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Make
rice one of your staples
April 28, 05
Suzanne Havala Hobbs
Rice
eaters have better diets.
That’s the conclusion of an Iowa State University researcher
who analyzed government data on American dietary intakes.
The study, funded by the rice industry and presented this
month at a dietitians’ meeting, found that people who
eat rice are slimmer and have diets more in line with the
2005 Dietary Guidelines. Rice eaters’ diets contain
less added fat and sugar and include more grains, vegetables
and fruits.
That’s not surprising.
Plain, cooked rice is nutritious, free of saturated fat and
cholesterol, and relatively low in calories. Considering that
rice is typically paired with vegetables – in jambalaya,
beans and rice, or stir-fry, for example – a rice meal
is often a healthy meal.
If you’d like to experiment with more rice-based meals
at home, here’s a quick primer on the types you’ll
find most often in the supermarket:
* Long grain. The kernels are several times longer than their
width. The steamed rice is light and fluffy because kernels
stay separate. This is the type you’re most likely to
have at home in your pantry.
* Medium grain. The kernels are a little shorter and moister,
so they stick together a bit.
* Short grain. Kernels are moist and rounded and clump together
easily.
* Aromatic. Popular varieties are jasmine and basmati. They
have a nutty flavor and fragrance. Steamed basmati rice is
light, fluffy and long-grained. It’s often served with
Indian food. Jasmine rice is moister so kernels stick together.
You may have eaten it in Thai restaurants.
* Arborio. A medium grain rice that is creamy in texture when
cooked. It’s used to make an Italian dish called risotto.
Despite the differences in cooking properties and, in some
cases flavor, the different types of rice are similar in nutritional
value.
From there, of course, rice comes in several forms, depending
upon how it’s processed.
Brown rice has only the outer hull removed, leaving the bran
layers that contain fiber and B vitamins. White rice has the
hull removed and the bran layers milled or polished, leaving
the grain white in color. It’s still nutritious but
less so than brown rice.
Parboiled rice has been processed with steam in a way that
creates firmer kernels that stay separated when cooked and
make fluffier rice. Precooked rice has been cooked and dehydrated
so that cooking time at home is greatly reduced.
If you buy boxes or bags of seasoned rice mixtures, read the
nutrition fact labels and compare the sodium contents of different
brands. Go for the lowest you can find. Better yet: Buy plain
rice and add your own herbs and low-sodium spices at home.
If a packaged mix calls for added butter, use vegetable oil
instead.
Cooking rice is easy. Add one cup of brown rice to two cups
of boiling water, reduce heat to low and cook with the lid
on the pot for about 50 minutes or until all of the water
is absorbed.
More rice tips:
* Consider a rice cooker. They resemble slow cookers and make
perfectly steamed, fluffy rice without stovetop supervision.
Add water and rice, set the timer, and walk away. The cooker
keeps rice hot until you’re ready to eat it.
* Make more than you need. Store leftover rice in an airtight
container for several days in the refrigerator, or months
in the freezer. Use them in another dish and you’ll
save time because the rice is precooked.
* One type of rice can usually be substituted for another
in recipes (with the exception of creamy arborio rice).
* Rice is one of the least allergenic foods. That’s
why rice cereal is a first baby food. Natural foods stores
sell rice flour for baking and fortified rice milk as a substitute
for cow’s milk or soymilk for people who are lactose
intolerant and allergic to soy.
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