Lifestyle

Thursday November 15, 2007

Rice is nice



This grain makes an excellent first solid food for weaning babies.

SOME good things never change. Decades ago, you ate porridge as a toddler. Today, your child continues to enjoy this traditional goodness. Rice porridge has garnered a loyal following through the generations. Let’s find out why.

An allergy-free weaning food

Easy to cook: Rice can be boiled into a smooth porridge with, among other foods, sweet potatoes – a rich source of beta-carotene. – Filepic
Among the many types of grains, rice is probably the safest for weaning babies. Weaning or the introduction of solid foods inadvertently exposes your child to the risk of food allergy, which unknown to many, may trigger a string of allergies, including eczema and asthma. Rice makes an excellent first solid food as allergy to rice is rare.

Bursting with energy and nutrients

Rice is a complex carbohydrate packed with energy-giving starches. As it releases energy in a steady manner, your child gets a constant stream of energy to fuel his growth, learning and play. Rice provides a little protein and most of the B vitamins needed for a host of functions, ranging from energy production to promoting healthy appetite and digestion. Rice also contains small amounts of minerals including phosphorus, zinc, selenium, copper and iodine.

You may also be surprised to know that boiled rice, particularly the medium or long grain varieties, contains “resistant starch” which is neither digested nor absorbed in the small intestine. As such, this resistant starch passes into the large intestine where it functions like dietary fibres, adding bulk to waste matter and helping to promote bowel regularity.

Versatile base

Rice goes well with many other foods. It can be boiled into a smooth porridge with sweet potatoes, carrots or pumpkin – all rich sources of beta-carotene.

Alternatively, for a savoury twist, you can boil rice with protein foods like meats, fish or poultry. So, with rice, it is easy to cook a nutritious meal for baby. You can also cook rice using stock, tomato juice or soya milk instead of water for better flavour.

More gains from rice grains

Here are a few tips to help you get more goodness from your rice. Store rice in a covered, opaque container to avoid the light sensitive B vitamins from being destroyed. To prevent weevils from flourishing in your rice, put several dried chillies in the container. When washing rice before cooking, do not use too much water or rinse too many times as the water soluble vitamins will leach away. – Article courtesy of Nestle

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