What Is The Best Way To Eat Rice?
Rice is one of the most consumed foods in the world. Rice alone might be a little tasteless and boring, but luckily you can prepare it in many ways in combination with all kinds of other foods. So what’s the best way to eat rice?
As we mentioned, rice can be prepared in many different ways. Some ways are healthier than others. How healthy rice is depends on how you make it and of course what you combine it with.
Rice is a grain that plays a prominent role in many cultures around the world. It has been grown and eaten by various civilizations for centuries, just like wheat.
Rice and weight gain
Rice contains water, carbohydrates, fiber and minerals. It contains very little fat. In principle, it is therefore a healthy food that contains the carbohydrates that your body needs.
Eating rice now and then is not a problem in itself – it’s about how much of it you eat. Weight gain is caused when you take in more calories than you need based on how active you are.
Is it dangerous to eat rice?
Rice is able to absorb large amounts of arsenic, especially through the outer shell. In this case, the advantage of white rice is that it is processed. In this case, that outer casing has been removed.
This somewhat undermines the widely held opinion that brown rice or brown rice is healthier. Brown rice does indeed offer more health benefits than white rice, but unfortunately it also contains more arsenic.
Three ways to reduce the amount of arsenic in rice
- Two parts water, one part rice
This two-on-one preparation method ensures that the rice can cook well. And this reduces the amount of arsenic it contains.
- Five parts water, one part rice
When you cook rice in a lot of water, the amount of arsenic can be reduced by up to 50%. It is therefore interesting to know that the recommended amount of water for making risotto is five parts water to one part rice.
- Soak the rice overnight
When you soak rice in water overnight, it loses about 80% of the arsenic it contains.
Unfortunately, this also means that some of the beneficial nutrients are lost.
A healthy way to eat rice
If you want to improve your health by eating rice, there are a few ways to prepare rice that will allow it to provide more health benefits. Here are a few:
White rice with coconut oil
One of the drawbacks of white rice is that it contains a lot of concentrated starch. Unfortunately, the human body converts this starch into sugar. And we all know how harmful too much sugar can be.
However, you can mitigate this problem by using an extra cup of water and adding two tablespoons of coconut oil to the water when you cook the rice. This ensures that the negative effects of the starch in your body can be neutralized.
Rice and broth
If you’d like to add more flavor to your rice while also improving its nutritional value, try stock. Vegetable and chicken stock provide flavor and nutrients and are well absorbed by the rice.
Rice with ginger: good for your heart
If you choose to eat rice with lots of flavor and health benefits, it’s also a good idea to add some ginger. You are supposed to grate the ginger root and add it to the rice when it is cooked. Either way, adding a little coconut oil will give you a dish that not only looks good, but is healthy too.
Rice with added antioxidants
As you can see, there are plenty of ways to improve eating rice (by adding flavor and nutrients). Another way is by combining it with ingredients that contain antioxidants. These can be vegetables and mushrooms, for example: these provide your body with a healthy amount of antioxidants and proteins.
Garlic is also an ingredient that has many beneficial properties. In addition, however, it can also be perfectly combined with onion and rice. All these ingredients ensure that your rice dishes taste delicious and are healthy at the same time.
Rice is an ingredient that can be prepared in many more ways than most other ingredients. It is an age-old food that can actually be combined with almost anything. Just try experimenting a bit and look for innovative ways to prepare it. This will give you more appreciation for the art of healthy cooking.
