Rice can satisfy hunger and is the staple food for Chinese people. In fact, besides filling the stomach, rice has many other health benefits, such as aiding digestion and nourishing the kidneys. The following introduces five types of rice with different health benefits.
1. The most nourishing is japonica rice
The common rice used daily for cooking is also known as japonica rice or white rice. It is semi-transparent and oval or elliptical in shape. It has a high milling yield, low grain expansion, but high stickiness. As a daily staple, japonica rice contains essential nutrients for the human body, such as starch, protein, fat, vitamin B1, niacin, vitamin C, and calcium, iron, etc. It can provide the necessary nutrition and calories for the body. Cooking japonica rice into porridge for health and longevity has a history of 2000 years in China. The congee oil on the top layer of the japonica porridge can replenish fluids and essence, which is greatly beneficial for nourishing 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, replenishing the middle qi, nourishing yin and promoting body fluids, relieving vexation and thirst, and stopping diarrhea. It can be used for conditions such as weakness of the spleen and stomach, vexation and thirst, malnutrition, and post-illness weakness. However, diabetic patients should be careful not to eat too much.
2. The most digestive is brown rice
So-called brown rice is the "light yellow rice" that has had its coarse husk removed during the milling process, retaining the germ and inner skin. Brown rice contains more protein, fat, and vitamins than polished white rice. The crude fiber molecules in the bran layer help gastrointestinal motility and are effective for digestive tract diseases such as stomach problems, constipation, and hemorrhoids. Brown rice is more nutritious than polished white rice and can lower cholesterol, reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Brown rice is suitable for the general population, but because of its coarse texture and dense texture, it takes longer to cook. It is recommended to wash it and soak it in cold water overnight before cooking, then cook it in a pressure cooker for more than half an hour along with the soaking water.
3. The most stomach-nourishing is millet
Millet is also known as Liang rice, Su rice, or Su谷. It is rich in protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamin B2, niacin, and nutrients such as calcium, phosphorus, and iron. Because millet is very easy for the human body to digest and absorb, it is called "health rice" by nutrition experts. Millet has the effects of strengthening the spleen and harmonizing the middle, benefiting kidney qi, clearing deficiency heat, promoting urination, and treating vexation and thirst. It is a good nutritional and recuperative food for treating weakness of the spleen and stomach, general debility, damage to essence and blood, postpartum deficiency, and loss of appetite. Because millet is slightly cool in nature, those with qi stagnation and those with a constitution that is slightly deficient and cold or with clear and long urination should not eat too much.
4. The most kidney-nourishing is black rice
Black rice is rich in nutrition, containing protein, fat, B vitamins, calcium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, and other substances, and its nutritional value is higher than that of ordinary rice. It can significantly increase the content of human blood pigment and hemoglobin, which is beneficial to the health of the cardiovascular system, the development of children's bones and brains, and can promote the recovery of postpartum women and people who are weak after illness, so it is an ideal nutritional health food. Black rice has the effects of nourishing yin and kidneys, replenishing qi and strengthening the body, strengthening the spleen and whetting the appetite, tonifying the liver and improving eyesight, and nourishing essence and securing astringency. It is a good tonic for anti-aging, beauty, preventing disease, and strengthening the body. Regular consumption of black rice has a good tonic effect on chronic patients, patients in the recovery period, and young children. Because black rice is not easy to cook, it should be soaked overnight before cooking. Young children and the elderly with weak digestive functions should not eat it.
5. The most detoxifying is glutinous rice
Glutinous rice, also called Jiangmi, is often used to make snacks because of its fragrant, sticky, and smooth texture, and is loved by everyone. Glutinous rice contains nutrients such as protein, fat, carbohydrates, calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamin B2, and a large amount of starch.
6. The most beautifying is Job's tears
Job's tears is also known as Yi ren mi or Yi mi. Job's tears has high nutritional value and is known as the "king of world gramineous plants". Job's tears is rich in nutrition, containing components such as Job's tears oil, Job's tears fat, sterols, amino acids, arginine and other amino acids, and nutrients such as vitamin B1 and carbohydrates. It has the effects of promoting urination to drain dampness, strengthening the spleen to stop diarrhea, and clearing heat and detoxifying. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that Job's tears is sweet and light in taste, slightly cold in nature, and enters the spleen, stomach, and lung meridians. It has therapeutic and preventive effects on symptoms such as spleen deficiency and diarrhea, muscle soreness and heaviness, and joint pain.