown rice, but still much higher than white rice.
The above is the introduction of the different healthy ways to eat four types of rice for you. These types of rice are more common in our daily diet. Eating more coarse grains and brown rice is very beneficial to your health and helps to achieve a more balanced nutritional diet. Some types of rice can also easily lower blood sugar, remove garbage from the body, and have the good effect of losing weight and clearing fat.