8 Health benefits of Rice

Rice

Rice is much-revered oriental food and the most important tropical cereal. It is the staple food of about half the human race and is often the main source of calories and the main source of calories and the principal food of many millions of people.
Rice from which only husk has been removed, but layers of bran and most of the germ retained, is known as brown rice. Rice from which husk,germ and bran layers have almost completely milled to a high degree is known as white rice
Rice from which husk, germ and bran layers have been partly removed without the use of power machinery is known as hand-pounded rice.
Rice milled to a high degree and then coated with some foreign substance such as glucose or talcum is called polished rice.
Rice specially processed by steaming or soaking in water, then heated and dried, is called parboiled paddy. It can then be milled to various degrees or home pounded. It is called parboiled milled or parboiled home pounded.

Origin of Rice
Rice has been cultivated in south eastern Asia since ancient times where it is one of the oldest of food crops. The date or place of its domestication is not known with certainty. One of the earliest mention of rice dates back to 2800 BC, when a chinese emperor established a ceremonial ordinance for the planting of rice that would later be used by the royal physicians for healing purposes. It was grown in ancient India as far back as in 3000BC.

Food Value
Starch constitutes the bulk of the rice grain. The protein content of the rice is lower than that of wheat, but is of superior quality and utilized better by the body than the wheat protein. The ancient and modern Oriental healers through traditional medicines have always advocated the use of natural brown rice as a key to youthful health-building. The processing removes many of the valuable B-complex vitamins and some of the minerals.

8 Health Benefits of Rice

Rice has always been considered a magical healers in the East. It was originally believed to have medicinal values that could restore tranquility and peace to those who were easily upset. It has been mentioned in early Oriental writings that natural whole grain rice is a perfect healing food. In the ancient literature of Thailand, Burma, Malaya and Indo-China, rice is mentioned as a source of health. It was also revered as a food of divine health and used in religious offerings.
Modern researches have confirmed the beliefs of ancient oriental folk physicians that the eating of brown rice is a source of serenity and tranquility. It has been shown to contain all the elements needed for the maintenance of good health.

1. Digestibility
Rice is about 98percent digestible. It is one of the most easily and quickly digested of all foods – being fully digested in an hour. Rice starch is different from other grain starches as it contains 100percent amylopectin which is most completely and rapidly digested grain starch. This makes rice an ideal food for those who seek speedy and healthy assimilation.

2. Internal Rejuvenation
Rice protein, which comprises up to eight percent of the grain, has a special benefit as it has eight of the essential amino acids in a delicately balanced proportions. A complete internal rejuvenation takes place when rice protein is metabolized into health-building amino acids.


3. Source of B-Complex Vitamins
The B-complex vitamins, especially thiamin, riboflavin and niacin offered by natural brown rice promote youthful energy and nourishment to skin and blood vessels. An abundance of minerals in natural brown rice help to nourish the hormonal system, heal wounds and regulate blood pressure. Rice offers iron to enrich the bloodstream and phosphorus and potassium to maintain internal water balance along with other nutrients. Rice helps restore internal harmony.

4. High Blood Pressure
Rice has a low-fat, low cholesterol and low-salt contents. It makes a perfect diet for those hypertensive persons who have been advised salt-restricted diets. It has been noted by modern researchers that wherever rice is used as the main food, there is a corresponding benefit of youthful vitality and a very low rate of hypertension. Calcium in brown rice, in particular, soothes and relaxes the nervous system and helps relieve the symptoms of high blood pressure.

5. Body Balance
The rice diet, in combination with milk, creates a marvelous body balance. In this regimen, natural brown rice is used as the only solid food throughout the day. Fresh milk is taken with each of the rice meals. The nutrients in the rice form a unique balance with those in the milk. The tow notable amino acids, isoleucine and lysine in the milk are greatly strengthened by rice protein, thereby enabling them to form stronger body-building blocks. The natural lactic acid in milk works with rice protein to aid in the absorption of iron.

6. Digestive System Disorder
Rice has a low fibre content, and is therefore extremely soothing to the digestive system. This makes rice an ideal food for digestive system disorders. Thick gruel of rice mixed with a glassful of butter-milk and a riped banana given twice a day is a very nutritious diet in typhoid, gastric ulcer, gastritis, stomach and intestinal cancer, colitis, diarrhea, dysentery, piles, rectal fissure, indigestion, in acute febrile diseases related to fever, hepatitis or inflammation of liver, jaundice, morning sickness, acute dilation of the stomach, burning and other indigestion or excessive accumulation of gas in the intestine.

7. Diarrhoea in Children
Rice is useful in treating diarrhea in children. When all other foods are offending.

8. Skin Inflammation
Rice may also be used externally in the form of powder or poultice. The rice flour, dusted thickly over the surface, has a very cooling and soothing effect in small-pox, measles, prickly heat and other inflammatory affections of the skin including burns and scalds. It allays heat and irritation.

Source:Foods That heals
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