Parboiled rice stands out on store shelves with its unusual creamy, yellowish or golden hue. He relatively recently appeared in our kitchens among round and long-grain counterparts. Parboiled rice has confidently entered the diet of adherents of a healthy lifestyle and athletes, as a champion among types of rice in terms of useful properties.
Rice dishes occupy a leading position among cereals, actively competing with wheat. They are especially popular in China and Southeast Asia. National dishes are prepared from rice: pilaf, paella, flatbread, noodles, risotto - just to name a few. More than 95% of the world's population is more than one year old with products based on it. Recently, classic white rice is giving way to pre-prepared grains. Why this happens, and what is the difference between parboiled rice and ordinary rice, you will learn from this article.
How is parboiled rice obtained and how is it different from regular rice?
After ripening, the rice grain is cleaned of all layers of the shell. When grinding it, the embryo is cut off. The result is a beautiful, white grain, which has lost as a result of refining up to 85% oils, up to 70% cellulose and minerals, up to 65% niacin, 50% riboflavin and about 10% protein. Having acquired an attractive appearance, rice loses its useful properties. The more polished the rice, the less biologically active substances it contains.
After repeated attempts to preserve the beneficial properties of the grain during cleaning, the producers still found the best way to pre-process it.
Steamed Rice Making Process:
- The grains in the shell are winded.
- Unpeeled rice groats are washed to remove dirt and dust.
- Film-coated grains are soaked in water. At the same time, the beneficial elements found in the peel and embryo become more accessible.
- The prepared raw material is steamed under pressure. At the same time, vitamins, trace elements and oils (up to 80%) in the surface layers penetrate into the central part of the grain. The starch breaks down, and the grain becomes denser, glassy.
- The rice is dried.
- The grain is brought down (cleaned) by peeling the kernels, cleaned of bran.
- The resulting rice grains are sorted and polished. The shell removed in this case contains no more than 20% of useful components. Biologically active substances remain in the grain.
After such processing, the rice acquires a characteristic color and appears more transparent than usual. It can be easily distinguished by its appearance.
But if in doubt, check the information on the cereal packaging.
Parboiled rice composition
The popularity of rice on Earth is not accidental. It is rich in trace elements, vitamins, dietary fiber. Their number differs significantly depending on the species, variety, method of processing and the area in which the plant was grown. See here for the detailed composition of white rice.
Grain contains amino acids: arginine, choline, histidine, tryptophan, cysteine, methionine, lysine.
Nutritional value of parboiled rice:
Substance | amount | Units |
Protein | 6,1 – 14 | D |
Fats | 0,4 – 2,2 | D |
Carbohydrates | 71,8 – 79,5 | D |
The energy value | 123 – 135 | Kcal |
Here you will see a classic rice composition.
Preliminary preparation of cereals leads to the destruction of starch. This reduces the glycemic index (GI) from 70 to 38-40 units.
Benefits of Parboiled Rice
Technological features of the preparation of cereals maximally preserve biologically active substances in it. With its low GI, parboiled rice is recommended for diets. It is approved for athletes and patients suffering from metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus.
Benefits of Parboiled Rice:
- normalizes metabolic processes;
- activates brain activity, regulates the intensity of processes in the nervous system;
- has a beneficial effect on the heart muscle;
- saturates the athlete with biologically active substances;
- breaks down slowly, does not lead to critical fluctuations in blood sugar levels;
- supplies the body with energy for a long time;
- has a positive effect on water-salt metabolism;
- has an enveloping effect;
- reduces the production of acid in the stomach;
- slows down the activity of the digestive tract.
Rice is actively used in dietetics. It is especially useful for athletes with a tendency to indigestion and digestive ailments. It is recommended to include it in the diet of athletes during pregnancy against the background of gestational diabetes.
Rice is gluten-free and suitable for sports nutrition even for young athletes.
What harm can there be from it?
Rice groats are balanced in composition. It has a neutral taste and has a mild effect on the athlete's body. But it can also have a negative impact.
In particular, the harm of parboiled rice is manifested in constipation. They are manifested in athletes with delayed intestinal peristalsis. This side effect occurs with excessive consumption of rice-based foods, decreased physical activity of an athlete, for example, with injuries, if not drinking enough water.
Note that constipation increases with increased sweating. This happens with the summer period and with an increase in physical activity. Usually they get rid of them by changing the drinking diet.
Also, steamed rice is not recommended for athletes with individual intolerance. It is extremely rare. Rice is considered a dietary hypoallergenic food and usually does not cause side effects.
Features of parboiled rice
Parboiled rice has not only an improved composition, but also some culinary features:
- During heat treatment, its color changes from amber to white.
- Rice is denser. They do not stick together and do not boil, retaining their shape even after reheating.
- The cooking time for such cereals is longer (about 30 minutes).
- It is advisable to leave the finished rice in a warm place for another 15 minutes to evenly distribute moisture, add splendor. This makes digestion easier.
- The finished dish turns out to be almost 2 times larger than unprocessed rice of the same type and quality.
Knowing these features, it is easy to prepare a tasty and healthy dish for an athlete.
In slimming diets
Parboiled rice is often used in dietetics. It is suitable for weight loss diets. On the one hand, rice suppresses hunger well, and on the other hand, it has a reduced calorie content.
The maximum effect of weight loss is given by a mono-diet. For 3 days, the diet is only boiled steamed rice, herbal teas and water. The diet is effective, but psychologically and physically difficult. Few can stick to such a diet for a long time. And rice days according to this plan are good as unloading and are well tolerated.
Rice goes well with vegetables, fruits, animal products, becoming a full-fledged component of combined diets. There are many dietary rice dishes. The general condition is to boil the grain until it is cooked through without adding salt. Porridge, salads, puddings, rice noodles are an excellent basis for long-term weight loss courses.
For diabetics
The main problem with a violation of carbohydrate metabolism is a complete change in the diet on an ongoing basis. Glucose in diabetes cannot get from the patient's blood into the cells due to the lack of insulin (type I) or because of tissue insensitivity to it (type II). Therefore, for the diet, foods are chosen that do not give a sharp increase in blood sugar. These include parboiled rice. It contains small amounts of fast carbohydrates. Slow carbohydrates are absorbed gradually without causing glycemic spikes.
With impaired glucose metabolism, obesity (type II) is often observed. In this case, the diet is aimed at weight loss, which is also facilitated by rice dishes.
Conclusion
Things to remember about parboiled rice:
- Parboiled rice is a delicious and healthy grain product.
- It contains more nutrients than its classic counterparts and is recommended for athletes.
- The negative effects of the product are extremely rare and quickly disappear when the diet is changed.
- It takes about 30 minutes to cook. Compared to classic rice, the yield of the finished product is 100% higher in volume.
- Parboiled rice, alone or in combination with other foods, is included in various weight loss diets. It is introduced into the diet of diabetics to normalize sugar levels and reduce weight.